Chief people officer at Martinus: Our employees are our partners

This article was published in the Career & Employment Guide 2023, our special annual publication focused on the labour market, human resources and education.

When Andrea Mešková joined the bookseller Martinus in 2009, most of its business was carried out via the internet. That was about to change, since one of her first jobs was to design, furnish and open a brand new bricks-and-mortar shop in Bratislava, followed by several more across the country. Later, she was responsible for the operations of the chain’s in-store coffee shops, which are now an integral part of the brand.When Andrea Mešková joined the bookseller Martinus in 2009, most of its business was carried out via the internet. That was about to change, since one of her first jobs was to design, furnish and open a brand new bricks-and-mortar shop in Bratislava, followed by several more across the country. Later, she was responsible for the operations of the chain’s in-store coffee shops, which are now an integral part of the brand.

Still, she admits that she has always been more interested in human relations, and in creating an inspiring environment where people can grow, both personally and professionally. She now seeks this goal as the head of the Martinus Experience team, which includes the company’s entire HR agenda.

Despite a diverse and wide range of jobs in the company, she stresses one common objective: an effort to build the brand together as partners.

“We tell our staff that we all contribute to creating the environment at Martinus,” said Mešková, who received the HRLeader award for 2022, awarded by Maxman Consultants.

Building a chain of bookshops and cafés

Mešková graduated from strategic management and marketing, which she studied at Comenius University’s Faculty of Management. Even though she did not start working in HR right away, she admits that this field was present in many of her activities during her university years.

After joining Martinus as project manager, she was put in charge of opening its first bricks-and-mortar bookshop in Bratislava. This included finding a location and spaces, signing all related agreements, supervising construction work and fit-out, and meeting an architect to create a concept that would later be applied in other shops in the chain.

With this done, she was responsible for selecting future employees.

“I realised that creating an environment where people can grow and meet their needs really fulfils me,” Mešková said.

Still, it took some time before she ended up working in HR. After returning from maternity leave, she took up the job of running the coffee shop concept that now falls under the Foxford brand. Mešková moved fully into HR after another spell of maternity leave.

A different approach

Doing HR at Martinus is a bit different from other book-sales companies and sectors. It has a wide range of positions, from logistics to retail, to back office. These all have different working requirements and preferences, and sometimes even ways of thinking, Mešková said.

Another difference is how Martinus has decided to approach HR. It wants its employees to be partners, which “requires a higher level of responsibility and trust,” she explained.The partnership principle is reflected in a recent project that Mešková has been working on. Called Smart Remuneration, and fully implemented in 2022, it helps the company define work positions, as well as the set of skills and qualifications that each requires. Most of all, it is aimed to eliminate the taboo related to discussions about salaries.

Salary not a taboo

This topic, as Mešková explained, stood out based on interviews with employees that Martinus conducted prior to launching the project.

“People struggled to open a discussion about their salary with their managers,” Mešková said. “We wanted to make sure there is such a discussion at least twice a year.”

This does not automatically mean that salaries are raised twice a year or that everybody knows the exact sum that their colleagues earn. Instead, it means that employees sit down with their managers and discuss how much the person currently earns, and how they can progress at their job and earn more. Moreover, it helps each employee understand what he or she can work on and what capabilities to develop further in order to either achieve a higher salary or new career opportunities. This is the partnership principle of the project, Mešková explained.

“We’re trying to play with open cards so that everyone can decide whether they are happy in this relationship,” she added.

Offering an experience

Another difference in Martinus’ approach to HR is reflected by the name of the department that oversees it. Called Martinus Experience, it seeks to ensure that every person in the company acquires useful experience from their job. The added value of this experience is that it can then be transferred into employees’ everyday life, Mešková noted.

Every new recruit undergoes a series of training courses, including radical candour, non-violent communication and transactional analysis. They discuss the related skills and tools, and practise how to use them.

They then encourage their colleagues to use these tools in real-life situations, and thus boost their experience in solving difficult situations or even conflicts. Mešková believes that employees will be motivated to use these tools outside of work as well, as their personal life and work are interconnected. In her opinion, using certain tools in these situations can help them realise that they are capable of changing things around them.

“I want to help people increase the chances that every new experience will be better than the previous one,” she concluded.