1. 6. 2021

Employees are Krka’s main competitive advantage

7 min. read

This year’s Krka Awards Day was a celebration of the achievements of Krka employees and their contribution to company success. The current circumstances forced us to organise 24 smaller events in the period from 24 May to 3 June. The main event, smaller in size than in previous years, was held on 28 May at Otočec. We honoured Krka employees celebrating their 40-year anniversaries, best Krka Group employees and managers, and all those who excelled in the field of innovation. Last week we also thanked the Krka employees who retired in 2020. The events were held in accordance with the valid measures for preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Employees are Krka's main competitive advantage

In its nearly seven-decade long history, Krka has managed to create a solid and unique company culture that is oriented towards the international arena. We are well aware that quality could not be possible without employees, which is why we create the kind of environment in which we combine business results with personal satisfaction and good interpersonal relations. We are firm believers in the power of knowledge, work, cooperation and loyalty, which is why we take the time to honour past and present employees every single year.

Krka’s CEO Jože Colarič addressed the awarded Krka Group participants at the main event at Otočec. In a video call he also addressed the participants of the other 23 smaller events that were held at the level of individual organisational units, expressing his respect and appreciation for their contribution to Krka’s success. Among other things, he pointed out the following: “The tradition we created together – as well as the qualities and skills of Krka employees – have allowed us to make the right decisions and successfully overcome various obstacles in the past 67 years. Krka employees of all generations prove time and time again that we are well qualified in all areas of our operation, and are always eager to learn more. We are open to change, and look for solutions in a quick and effective manner. We rely on our values, which we place at the centre of our organisational culture and which reflect who we are. We are aware that the key to partnership and trust is building respectable relations among ourselves and with our partners – buyers, shareholders, suppliers and everyone involved in the process. After 67 years of operation, all this is reflected in the fact that more than 50 million patients trust our products, which is what our progress and growth are built on.”

Long-service employees exemplify company loyalty

The number of employees has been rising steadily, increasing from a handful working in a small laboratory to almost 13,000 that are today spread all over the world. The generations of innovative and creative employees that contributed to Krka’s growth – making it one of the biggest and most successful generic pharmaceutical companies in the world – demonstrate that we need more than just strategies and goals to reach our objectives – we need people that are well-qualified and prepared to make those objectives a reality. We could not imagine Krka’s progress without the dedicated, motivated, loyal and well-qualified workforce. In 2021, 781 Krka Group employees are celebrating their work anniversaries. Among those, 72 have worked at the Krka Group for 40 years, 85 for 35, 32 for 30, 150 for 20, and 442 for 10 years.

Best Employees and Best Managers

We strive towards being a company of creative employees who build their success on team work, and who view their employment at Krka as an opportunity for personal growth. We all contribute to the kind of environment in which we can express ourselves and our ideas freely, while taking the needs and ideas of others into consideration. Employee loyalty and positive atmosphere get further boosted through the selection of best employees and managers of the year. This year, we selected 48 best employees and 19 best managers at the organisational unit level, and 10 best employees and 5 best managers at the Krka Group level.

The selection also comprised 2020 Marketing Awards winners: 2 best marketing managers, 2 best heads of area, 5 best brand managers, 10 best district managers, 3 best key account managers and 48 best medical representatives. We conferred an award and several recognitions in the field of regulatory affairs as well.

Awards for best managers and best employees as well as marketing awards and recognitions in the field of regulatory affairs were conferred to, in addition to the employees from Slovenia, also to employees from Krka’s companies and representative offices This is an indication that Krka is an international company that has been growing throughout the years and strengthening its business network abroad.

Awarding innovation

Krka creates an environment that motivates and encourages employees to share their ideas and also implement them. We encourage our employees to search for new and better ways to achieve customer satisfaction. Their proposals contribute to reducing costs and improving work processes. That is why in addition to the awards that employees receive for each innovative proposal and awards for improvements resulting in computed or estimated savings we also use other incentives for rewarding inventions. The nominated proposers receive special awards at the Krka Awards Day. Each proposer receives a practical prize and attends a meeting of all proposers once a year. The President of the Management Board sends New Year thank-you letters and practical gifts to all proposers.

We conferred awards for innovation as well: award for best proposer, best improvement and 4 recognitions for best useful proposals. Traditionally, all proposers attend a meeting held at the end of the year during which the head of the organisational unit with the highest number of useful proposals and suggestions for improvements receives an award as well. This year the best organisation unit in the field of inventive work was Engineering and Technical Service.

Fostering relations with retired employees

Last week we thanked 101 employees who retired in 2020 – 82 worked at the Krka Company, 1 at Farma GRS and 18 at Terme Krka. Krka’s CEO Jože Colarič pointed out that retired employees made a significant contribution to Krka’s growth with their dedication, knowledge and work ethic. Retired employees received commemorative presents for their service. Last December, all retired employees of Krka in Slovenia received a New Year’s gift and 150 EUR at the beginning of 2021 as acknowledgement for their service in the past.