For the second year in a row, our office in Budapest has once again been confirmed as the number one Executive Search firm in Hungary.
We are honoured to be recognized for making an impact that matters for clients and candidates.
Our commitment to responsible business leadership, diversity and a positive culture is only part of our success.
Árpád Németh, Managing Partner in Hungary, said, "We are absolutely delighted. This award is true recognition of the fantastic people we have working within our business. This recognition is testament to our continued hard work, dedication and real relationships we always build with our clients. We remain very appreciative to our client because with their continued support, commitment and votes, we are once again recognised as the number one firm in Hungary. Thank you so much.”.
Friisberg & Partners International realises that our people are our most valuable asset. We are proud to have such highly engaged teams who believe wholeheartedly in our vision – despite the incredibly challenging times we have all faced over the past two years.
This is the result of the current study by WirtschaftsWoche - with around one million readers WirtschaftsWoche is the largest and most up-to-date business magazine for decision-makers in Germany.
We won this award covering two sectors:
Since the HR Consultancy ranking is based on customer reviews, we are all the more pleased about this award!
In the future, we will continue to do everything we can to select the right leaders who will make the difference in companies in these challenging times.
The hope is that 2022 will end the nightmare of Covid and enable us all to re-start our social relationships that have been paused over the past two years.
We have all learned so much and we strive to move forward with a positive attitude.
There is no doubt that a lack of face to face contact has had an impact on our attitudes to work.
Major European leaders, with caution, are united that 2022 will prove to be the year of the end of pandemic for 4 reasons:
No one wants to halt the global economy again, so companies like Friisberg are working hard with business leaders around the world to re-configure their structure, create digital platforms, manage their HR structures and solve problems quickly and effectively - especially at the moment those linked to the re-opening of local economies and work places.
Since September 2021 we feel very positive that the global marketplace has 'woken up'.
We will continue to contribute, helping to build strong bridges within teams, building on new expectations and business needs around the world.
Aureliana De Sanctis
Associate Partner, Milan
Due to remote working, many organisations have hired employees who are only tied to their working community by virtual means. This makes it easier for employees to leave their working community behind.
No one can yet say for certain how society will open up during the coming months or whether there will be new setbacks. There is an ongoing discussion at workplaces and especially in expert organisations on how to proceed as the remote work recommendation is removed after the long period of uncertainty we have all faced.
There are certainly more choices available: the employee is allowed to come to the workplace and there are different quotas as well as other models based on alternation, individual preference and common expectations. The need for automation in one’s own work may well have been increased and organisational hierarchies reduced. Everything will slowly fall into place, which may take months, maybe even years.
There is one thing of note that has seen very little discussion:
Organisational culture plays a key role in an employee’s commitment to their organisation, especially as things stand currently. It lays the foundation for the operations of the entire organisation and constitutes a part of the employee’s work performance - even when working alone.
Organisations have not stopped hiring new employees during this exceptional period. Many newly employed people have been a part of their new working community only by virtual means. Many companies have invested an enormous amount of time and resources in personnel well-being and commitment during the pandemic.
We have also discussed these issues extensively in our own company, pondering whether we have made the right decisions. It is hard for me to say, but I naturally hope that we have.
I like to believe that an ideal working community provides its members with opportunities to work flexibly, respecting different approaches. Workplaces are now trying to find the balance between freedom and, on the other hand, approaches that relate to the needs of the clients. If a client wishes to meet the team in person instead of through virtual means, this should be weighed against one’s own individual wishes.
If the employee does not have real workplace relationships, physical and intimate working community and thereby the experience that humans need as social beings, they are unlikely to be as committed to their current position as before the start of the pandemic. In this case, they will have an easier time leaving their employer and working community behind and simply working remotely.
Of course, there will be exceptions. In such a case, something has been done differently – perhaps intuitively, or maybe the interaction between the employees and management has been very successful. I believe that the new guidelines for organisational culture during the pandemic are not enough for management to keep its organisation functional. Simply giving orders from above will not do either, as there is likely to be a backlash.
The appreciation of the employee experience is growing. A strong feeling of commitment to the work and organisation can better motivate people to stay than salary or other financial benefits. A high degree of commitment to one’s work not only maintains continuity, but also decreases sick leave rates and improves performance and efficiency at work.
Now is the time to invest in listening to the teams and allowing them to participate. We need to take measures through which our personnel can be brought together at the workplace in a safe manner as soon as possible, and give everyone the chance to become part of the working community instead of just working remotely. There is value in being present at the workplace at least from time to time.
Mika Rossi
Managing Partner, Helsinki
The past year, 2021, has provided many lessons for us all within Friisberg.
We have learned to live with the changing and challenging environment, and we’ve seen that while it may have seemed very difficult at times, we can always optimize, improve, and move forward with our business operations. In many countries this was done incredibly well, with many of our offices able to grow and declare a strong year.
Sadly we lost our founder, Jørgen Friisberg, who died last month. He will be greatly missed by all of us. We are proud to continue bearing his name and one of his legacies will be the continued growth and global success of Friisberg.
In 2022, Friisberg will introduce new Consultants and new Partners, we will open more offices around the globe and our international business opportunities will reach new heights.
Particularly over the past six months, I have received a great deal of positive feedback from those who work within Friisberg and directly from our clients that our strategic direction is sound - but as with all business it is its people who make a firm truly great.
We are extremely fortunate to have so many experienced and professional Friisberg consultants operating all around the world. Individually and together we strive to exceed our client expectations and together I know that we can expect to have an exceptional year in 2022.
Zoltan Petho,
Chair
There are Christmas traditions in Italy that are widespread practically everywhere in the country, such as the Christmas tree and the nativity scene. To be fair, however, the Christmas tree is much more common in the north of Italy, while the nativity scene in more common in the centre and south.
In some areas of northern Italy, it is not Santa Claus who brings the gifts, but Saint Lucia. This tradition persists, for example, in the provinces of Cremona but also Brescia, Bergamo and Verona. In particular, the tradition of Santa Lucia is very much felt in Lombardy and Veneto: in Verona it is said that during the holidays of 1200 in the city an epidemic spread that affected the sight of children and that, to avert it, the mothers decided to make their little ones go on a pilgrimage asking for the grace of Saint Lucia, protector of the blind. To persuade the children, they promised that the Saint would have them find gifts on their return. From that moment, on the night between 12 and 13 December, Veronese children, like the Lombards, are waiting for Saint Lucia to carry the gifts on the back of her donkey.
A typical custom of Trentino Alto Adige is that of the Advent Wreath. Each family makes a wreath with fir branches and intertwined red silk ribbons, inserting 4 candles on this wreath. Every Sunday before Christmas day, families gather to light one, waiting together for December 25th.
In the centre of Italy there is another widespread custom, that of bagpipers - that is, musicians who roam the streets of the villages playing typically Christmas songs with their bagpipes. Sometimes they even knock on doors, cheering with their music in exchange for an offering.
When it comes to Christmas traditions regarding food, while in some regions there is a tendency to celebrate in style during the Christmas lunch, in others the most noteworthy event is that of the Christmas Eve dinner on December 24th. Just think, for example, of the Christmas traditions in Sicily: in some mountain villages, on the night of the 24th, bonfires are lit to warm the Child Jesus. Furthermore, many families, after the usual dinner, tell tales and legends to each other, to entertain the children waiting for Santa Claus.
Of course, these are just some of the Christmas traditions scattered around Italy. While not covering all regions, however, they represent an excellent starting point for a symbolic journey which, we hope, can help to put our international Friisberg family into a merry Christmas mood.
Christmas holidays have always been a reason for joy, for children or adults, even if during Communist times the religious meaning of it was not significant.
Communists believed there is no God, therefore the Son of God did not exist and was not born. But they could not erase completely Christmas Holidays and the joy they brought, so they tried to erase the religious meaning of it.
Therefore, they renamed “Old Father Christmas” and he became “Old Man Frost”, St. Nicholas became “Old Man Nicholas” (most of us still refer to him as this).
For us, Christmas Holidays start at the evening of December 5th, when the tradition says that good children will receive small gifts from St. Nicholas in their boots (some good adults get gifts too), but only if they have been good, otherwise they will get a stick instead!
In Romania we have many traditions that we practise in the hope of wealth, prosperity and luck with their origins going back to medieval times.
My personal favourite is Santa's Eve Caroling, but there is also Goat Walking, Capra, - a custom that usually lasts from Christmas to the New Year, it is the name given to a traditional Romanian dance, usually performed by a young man disguised as a goat, with a fur on his back. The goat and her companions go from house to house, dancing at everyone’s door, on New Year’s Eve;
Little Plough, Pluguşorul, is a poem which is performed by boys who visit the community with a little plough made of wood, bells and a whip in their hands and it describes the myth of the nation's creation;
Sorcova where a stick or twig decorated with artificial flowers of different colours, which children use to gently hit their parents or acquaintances in the morning of New Year, wishing them, in special verses, health and luck.
Usually at Christmas, families have lunch or dinner together, mostly eating traditional food like Piftie or Sarmale.
2021 was in many ways a good year for us, but more than anything I wish 2022 will take us back to normality. What I miss the most is the connection between people and the time we spend together.
Unlike many other countries, our main Christmas celebration is on Christmas Eve and it is called Generous Day (Štědrý den). A Christmas dinner is served just after the sunset and as everyone dines, Baby Jesus (Ježíšek) brings presents and leaves them under the Christmas Tree coming through the open window.
The tree is in a different room from the dining table and when children hear the bell ring, it means Ježíšek has been there. After the dinner, we gather around the Christmas tree to sing carols and open the presents. Dec 26th and 27th are days of visiting extended family and friends, or just relaxing.
Yes, it is believed that having a Carp scale under your plate, and keeping it later in your wallet, will ensure good fortune.
Czechs have some pretty unusual traditions connected with this fish.
Fried carp and potato salat is a typical Czech Christmas dinner and, in the week leading up to Christmas, there are massive tanks full of carp in front of supermarkets. Customers choose one of the fish, and it is killed in front of them and packaged to take home, or they can buy a live fish and take it home. Traditionally, families bought their carp a week before Christmas and let it live in the bath. It was to keep the fish fresh and to clean the carp and get rid of the slightly muddy taste it gets from the pond.
While many families including my own happily abandoned this tradition years ago - and I try to avoid mere sight of the tanks - still many people like it and it can be a source of shock for foreigners witnessing the carp sale in the streets.
It is not a particular tradition, it is the Christmas atmosphere I love. Prague is especially charming after Dec 24, when the shopping and all Christmas preparations are over (and the carp tanks disappear!). People slow down, we all try to be kinder, reflective and that makes it “the most magical time of the year”.
It was definitely challenging, but it brought many new opportunities and turned out to be a really good year work wise. There was a surge of innovations and high demand for new leadership among technology-driven companies and I am very happy there was a strong shift in priorities of our clients towards sustainability, purpose and social responsibility.
Every little joy it brings - ideally without a need to keep a distance and wear a mask.
In Spain, we have some interesting holiday traditions! For example, it is customary to wear red underwear on New Year's Eve to ensure you will be lucky the following year. Also, eating one grape every second in the last 12 seconds of the year, and wishing everybody around you a happy new year while you involuntarily spit some pieces, means you will have a good year!
On the 24th of December, after dinner with the family we all open presents that the Infant Jesus brings. I still believe, as I did as a child, only for that day!
We love spending our Christmas with our family and friends, so eating, drinking and talking takes up most part of our holidays mainly from the 24th until the 1st of January. We celebrate 24th December at dinner, 25th at lunch, the 31st at dinner and we party until late into the night. On the 1st of January we have a big lunch, and then finally the on the day of the Three Kings day we have breakfast with our closest family and lunch with the rest. So we end up putting on an average extyra weight of over 3 or 4 kilos each holiday season!
Also, people love mountains and sports, mainly skiing, and we have nearly 40 ski resorts in our country. Many people spend the first week of January skiing in Spain or France on the beautiful Alps!
2021 was exciting but exhausting. We have had a booming year regarding business - our clients have been really active after a “paralyzed” 2020
We have worked in so many different industries, which means that the economy is growing and there are many opportunities in Retail, Pharma, Real Estate, Financial Services, Industry, Professional Services, Entertainment…I could go on!
Consolidating new businesses including our HR consulting and AI tools to help our clients make the best decisions for all people related matters.
Lorri grew up speaking Irish Gaeilge and spent several very happy years in a small village close to Dublin. She remembers most villages, towns, and cities decorating the streets with holy symbols, lights and a large Christmas trees:
"Most, if not all, Irish families decorate their homes with lights, tinsel, and baubles. Holly and ivy were also used to decorate our home and my father always said the more berries on the holly, the better the luck in the new year.
"Our Christmas tree was usually put up on the first day of the holy advent calendar. My mhamó (grandma) always said that putting up Christmas decorations before December 8th would bring bad luck! She looked forward to Nollaig na mBean, or Women's Christmas, on January 6th - this was when, traditionally, the women got the day off and the men did the housework and cooking. The women all met in each other's homes to sew and chat. I like that idea - of all the local women getting together, but not the fact that the men didn't generally do their share of household tasks!"
On the 12 days of Christmas Mary always had lighted candles on each window, "It was a magical view to see the candles in contrast with a star-lit sky and the freezing cold of a winter evening. Symbolically the candle represented a welcome to Joseph and Mary as they wandered in search of lodgings and it indicated to strangers, and especially to the poor, that there may be an offering of food in the house within."
The centre-piece of the Christmas holiday in Ireland is the Christmas Dinner with family and friends - also ensuring those close to us, if alone, are invited. Traditionally a round cake, full of caraway seeds, is made for each person in the house.
Mary enjoys the tradition of 'Hunting the Wren' on St Stephen’s Day which is when we celebrate our music and culture while raising money for charities. Another of her favourite holiday traditions is: "Definitely writing and receiving Christmas cards - I know it’s an outdated tradition but I still love it!"
Lorri's enjoys leaving a mince pie and a bottle of Guinness out on Christmas Eve for Daidí na Nollag (Father Christmas) and seeing what presents he has left for her on the morning of the 25th!
A Christmas Day swim is still practised in certain parts of Ireland, "but only by those with grit" says Mary, with perhaps the most famous being at the 'Forty Foot' tiny beach in South Dublin. Lorri has participated in the Looney Dook on New Year's Day, but on reflection definitely prefers warm water swimming in Irish summers!
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