This week’s career profile takes the form of an interview with Olga Smolenkova, HR and PR manager for the C.I.S at BIC. We will be concentrating on her role as HR manager.

A graduate in credit and finance from the Moscow State Financial Academy, Smolenkova began her career with the Russian State Tax Authority as a Tax Auditor.

As you will soon discover, she is surprisingly creative for someone with a credit and finance education.

The Leader: What are your main human resources responsibilities?

Mrs. Smolenkova: The real role of a HR manager is one of keeping information flowing between all departments. I also implement effective personnel policies, according to the directives of our headquarters in France.

My main responsibilities include planning, recruitment and training. I also manage the company's compensation policy, benefits analysis, and determine how best to distribute salary increases to employees.

I follow the performance of our personnel, and plan promotions. I am responsible for a procedure called ”management by objectives.” It is a means of assesment of the progress of managment and of setting them objectives for the future..

I also control the organization of the recruitment process, selection of agencies, documentation and record keeping of personnel files and insurance issues. It is a lot of work ¾

The Leader: What are the ideal qualities of an HR manager?

Mrs. Smolenkova: An HR manager should be creative and have a talent for understanding people. An imaginative HR manager can always find something to do for others in addition to their main responsibilities.         

Sometimes I just decide to plant some flowers in our garden and organize a barbecue near the office entrance under our trees, with some wine and gypsy dancers. If you have decided to work with people, you must love them.

The Leader: What do you like most about your job?

Mrs. Smolenkova: I like births and marriages in our young family. I like being with our personnel . We have a team of qualified, self-motivated, and enthusiastic people. I also enjoy visiting our factory and talking with our workers. I like dealing with new medical insurance and credit card projects for our employees. I also get a lot out of the HR meetings of the American Chamber of Commerce and the European Business Club. I like almost everything I do. That is the only way to work well, and to get the results I need. Otherwise it would be better not to bother at all.

The Leader: What do you like the least about your job?

Mrs. Smolenkova: Paperwork. It takes up so much time. Some of the paragraphs of the Russian labor code, which I must follow, make my work more complicated. I also dislike settling conflicts between employees, but it’s my responsibility all the same. I am always sad when I trust someone, and then realize that I should have been more cautious.

The Leader: Could you describe an average working day for me?

Mrs. Smolenkova: We start at 9 a.m. As the person who keeps track of discipline inside the company, I can't be late. We do not force our employees to be right on time. Above all, we look at the results of their work. However, more than 20 minutes of tardiness is unacceptable.

My day is not scheduled (unless I have meetings). I prefer to be flexible and to earmark the important tasks for the day, and to complete them. I divide my working day into four parts: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the evening, after 6 p.m. I begin the day with a cup of coffee while I read the newspapers and the Internet for the morning news. I guess I am not unique in that. I also have to read my mail, messages, faxes and letters. At the end of month, there are always salary issues, bonuses and holidays to deal with.

The morning can begin differently if we have deadlines to meet. Every corporate manager knows this word. A deadline means that you start with a certain topic and don't stop until it is finished. My afternoon is usually planned. I generally know what I should be doing every afternoon, a week or two in advance. I think that this is the usual routine for everybody here. The evening is usually reserved for interviews, when we have vacancies. Otherwise, I use this time to do work that requires creativity. I am not interrupted in the evening, as everyone has already left the office. Every day is different. That’s why I like my work.

The Leader: How do you think your work differs from the work of a HR manager in a Western European country?

Mrs. Smolenkova: I believe that we have outstanding people with the highest human potential. They are willing to help. They have a Russian heart and a Russian soul. The laws of the land, salary levels and life styles are, of course different; but I don't really think that their work is. I don't want to be poetic or sentimental, but that is the first thing, which comes to my mind.

The Leader: What kind of difficulties are there in HR in Russia?

Mrs. Smolenkova: I think that Human Resources in Russia, the existing system of "Otdel Kadrov", is slowly passing from socialism to our contemporary situation. Western companies are bringing their corporate culture to the Russian market and hopefully this process will continue.

The Leader: Do most large-sized companies in Moscow have an HR manager now?

Mrs. Smolenkova: I think they do, the role of a HR manager should be central to each company. I think that this person should create the entire atmosphere and team spirit in a company. An HR Manager should be able to combine knowledge with intuition. The HR manager, along with general management, is also responsible for team building.