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Ganni, missier ta’ familja, flimkien ma’ bintu Katrina, iddecidew li jifthu negozju ghal rashom, u xtaqu li dan in-negozju jkun strutturat bhala family business. Kienet Katrina, it-tfajla zaghzugha, li xprunat lil missierha sabiex jibdew dan in-negozju, b’sens ta’ imprenditorija kbira. Illum nistghu nghidu li l-element taz-zaghzagh u l-intrapriza, huwa b’sahhtu hafna f’pajjizna, u huwa appuntu ghalhekk li Malta qieghda taghmel passi ’l quddiem fis-settur tan-negozju.

Katrina ntefghet tfittex sabiex saret taf x’inhuma r-regoli u x’tghid ezatt il-ligi tan-negozju tal-familja. Dawn sabithom mill-ewwel, u ghal kuntrarju ta’ dak li jigri normalment meta wiehed jipprova jfittex xi informazzjoni dwar ftuh ta’ negozju, Katrina rnexxielha ssib dak li trid bl-aktar mod semplici u immedjat.

Iva, sfortunatament sal-lum f’pajjizna, biex tiftah negozju ghadna nbatu mhux ftit minn processi fejn il-burokrazija eccessiva kultant taqtaghlek qalbek qabel biss tkun ghadek bdejt.

Ghaddew ftit gimghat, u Ganni u Katrina rnexxielhom jifthu n-negozju li xtaqu, u mill-ewwel granet wera li kien ser ikun negozju success. Kellhom jghaddu diversi xhur sakemm stabbilixxew in-negozju, izda immedjatament wara dan il-perjodu, mill-ewwel hassew il-htiega li jaghmlu pass iehor ’il quddiem u b’hekk ittantaw li jimpjegaw xi nies maghhom. Qabelxejn, intefghu bilqieghda jiddiskutu u jifhmu ezattament ghalxiex dehlin,  xi tfisser li thaddem in-nies, sabiex b’hekk ikunu ppreparati ghal realtajiet godda u differenti.

Kienu l-ewwel xi studenti li bdew jahdmu maghhom bl-iskema tal-apprentistat. Skemi li joffru biss l-MCAST. Is-sitwazzjoni ma kinetx facli ghaliex sfortunatament mhux dejjem issib dak li jkollok bzonn. Wara dawn, Katrina ssuggeriet li kellhom johorgu sejhiet ghal job interviews.

Bdew jigu nies nofshom preparati, u ghalkemm uhud kienu gejjin minn fuq ir-registru tal-ETC[1], Ganni u Katrina xorta ma rnexxielhomx isibu dak li jridu.  Ghalhekk ittiehdet id-decizjoni li jfittxu nies ohra, izda anke f’dan l-istadju bdew jiltaqghu ma’ xi diffikultajiet. Dan ghaliex uhud minnhom, ghalkemm kienu mimlijin esperjenza, ma kellhom xejn x’juri dan, minhabba li ma kellhom ebda akkreditazzjoni tal-edukazzjoni informali.

Dan jitfa’ dawl fuq is-sitwazzjoni tal-impjiegi f’Malta li sal-lum ghadna ma ntuhiex l-importanza li tehtieg. Hemm bzonn tal-employability index, fejn nassiguraw li jkun hawn bizzejjed nies li lesti jahdmu fis-setturi li qeghdin jinholqu minn zmien ghal zmien.

Ma kinetx facli u ghalhekk wara li ghamlu numru ta’ job interviews, u ma sabux bizzejjed haddiema Maltin, ittantaw xortihom sabiex jippruvaw jingaggaw xi haddiema barranin li gejjin mill-EU kif ukoll dawk li gejjin minn third world countries, izda anke hawn sabu xi ntoppi. Il-process ghadu xi ftit jew wisq ikkumplikat u zgur li ghad hemm lok ghal aktar titjib, sabiex inkomplu niffacilitaw dan it-tip ta’ ingaggar ta’ haddiema.

Waqt il-process ta’ ingaggar ta’ impjegati, ma jistax jonqos li l-kliem waqa’ fuq kemm jezistu persuni li sfortunatament jitilqu mill-edukazzjoni kmieni u b’hekk jispiccaw b’nuqqas ta’ skola. Minbarra li ma jsibuhiex facli sabiex isibu xoghol, f’hafna drabi dawn iz-zghazagh jaqghu f’financial literacy kbira fejn ma jkunux kapaci jkollhom pjan finanzjarju bbilancjat, u b’hekk jispiccaw jidhlu ghal responsabilitajiet li ma jkunux jifilhu ghalihom. Hafna mill-problemi socjali qed jigu minn dan it-tip ta’ realtà. In-nuqqas ta’ edukazzjoni twassal ghall-kollass totali fl-integrità tal-persuna. Tintilef il-fiducja, u jibda jinbet f’dak li jkun l-element ta’ irresponsabilità, u nuqqas ta’ stima lejh innifsu. Ghal dawn in-nies li jsibuha difficli li jimpjegaw lilhom infushom, is-sitwazzjoni generalment tizviluppa f’cirkostanza fejn ikollhom jghixu fil-faqar.

Ganni spiss kien ihares lejn bintu Katrina u jimtela b’sodisfazzjon li gharfet x’riedet fil-hajja, u wara li marret l-Università ta’ Malta, imxiet ’il quddiem, u issa kienet tant strumentali ghalih sabiex tkun l-ispalla ideali fin-negozju li bnew flimkien. B’hekk johrog l-element ta’ importanza li ghandu jinghata lis-suggett tal-edukazzjoni u x-xoghol u kemm hu importanti fid-dinja tal-lum li ma tieqaf qatt milli tibqa’ titghallem.

Illum, hafna aktar minn qatt qabel, jezistu diversi opportunitajiet fejn wiehed ikun jista’ jizviluppa l-hiliet edukattivi u l-kapacitajiet tieghu, bi programmi bhal dawk ta’ ERASMUS+, u tahrig iehor fl-Eskills.  

Korsijiet ohra huma dawk offruti mill-MCAST bhala l-entita’ li toffri t-taghlim tal-Imprenditorjat fil-kulleggi kollha taghha u l-opportunita’ lill-istudenti taghha li jahdmu f’inkubatur kummercjali. Jezistu imbaghad  korsijiet u tahrig iehor offrut minn entitajiet ohrajn li jghinuk tizviluppa t-talenti fl-innovazzjoni. Tista ukoll minn kmieni tinvolvi ruhek flimkien ma’ zghazagh ohrajn fil-progetti mnedija b’tant dedikazzjoni mill-Young Enterprise.

Izda, minkejja dan, xorta baqa’ mal-10% tal-popolazzjoni f’pajjizna li sfortunatament jaqghu fil-kategorija li nirreferu ghaliha bhala  NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Ghaldaqstant ghad fadlilna hafna x’naghmlu sabiex anke dawn jirnexxilna ndahhluhom fid-dinja tax-xoghol.

In-negozju ta’ Ganni u Katrina kompla jikber, izda waqt li l-attività kummercjali bdiet tikber, bdew jikbru wkoll ir-responsabilitajiet, u c-cirkostanzi li kellhom bzonn ta’ attenzjoni specifika. Instab li sforz il-progress mghaggel u minhabba li xi whud mill-impjegati kienu appuntu membri ohra tal-istess familja, li xtaqu li anke huma jkollhom involviment fin-negozju, gara li mhux kulhadd kien gie ingaggat b’kuntratt ta’ xoghol. Ghaldaqstant inhasset il-htiega li tibda hidma sabiex jigi ffirmat kuntratt ta’ xoghol ma’ kull impjegat. Kien hawn li Katrina ssuggeriet li jaghmlu kuntatt mal-Malta Employers’ Association sabiex jigu ggwidati u jkollhom mohhhom mistrieh li l-kuntratti jsiru kif suppost. Iddecidew ukoll li jsiru membri fi hdan l-MEA, ghaliex b’hekk jassiguraw li jkollhom spalla fuq min iduru jekk u meta jizviluppaw xi tilwimiet industrijali.

Waqt harsa lejn il-files individwali tal-impjegati, ingibdet l-attenzjoni ghal-ligi tad-data protection, u ghalhekk hadu hsieb li jirregolaw rwiehhom ma’ dak li tippermetti u tistabbilixxi l-ligi. Iva, filwaqt li huwa tajjeb li tinzamm certa informazzjoni dwar il-haddiema, mhux permessibbli li zzomm kollox. Ghalhekk, ma jkunx hazin li minn zmien ghal zmien jinzamm kuntatt mal-ufficcju tal-Kummissarju ewlieni dwar il-protezzjoni tad-data, sabiex imprenditur ikun jaf x’regoli jezistu u kif ma jaqbizx il-limiti stabbiliti mil-ligi.

Kien imiss li l-management jitfa’ harstu wkoll lejn il-premises minn fejn in-negozju u l-impjegati kienu qeghdin jahdmu. Bdew jigu nnotati wkoll xi nuqqasijiet zghar li setghu ma kinux f’konformità mar-regoli tas-sahha u s-sigurtà fuq il-post tax-xoghol. Ghalhekk kien wasal iz-zmien li bl-ghajnuna tal-OHSA jittiehdu l-pariri mehtiega u jaggustaw fejn kien hemm bzonn, sabiex jiggarantixxu l-aqwa protezzjoni ghall-haddiema kollha.

Waqt din l-ispezzjoni madwar il-post minn fejn il-haddiema kienu qed jahdmu, giet innotata wkoll il-prassi tal-waste management u kif kienu qed jiddisponu mill-iskart li kien qed jigi ggenerat. Zgur li kien hemm bzonn li jtejbu din l-operazzjoni, u ghalhekk hadmu fuq strategija li kellha tibdel mill-qiegh il-procedura kollha sabiex tkun izjed environmental friendly.

Cirkostanzi ohra li bdew jigu diskussi fuq livell amministrattiv, huma dwar in-numru allarmanti ta’ assenteizmu fuq il-post tax-xoghol fi whud mill-haddiema, kif ukoll l-uzu tas-sick leave u kemm fil-fatt kien qed jittiehed sick leave.

Bdew dehlin dubji u suspetti fuq jekk kienx hemm uzu hazin minn dawk li huma genituri u sick leave u fejn seta’ kien qed isir l-abbuz billi l-istess genturi kienu qeghdin juzaw xi sick leave sabiex jiehdu hsieb lil uliedhom meta dawn ikunu ma jifilhux id-dar. Dwar dan, il-management dahal fid-dettall, ghaliex filwaqt li f’certi cirkostanzi seta’ jkun permess li dan isir, mill-banda l-ohra kull forma t’abbuz, setghet kienet qed itellef mis-success li kien qed jikseb l-istess negozju.

Tqajmet ukoll il-kwistjoni jekk bhala diretturi tal-intrapriza kinux qed jaghmlu bizzejjed fejn jidhol CSR, kemm mal-impjegati nfushom kif ukoll mas-socjetà. Din il-kwistjoni ma tohrog mill-ebda ligi u ma hi obbligatorja fuq hadd, izda hija aspett li ttejjeb ir-relazzjoni  interna bejn l-istess haddiema fl-intrapriza, kif ukoll ittejjeb l-image tan-negozju fost il-konsumaturi u n-nies fis-socjetà.

Cirkostanzi ohra li bdew iqumu aktar ma beda jghaddi z-zmien, kienu l-issues marbuta mal-maternity leave, l-issue ta’ jekk ghandhiex tibda tigi applikata xi prassi ta’ flessibiltà sabiex uhud mill-genituri haddiema jkollhom hin bizzejjed sabiex ilahhqu jiehdu t-tfal taghhom f’childcare centres, jew inkella jekk ghandhomx jibdew jinghataw il-possibilità u l-beneficcju tat-teleworking.

Bl-ahhar zviluppi fil-qasam tac-childcare services, forsi s-sitwazzjoni kompliet tizvolgi f’wahda aktar prattika, kemm mil-lat logistiku kif ukoll mil-lat finanzjarju. Izda xorta jibqa’ l-fatt li l-employer irid jibqa’ jkollu kontroll tas-sitwazzjoni, ipoggi l-interessi tan-negozju l-ewwel, u qabel ma jiehu d-decizjonijiet irid jara sew xi precedenti  jista’ jkun qed jidhol ghalihom, kif ukoll il-konsegwenzi tad-decizjonijiet li jkun qed jiehu.

Kull negozju, matul il-process tal-operat tieghu, jiltaqa’ ma’ diversi cirkostanzi u sta ghal min ikun qed imexxih li jaghraf li minghajr konfrontazzjoni, kull sfida jdawwarha f’opportunità, u ma jibza’ qatt jiffaccja kull sitwazzjoni li tinholoq minn zmien ghal zmien.

In-negozju li gie konceput minn Ganni u Katrina, ma kienx xi eccezzjoni, meta jigi kkumparat ma’ negozji ohra, u malli l-kumpanija bdiet tikber, aktar bdew jizdiedu l-kumplikazzjonijiet. Issa li l-kumpanija espandiet u ziedet hafna impjegati, ovvjament fost l-istess impjegati bdew iqumu certi kwistjonijiet, bhal per ezempju l-issue tal-multikulturalizmu. Dan gara ghaliex mal-haddiema Maltin gew ingaggati haddiema barranin, li ovvjament gabu maghhom attitudnijiet u kulturi differenti.

Beda jkun hemm min, mill-impjegati stess,  bdew idejquh certi kollegi li kellhom xi tattoos, u ppretenda li l-management kellu jizola lil dawn il-persuni ghalihom, sabiex ma jithalltux maghhom. Dan, ovvjament, qatt ma seta’ jkun possibbli, ghal hafna ragunijiet. Ohrajn bdew ihossuhom skomdi jaghmluha ma’ haddiema li forsi setghu kienu qed jabbuzaw minn sustanza fuq il-post tax-xoghol, u b’hekk bdiet tinholoq tensjoni bla bzonn.

Huwa importanti, fejn hemm numru ta’ impjegati li jkunu gejjin minn kulturi differenti, bi twemmin differenti, u forsi bi stili ta’ hajja possibilment differenti, li l-management jara li jkun hemm kemm jista’ jkun sinergija. Din mhux dejjem facli li ssir, u ghalhekk min ikun qed imexxi n-negozju ghandu jiehu hsieb li kontinwament izomm taht kontroll kull sitwazzjoni, u jaghraf ikun ghaqli sabiex jevita konflitti zejda.

Mill-istaff manigerjali tan-negozju beda jigi nnotat ukoll li l-uzu tas-social media waqt il-hin tax-xoghol kien qed jizdied, u li dan beda jhalli effett fuq il-produzzjoni. Anke hawn, dan is-suggett irid ikun ittekiljat sew, u minghajr restrizzjonijiet zejda, ghaliex kull sikkatura tista’ sahansitra tgerrex u tiddimotiva lill-istess impjegati. Ghalhekk ghandu jkun hemm policies cari stabbiliti, sabiex filwaqt li  jitnaqqas kull abbuz u hela ta’ hin, ma tirristringix  izzejjed il-libertà tal-persuna.

Min-naha l-ohra, id-Dipartiment tal-HR ma setax jibda jkecci l-haddiema bl-addocc, ghaliex kien zmien li beda jsibha aktar u aktar difficli li jsib aktar haddiema, u ma kinitx qed tkun facli sabiex jirnexxilu jaghmel l-ahjar fl-immaniggjar tar-rizorsi li kellu f’idejh.  In-nuqqas ta’ haddiema fis-suq u l-implikazzjonijiet li din is-sitwazzjoni bdiet tohloq, bdew jinkwetaw mhux ftit lid-diretturi tan-negozju.

L-istess nuqqas ta’ haddiema beda jimplika diversi diffikultajiet. Ganni, sid in-negozju, beda jikkunsidra bis-serjetà li certu xoghol jibda jahdmu bis-sub-contracting, sabiex ilahhaq mad-domanda tax-xoghol li kellhom. Izda Katrina ma kinitx tal-istess opinjoni.

Sabiex jinholoq aktar bilanc, u jibda jithaddem aktar il-kuncett tal-ugwaljanza, bdiet tigi implimentata strategija sabiex jibda jkun hemm aktar nisa fuq il-bord manigerjali tal-kumpanija. Dan seta’ jkun possibbli mhux ghax id-diretturi riedu jidhru helwin mal-haddiema tas-sess femminili billi jinkludu aktar nisa fit-tmexxija tal-kumpanija, izda ghaliex uhud mill-impjegati bdew juru hiliet varji u jiehdu inizjattivi tajbin, u ghaldaqstant kien verament jixirqilhom li jiffurmaw parti mit-tmexxija tan-negozju. U hekk ghandu dejjem ikun, li n-nisa jsibu posthom f’karigi gholjin, bil-hiliet taghhom u mhux ghax dawn jibdew jigu mbuttati sabiex il-management ikun jista’ jiftahar u jghid li huma kienu qed jissodisfaw l-element ta’ kwota fuq is-sess femminili.

Minhabba diversi issues ohra fost il-haddiema, bdew jintervjenu l-unions u ovvjament bil-unions prezenti, bdew jitilghu wkoll fuq l-agenda kwistjonijietrelatati mal-pagi, u jekk in-negozju kienx qed jitmexxa fuq il-principju ta’ making work pay.Il-unions ukoll bdew jillobbjaw fost il-haddiema sabiex jakkwistaw il-union recognition, u f’isimhom iressqu l-ilmenti tal-istess haddiema quddiem il-bord tad-diretturi.

Sadanittant, ghamel x’ghamel dan in-negozju, xorta ried izomm sod quddiem issues ohra li kienet ghaddejja diskussjoni fuqhom fil-pajjiz, allavolja s-sidien tan-negozju ma kellhomx sehem dirett f’dak li kien qed jigri.

Nistghu nsemmu l-Brexit[2], li b’konsegwenza tieghu setghet ga bdiet tigi affettwata l-esportazzjoni. Hemm imbaghad issues ohra, kemm lokali kif ukoll internazzjonali bhall-element tad-diflazzjoni, l-idea tal-globalizzazzjoni (li mhux dejjem tithaddem ghall-vantagg tas-settur tan-negozju), it-teknologija u l-futur tax-xoghol, u l-gholi tal-hajja (jew kif kultant nirreferu ghalih, kif jinhadem l-indici tal-prezzijiet permezz tal-household budgetary survey.).

Dawn huma kollha issues kurrenti, li xi ftit jew wisq ihallu l-impatt fuq l-ekonomija tal-pajjiz. Huma sitwazzjonijiet li ma tistax tinjora u tibqa’ ghaddej daqslikieku mhu jigri xejn. Huma suggetti li, skont kif jizviluppaw, sid in-negozju jrid jaghraf izomm il-pass u jiehu d-decizjonijiet necessarji sabiex jibqa’ fis-suq.

Sabiex in-negozju baqa’ miexi fit-triq tas-success, dejjem ha hsieb li jhares mill-qrib u jistudja l-operat tieghu stess kif ukoll kif qed jigi pparagunat ma’ negozji li huma fil-kompetizzjoni mieghu. Dejjem ha hsieb li jhallas tajjeb lill-impjegati tieghu u zamm mal-pass progressiv waqt li kienu qed joghlew l-istess pagi maz-zminijiet. Izda x’jiddetermina il-paga? Din hi mistoqsija li hafna jaghmluha lilhom infushom, u jkun tajjeb li wiehed jifhem kif paga tigi stabbilita, u xi flessibilitajiet jezistu f’dan ir-rigward.

Kollox beda jaffettwa l-operat tan-negozju u l-hin kollu kien hemm bzonn li jibqa’ jsir sforz sabiex l-operat jibqa’ joffri servizz b’valur mizjud, kemm ghall-ekonomija ingenerali kif ukoll ghall-konsumatur. In-negozju kellu dejjem jibqa’ jpoggi l-ewwel l-isforz li joffri servizz u prodotti ta kwalità, sabiex b’hekk baqa’ jkun leali u mfittex mill-konsumatur.

Dan kollu kellu jsir b’reqqa kbira, u korrettezza totali, ghaliex bl-ebda mod il- management ma ried li jkun penalizzat ghal xi ghemil hazin, jew skorrettezzi li jiksru xi regolamenti li jaqghu taht il-blacklisting regulations, specjalment meta ttanta jibbiddja u jiehu sehem fi tfigh ta’ offerti fuq progetti tal-Gvern.

Cirkostanzi ohra li dan in-negozju sfortunatament kellu jiltaqa’ maghhom kienu dawk meta kienu qed jizviluppaw problemi diretti ma’ xi impjegati. Ix-shop stewards tal-unions kienu ta’ sikwit iressqu lis-sidien tan-negozju quddiem it-tribunal industrijali fejn kien jigi kkwotat kull tip ta’ collective agreement li kien ga gie ffirmat. Dawn bdew jiehdu l-okkazjoni sabiex f’xi kazi sahansitra jiccalingjaw lill-istess employer jekk kienx qed  josserva punto e virgola ma’ dak li kien gie miftiehem.

Sehh incident ukoll meta gie ddubitat min mill-unions kellu d-dritt li jirrapprezenta lill-haddiema u ghalhekk din l-problema kellha titla’ ghad-diskussjoni fuq livell manigerjali sabiex jigi stabbilit l-gharfien tal-unions fuq il-post tax-xoghol.

Kien hemm anke mumenti fejn jekk ma kienx ser jintlahaq ftehim kien hemm it-theddida li l-employer sahansitra seta’ jiddeciedi li n-negozju  jigi llikwiditat.

Bdew  jigru xnighat li l-kumpanija ma kinitx qed timxi kif suppost u ma’ kulhadd l-istess, u ghalhekk kien hemm sahansitra min beda jghaddilu minn mohhu li jaghmel uzu mill-Whistleblower Act. Dan sabiex ikun jista’ jirrapporta l-allegati irregolaritajiet, izda din il-ligi mhux dejjem tista’ tigi applikata, specjalment jekk l-istess azjenda, fil-mument tar-rapport, ma tkunx qed timpjega aktar min 250 impjegat.

Fuq skala izghar, kienet titqajjem l-issue tal-bullying bejn l-impjegati nfushom, fejn kien jintqal li dan qed ifixkel mhux ftit il-libertà tal-espressjoni u l-verità mhux dejjem kienet qed tohrog cara waqt xi tilwima jew xi nuqqas ta’ ftehim. Din l-problema mhux dejjem giet identifikata u nnotata mill-ewwel. Sid in-negozju jrid dejjem izomm ghajnejh miftuhin, u jifli sew l-attitudni tal-impjegati tieghu, u r-relazzjoni li jkun hemm bejniethom u jifhem ghaliex ikunu qed isiru certi manuvri. Jekk ikun qed isir hafna bullying fuq il-post tax-xoghol, in-negozju jkollu hafna x’jitlef ghaliex il-possibilità hi li jitlef l-aqwa elementi minhabba intimidazzjoni.

F’kazijiet ta’ diskriminazzjoni bejn il-haddiema jew bejn il-management u l-istess haddiem fis-settur privat, l-ebda kaz ma jista’ jitressaq quddiem l-ombudsman ghaliex din l-istituzzjoni qieghda hemm biss biex tkun tista’ tintervjeni u taghmel ir-rapport taghha f’kazi fejn jikkoncerna haddiema li jahdmu fil-qasam pubbliku u dak parastatali.

Fortunatament, uhud mill-kwistjonijiet, bl-ghajnuna tar-rapprezentanti tal-unions, setghu jigu rizolti b’inqas inkwiet meta l-kazijiet kienu qed jigu referuti ghall-ufficcju responsabbli mill-irwol ta’ medjazzjoni.

F’dan in-negozju, li issa kien kiber mhux hazin, gieli tqajmu  issues li ma jkunu  xejn ghajr cirkostanzi fejn direttiva jew regolament ikun qed jigu misinterpretati. Bhal, perezempju, fil-kazi fejn saru akkuzi fuq diskriminazzjoni fil-qasam tal-ugwaljanza, dwar dubji rigward xi forma ta’ azzjoni li tiggustifika gender pay gap, jew kwistjonijiet relatati  fuq sahhet il-haddiem fuq il-post tax-xoghol, specjalment fejn jirrigwardja s-sahha mentali. Facli li cirkostanzi bhal dawn jigu interpretati hazin, u ghalhekk importanti li d-diskors u l-passi li jittiehdu fir-rigward ta’ impjegati, ikunu specifici bizzejjed li jinftehmu minn kulhadd.

Argumenti ohra gieli qamu fuq it-trasport u x-xoghol perezempju, jekk wiehed ghandux jigi ggustifikat li jasal tard ghax-xoghol minhabba dewmien fit-traffiku u jekk il-kumpanija nnifisha ghandhiex xi dover li tipprovdi t-trasport hi ghall-impjegati taghha stess. Bil-problemi fit-trasport pubbliku, u t-traffiku li bhalissa jezisti, facli wiehed jista’ japprofitta ruhu mis-sitwazzjoni, sabiex jehodha drawwa li jidhol tard ghax-xoghol, u ghaldaqstant il-management jehtieg li joqghod b’seba’ ghajnejn ghal kull abbuz.

Meta, bla mistenni, il-kumpanija gietha l-opportunità sabiex maghha  tigi impjegata persuna b’dizabilità, dlonk l-employer irrikorra ghand l-entitajiet li jiehdu hsieb u jispecjalizzaw fis-supported employment. Dawn iggwidaw u infurmaw lill-management kif ghandu jsir dan l-ingagg u x’inhuma ezattament l-obbligi li l-istess employer ghandu d-dover li josserva sabiex ikun f’konformità mar-regoli tal-kwota stabbilita mil-ligi. Dan l-ahhar, wara zviluppi fil-ligi li tirregola l-impjieg ta’ persuni b’dizabilità, qed naraw li din qed tkun imhaddma b’aktar koordinament, u b’hekk tnehhew kull anomaliji li seta’ kien hemm qabel.

L-impjieg ta’ persuni b’dizabilità f’intrapriza ghandu dejjem isir bl-inqas intoppi possibbli, u b’mod naturali. Huwa importanti hafna li s-sid ta’ negozju, ghandu jiddeciedi li jimpjega persuni b’dizabilità ghaliex ihoss il-htiega li ghandu jaghmel dan, u mhux ghaliex il-ligi tobbligah li ghandu jaghmel hekk. Fuq kollox persuni b’xi dizabilità zgur li fihom wiehed jista’ jsib kapacitajiet li haddiema ohrajn jista’ ma jkollhomx, u li jkunu utli fl-operat u t-tmexxija tan-negozju.

Fin-negozju mhux dejjem ikun hemm argumenti u dizgwid. Normalment tirrenja fost il-haddiema armonija u team-spirit ta’ vera, u allahares le. Hu appuntu ghalhekk li negozju jista’ jaghmel is-success.

Fil-hin liberu, u meta t-tensjoni tax-xoghol ma kinitx qed tiddomina l-gurnata, spiss id-diskussjoni bejn l-istess impjegati, kif ukoll mal-management, kienet iddur fuq suggetti hfief bhal, nghidu ahna, kif ikun in-negozju fi zmien il-Milied u x’vantaggi ghandu wiehed isib fi zmien is-sales.  Jitkellmu wkoll xhin ser isibu l-hin li jmorru jixtru mill-hwienet, izjed u izjed issa li saret ir-riforma  fil-hinijiet tal-ftuh u l-gheluq  tal-hwienet. Hawnhekk anke Katrina kienet tiehu pjacir taqsam l-esperjenza taghha mal-istess impjegati- prassi li ma kienet tiddejjaq xejn taghmilha, ghaliex kien appuntu f’dawn il-mumenti li kienet tkompli trawwem ir-relazzjoni tajba bejnha u bejn l-impjegati.

Ohrajn erhilhom jirrakkontaw kif huma jsibu s-sodisfazzjon meta  jaghtu sehem fil-qasam tal-volontarjat, u kif jemmnu li l-volontarjat jikkontribwixxi wkoll ghall- ekonomija tal-pajjiz. Iva, l-volontarjat huwa b’sahhtu hafna f’pajjizna, u f’certi kazi mnalla jkollna lilu ghaliex kieku hemm hafna inizjattivi u affarijiet li minghajr volontarjat ma jkunux jistghu jsiru.

Dawk l-impjegati li qed joqorbu ghall-età tal-pensjoni ta’ sikwit jaqbdu l-argument jekk il-pensjoni tal-lum hix ser tkun bizzejjed sabiex wiehed ikun jista’ jibqa’ jaghmel il-kapricci li hu mdorri jaghmel sakemm ikun ghadu impjegat. U xi nghidu ghaz-zghazagh u l-pensjoni? Iva, anke dawn iz-zghazagh iridu jaghtu kas kemm hemm bzonn li jahsbu minn kmieni dwar x’tip ta’ pensjoni ser ikollhom meta jilhqu l-età tal-pensjoni, u kif jistghu jikkumplimentaw dak l-ammont b’azzjonijiet ohra f’waqthom li jistghu jiehdu matul iz-zmien li jkunu ghadhom impjegati.

In-nisa haddiema f’dan in-negozju, li bhala numru kienu ferm inqas minn dak tal-irgiel impjegati, gieli qabdu d-diskussjoni dwar x’inhu l-ahjar: jekk hux li tkun impjegata jew li persuna taghzel li tmexxi negozju ghal rasha. Hawn ovvjament jispikka n-nuqqas ta’ nisa imprendituri, u kemm sal-lum ghadek issib hafna li joqoghdu lura milli jiehdu certi inizjattivi u riskji li jkollhabzonn tiehu  persuna meta tiddeciedi li tibda tahdem ghal rasha.

Iz-zmien kompla ghaddej, u l-kumpanija ta’ Ganni u Kristina kompliet tinvesti u tikber. Minn azjenda ta’ zewg min-nies, kienet saret kumpanija li thaddem kwazi 200 ruh. It-turnover kien tajjeb hafna u r-relazzjoni mal-konsumatur kienet wahda eccellenti. Izda l-biza’ kienet dejjem hemm: biza’ li xi darba ma jibqghux kompetittivi, jew li s-settur li kienu qeghdin jahdmu fih ma jibqax popolari u b’hekk maz-zmien jispiccaw jigu eliminati mis-suq. Ghaldaqstant il-management, waqt il-laqghat li ta’ spiss kien ikollu, kien jalloka hin fejn jaghti harsa madwaru, u jevalwa jekk in-negozju u l-generu tan-negozju ghadux vijabbli, u jekk ghandhomx  jibqghu limitati  biss ghas-settur li kienu bdew jahdmu fih, jew ikunx wasal il-mument li jiddiversifikaw fuq oqsma differenti skont dak li jkun ghaddej madwarhom.

Ix-xoghol fil-qasam tat-turizmu u xoghol turistiku dejjem baqa’ tiela’ ’l fuq, filwaqt li x-xoghol fil-qasam finanzjarju baqa’ jzomm pass mghaggel ’il quddiem. Bhalissa, l-pajjiz ghadu jiddependi hafna fuq dawn is-setturi sabiex jigi ggarantit is-success ekonomiku li tant ghandna bzonn inzommu.

Izda barra minn dawn is-setturi zgur li ma nistghux ninsew is-successi tax-xoghol fil-qasam tal-avjazzjoni u xoghol fil-qasam digitali. Tul dawn l-ahhar snin, rajna kif dawn iz-zewg setturi kienu l-kalamita ghal opportunitajiet ta’ xoghol u taw kontribut sostanzjali lejn l-ekonomija taghna.

Ninsabu mexjin ghal pass iehor, fejn il-kreazzjoni tal-green jobs, kif ukoll ix-xoghol relatat mal-blue economy, qed jghollu rashom ukoll, u jistghu jkunu dawn  in-nicec il-godda li Malta tibda teccella fihom tul is-snin li gejjin.

Ma rridux ninsew anqas ix-xoghol relatat mal-karrieri fil-qasam tas-sahha, li aktar ma jmur aktar qed ikun hawn domanda ghalih. Xoghol li zgur qatt ma ser ikun eliminat mill-ekonomija ghaliex huwa xoghol f’settur li kontinwament qed jevolvi, u johloq opportunitajiet godda.

In-negozju ta’ Gianni u Kristina baqa’ haj, dejjem fittex sabiex jinvesti, u jahtaf kull opportunità li giet quddiemu. Dejjem ra kif approfitta ruhu minn incentivi, skemi u ghajnuniet li minn zmien ghal zmien kienu qed jigu offruti.

Illum, hafna aktar min qatt qabel, Malta thoss li hija parti integrali mill-ekonomija Ewropea, u ghalhekk huwa importanti li persuna fin-negozju timxi pari passu fuq il-Mudell Socjali Ewropew, li l-ghan ewlieni tieghu hu li jghaqqad flimkien l-ghanijiet ekonomici ma’ dawk socjali. Kull negozju ghandu jzomm ghajnejh miftuhin dwar kif il-Gvern ikun qed jibbenefika mill-Fond Socjali Ewropew, u kif dawn jistghu jkunu ta’ beneficcju ghalih ukoll. Hu importanti wkoll, li jzomm ruhu aggornat dwar il-linji gwida mnaqqxa fil-country specific recommendations, ibbazati fuq dak li qed jigi diskuss u maqbul fuq livell Ewropew.

L-Ewroparlamentari taghna ghandhom rwol importanti x’jaqdu. Huma l-ambaxxaturi ta’ pajjiizna fl-Ewropa, u ghandhom ikunu huma li jiggieldu ghalina sabiex itejbu d-drittijiet u l-beneficcji li nistghu niehdu, kif ukoll jitkellmu f’isimna fi kwistjonijieti li jolqtuna kemm direttament kif ukoll indirettament. B’hekk huwa ta’ beneficcju kbir li Malta nghatat l-opportunità u c-cans li tippresjedi l-Kunsill Ewropew ghall-ewwel sitt xhur tal-2017. Malta u l-Presidenza tal-Kunsill tal-Unjoni Ewropea hija opportunità li tista’ tigi biss darba kull 14–il sena, u ghalhekk ghamilna tajjeb li gharafna nisfruttawha mill-ahjar li stajna.

In-negozju ta’ Ganni u Katrina, huwa ezempju prattiku u haj ta kif, u ma’ xiex jista’ jiltaqa’ negozju matul l-operat tieghu. Huma cirkostanzi realistici li tajjeb wiehed ikun ippreparat ghalihom, u ghalhekk b’din l-istorja rridu nwasslu l-messagg u l-importanza li persuna ghandha zzomm ruhha aggornata b’dak kollu li jkun qed jigri madwarha, u taghraf tkun pro-attiva, ghal kull eventwalità.

B’hekk bniedem avzat nofsu armat, u jekk ikun ga nghata gwida minn qabel ta’ kif ghandu jaffaccja kull sfida, u kif ghandu jagixxi f’kull cirkostanza, mela mbaghad ma ghandux isibha difficli li minn kull problema johrog it-tajjeb, u jkompli jibni fuqu, sabiex jikkonsolida s-success fin-negozju li bl-gharaq ta’ gbinu jkun bena flimkien mal-haddiema tieghu.

Konkluzjoni

Dan huwa l-messagg principali li l-SME Helpdesk tal-Malta Employers’ Association ried jghaddi lilkom imprendituri, sidien ta’ negozji zghar f’pajjizna, permezz ta’ din l-inizjattiva.

Storja  li ghalkemm fiha qed jigu esposti r-realtajiet tal-hajja fin-negozju, ghandha timliekom bil-kuragg. Perswazi li b’dan il-progett ser inkunu qed niggalvanizzawkom fl-istima taghkom sabiex tibdew tharsu ’l quddiem b’aktar determinazzjoni,  u ma thallu xejn u hadd ifixklilkom il-pjanijiet taghkom sabiex tkomplu ssiru imprendituri mill-aqwa.

Hawn tistghu ssegwu  promotional video  dwar il-kuncett tal-programmi televizivi MEA –  idea li qed tirnexxi, u li permezz ta’ din l-inizjattiva, eskalajnieha u sincerament nahsbu li rnexxielna nsibu l-kemistrija gusta ta’ kif dawn il-programmi nwassluhom ahjar ghand dawk kollha li ddecidew li jimirhu fid-dinja tan-negozju.

[1] Illum il-gurnata l-ETC bidlu isimhom ghal JOBSPLUS u l-link ta’ dan il-programm televiziv tmur lura ghas-sena 2014. Ghalhekk niskuzaw ruhna ghaliex fih tistghu ssibu xi informazzjoni li llum il-gurnata m’ghadhiex tghodd.

[2] Il-programm televiziv dwar il-Brexit, gie rrekordjat fl-2016, immedjatament wara li ttiehed il-vot fl-Ingilterra favur il-Brexit, ghalhekk niskuzaw ruhna jekk fil-mument li qed tara dan il-filmat, jista’ jkunu graw diversi zviluppi.

Click here to download a PDF version of the following Story.

Ganni, along with his daughter Katrina, decided that it was time to act upon their dream of opening a family business. It was Katrina’s entrepreneurial spirit and optimism that gave her father the courage he needed to start thinking seriously about becoming a business owner. Nowadays, our country boasts an excellent entrepreneurial spirit within our youth, leading the way to a prosperous business sector in the future.

Katrina made sure to research about the rules and content of the new family business act. She was quick to find the information she required, however, this is rarely the case with persons searching for information about how to start a business. Unfortunately, in Malta, a high level of bureaucracy still exists in the processes required to open up a new business, so much so that it may discourage many from pursuing their business aspirations further.

After a few weeks Ganni and Katrina managed to set up their business. From very early on, the business was showing a lot of promise and it only took a few months for them to feel the need of employing persons to help them in their daily business activities. Before making the decision to engage other people, they thought about the step they were about to make and what employing an individual entails, so as to be prepared for this new business scenario and issues that might arise from it.

They first employed students to their business through the apprenticeship scheme offered by both Jobsplus and also MCAST. Although these schemes helped them to find temporary help, they still felt the need of employing individuals which are ideal to the task and which would help them on a permanent basis. Katrina suggested that they should open calls for job interviews for their required posts.

Ganni and Katrina held a number of interviews with people which were on the ETC[1] register. The ETC register contains the employees’ qualifications and their experience, which it then matches to the posts for which those qualities are sufficient. However, many of those interviews seemed unprepared and although Ganni and Katrina had never been responsible for the recruiting process before, they felt that none of the canditates who applied so far were the right fit for their company. They decided to give it another shot and open another call for employees. During this second attempt, they encountered problems of a different nature. These candidates had very valuable and vast experience in the field, but they lacked adequate accreditation for informal education.

This sheds light on today’s employment situation, which isn’t being addressed properly. There needs to be an employability index which makes sure that there are enough people pursuing careers in sectors which are developing and increasing job opportunities.

The recruitment process turned out not to be such an easy task. In fact, they did not find enough good candidates for the job from Malta which pushed them to try employing foreign workers from EU member states or even from third world countries. This option was left as a last resort since the process for employing foreign workers, especially those from third world countries, is known to be an abnormally lengthy process in Malta. Our economy would benefit from making the employment of foreign workers a less burdensome task, especially in the current full employment scenario in our country.

After a scheduled meeting with their accountant, Ganni and Katrina stopped for break in their staff kitchen. Ganni was always baffled by the bureaucracy required in owning a business and explained how in the good old days certain processes were not required and how he did not need a formal qualification to get into his field of work. Katrina explained that early school leaving nowadays can be very damaging to a person’s chances of finding a good job. It is also probable that early school leavers have lack of financial literacy leading them to make financial commitments which they aren’t capable of honouring. In fact, a good number of the current social problems would have been avoided had more youngsters pursued futher education or training. A lack in education and social ethics leads to social exclusion and damaged self-pride. If not acted upon, lack of education and training could end up leading to a person living in poverty or in less than ideal situations.

Ganni was very proud of his daughter Katrina. She was always a determined individual with a very good sense of direction in her career. After completing a course at the University of Malta, she managed to get some valuable work experience and was now such a fundamental part of the sucess of this business journey they have embarked on. However, she never stopped learning new things and acquiring new skills, since it is important to never think that you don’t need further education. Work and education are linked together and one cannot go without the other.

Nowadays, the opportunities to develop educational skills and other abilities have never been so widespread and large in number. These include ERASMUS+ and various courses related to the improvement of E-skills. There are also important courses dedicated to nurturing innovation such as the Young Enterprise project which is organised yearly to engage a number of young people to develop a profitable and innovative product.

Despite all efforts and available opportunities to engage people in the education process, there is still about 10% of the Maltese population which are in the NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training) category. Thus, more needs to be done in attracting those in this category to start an activity which will lead to stable employment in the future.

Meanwhile Ganni and Katrina’s business continued to flourish. With increased economic activity, came increased responsibility and circumstances which needed individual attention. A number of employees, some family members and others, were employed in a short time in the business. Due to the fast pace of these recruitments, there were some cases in which no contracts of employments were drawn up. There was the need, therefore, to take care of making a contract of employment to every employee to avoid any legal ramifications. Katrina suggested that they contact the Malta Employers’ Association, which can guide them in the drawing up of the contracts. A membership with MEA will also be invaluable during possible industrial disputes as the team helps their members with the legal proceedings and also other legal advice.

While looking through the employees’ files, Katrina suggested that they consult experts in data protection so as to make sure that they are compliant with the current legislation. It is important that a database of information is kept on all employees working with the company, yet it is not permissible to retain all types of information. For this reason, it is important to keep up to date with the changes in this particular legislation by contacting the office of the Commissioner dealing with data protection.

The premises was another important aspect of the business that the management needed to make sure that it was according to the legislation dealing with health and safety issues at the place of work.  Therefore, the management decided that it was time to consult with OHSA in the ways that they can transform their workplace into a more safe environment for all their employees.

During an inspection of the premises, the issue of waste management was noted. It was important for them to create a more efficient waste management procedure, which would also be more environmentaly friendly.

Katrina was responsible for the payroll each month and was also in charge of keeping track of leave and sick leave days. She started noticing a substantial increase in people calling in sick, with some of the employees taking far more days of their sick leave than their colleagues. Katrina had heard that this was not occuring in their business only, as absenteism at the place of work has been increasing all over the country at an alarming rate. More specifically, the issue is of absenteism due to excessive use of the sick leave entitlement.

The management was also suspecting that there may have been ill use of sick leave by parents. There could have been instances where employees take sick leave not when they fall ill but rather when their children fall ill so as to spend a day taking care of them. Both Katrina and Ganni understand that parents have an obligation to their kids when they’re ill, however, they do not wish that employees would be untruthful to them or abuse the entitlements that they are given. On top of that, abuse made of certain entitlements costs money and resources to the company. These resources could be otherwised used for a better cause. For example, the company has always allocated part of its profit to help charitable organisations and to engage in other CSR activities, both with its own employees and with society as a whole. CSR activities are not in any way obligatory by law, however, there are many benefits to them in the form of greater relationships between the firm’s employees as well as improving the image of your company by associating your company with good causes.

The business had been operating for some time, and in that time the management encountered an array of human resources issues. These included an employee taking maternity leave, the issue of giving parents work time flexibility so they manage to take their children to childcare centres and also giving employees the possibility of teleworking if a need arises.

With the latest development in childcare services, the situation is now a more practical and financially viable one for working parents, expecially mothers. Nonetheless, the employer still needs to keep control of the situation and place the interest of the business as the first priority when making decisions.

Every business goes through different circumstances during the course of its operation and it is up to the person leading the operation to know how to turn every obstacle into an opportunity. Situations should be faced without confrontation and with a great level of skill.

The business which Ganni and Katrina had built up was experiencing issues from time to time, not unlike any other firms. The larger the business had become, the more varied and the larger were the complications that emerged. The number of workers employed had increased drastically and with that certain issues were created which weren’t there before. For example the issue of multiculturalism arose when foreign workers were employed along with Maltese workers. Therefore, an environment had to be created in which cultures were respected at the work place and clashes were avoided.

On one occassion, an employee of the firm complained to the management about one of his colleagues who had visible tattoos. The employee even demanded that management should isolate the individual so as not to be mixed with the others. This was certainly an outrageous request which management promptly rejected. Other employees had voiced their concerns on the possible consequences of having a suspected substance abuser in the place of work.  This case was creating a lot of tension in the workplace.

In an work environment where there are a number of employees coming from different cultural backgrounds and sometimes also different religions, it is important for management to maintain a level of synergy and respect between the work force of the company. This is no easy task, on the contrary, this is a continuous effort in maintaining control of the situation so as to avoid conflicts as much as is possible.

The managerial staff of the business was noticing an increase in the use of social media during working time. This was affecting the production of the business and therefore this needed to be tackled. It is important, however, not to make the employees feel threatened or constrained. The management needs to curb the use of social media while also keeping a good working environment for the employees. The management should make the employees feel that they trust them by for example delegating more responsibilities to them.

In the current environment of low unemployment, the HR department cannot simply let go of employees as it pleases. The task of finding good employees to join the team was proving to be more difficult than ever and the HR department had a responsibility to manage the human resources of the company in such a way that they would achieve the best output from the available resources. The lack of workers in the labour market and the implications of such a phenomenon were big concerns for the directors of the company. In fact, Ganni was seriously considering the sub-contracting of certain work in order to meet the demand from their customers. Katrina, however, did not share the same opinion.

For the sake of balance between the genders and to carry out the important concept of equality, a strategy was implemented which would encourage more women into the managerial roles of the company. This was not a PR stunt meant to boast about the fact that they are satisfying or surpassing the quota on female participation. On the contrary, this was a move to reward a number of female employees which were showing a great deal of initiative and skill. A company should not simply engage female mangement staff so as to reach a quota. On the contrary, it is important that female employees earn their way into management by their own set of skills and hard work.

Due to a number of issues within the work force of the company, the unions started to intervene in the company issues. The unions were putting issues regarding pay in the top of their agenda as well as whether the business was being managed on a making work pay principle. The unions started lobbying amongst the company’s employees so as to acquire union recognition and therefore to be able to deal with complaints of the company’s workers directly with the board of directors of the same company.

Meanwhile, even with issues happening inside the business, the firm also needed to take a stand with regards to different national issues under discussion at a particular point in time, even though the owners of the firm do not have a direct say in how the issues are resolved nationally.

The Brexit[2] phenomenon is one of the issues that could already be affecting our exports. There are other national and international debates regarding the element of deflation, the idea of globalisation (which is not always an advantage to the business sector), technology and future work, and the cost of living (or how this price index is worked out through the household budgetary survey). This issues all have a different effect on the Maltese economy and therefore should be given adequate importance. The business owners need to react accordingly to these issues as they develop and as they need to make adequate decisions which will keep them in business.

The management have always thought that the key to retaining business success entails keeping a close eye on operations and also comparing itself to the industry average and the direct competitors. The management always made sure that their employees were duly rewarded by a good pay, even taking a progressive aproach during the increase of the wages over time. However, what determines a wage? This is a question which they often asked themselves and it is good to know how wages are set and what flexibilities exist to the different wages for different work.

One of the main priorities of the management was that they would make sure the company continuously offered a service with a value added, both to the economy as a whole and most importantly to their customers. Any business has an incentive to lower costs and increase its profits, however, this should not be at the expense of loosing the quality that customers have come to expect from the company and possibly losing some of the company’s customer base.

After going through the bidding process for getting the tender of a government project, the management realised how important it is to keep up to date with the blacklisting regulations from time to time. The government bidding process, for example will penalise an applicant for bad behaviour which defies the blacklisting regulations.

In the event of a dispute with one or more of the company’s employees, the shop stewards of the unions would often institute proceedings against the shop owners before the Industrial Tribunal. The signed collective agreement of the employee would be quoted during such proceedings. If inaccuracies exist in the collective agreement or if the employer is found not to have respected the spirit of what was negotiated in the collective agreement, then this document can be used against the employer in such proceedings.

A company’s employees may be members of different unions. In fact this is often the issue that comes up before an industrial dispute is discussed with management. It is important that both management and employees have the information about the unions at the place of work, since unions have a profound effect on a business. At one point, the employer even considered liquidation when an agreement seemed likely not to be reached.

After rumours were circling the premises that the company was not acting legally or fairly on some issues, there were some employees that thought about making use of the Whistleblower Act to report the alleged illegaties. This law, however, doesn’t apply if the company, at the time of the report, employs less than 250 persons.

On a slightly smaller scale, there was the issue of bullying between the employees. This was getting in the way of an environment in which one can express himself/herself freely and it wasn’t always easy to find out the truth about the source of the bullying. This type of behaviour is both completely unacceptable and also very damaging to the relationships between the employees of the firm. It is, therefore, of extreme importance to check the workplace for any such behaviour.

In cases of discrimination between employees or between management and employees in the private sector, one cannot report this to the ombudsman since this institution is only responsible for such cases of discrimination or other bad behaviour for public sector employees and employees of parastatal entities.

Fortunately, in some instances, industrial disputes were resolved without the need for proceedings in the Industrial Tribunal. The cases were instead refered to the office responsible for the role of mediation.

Certain issues that arose during the life of the business were due to a misinterpretation of the regulations or directives. For example, when allegations of discrimination were made with respect to equality legislation, regarding doubts on whether certain factors justify a gender pay gap, or issues related to the employee’s health in the workplace, especially mental health. It is important that steps taken with employees are explained in detail to all so as to avoid these types of circumstances.

Other issues which are routinely discussed between employees are related to transport and work. Some question whether the traffic is a good excuse for an employee arriving late and others suggest that the company should provide its own transport for the employees. It is easy to understand how in an environment of major problems with public transportation and traffic congestion, one can use the situation as an excuse to arrive late frequently to work even when arriving late is the fault of the employee.

One of the applicants in a job offer that the company issued was a person with a disability. The HR team was very impressed by the applicant and immediately contacted entities which specialise in supported employment. These entities were of great help in providing the firm with information on the engagement of this applicant and the list of obligations that the employer needs to observe in order to be compliant with the quota set by law. Following the reform in the law regulating the work of persons with disability, we are seeing a more coordinated approach in this regard and therefore a removal of any existing anomalies present before the reform.

The aim of these entities that specialise in supported employment is that the employment of persons with a disability would become a smooth process without any discouraging challenges. Employers should decide to employ persons with disability by his own initiative and not because he is forced into doing so. Persons with a disability have a lot to offer to the working world. One generally finds a strong sense of perseverance amongst persons with a disability which would surely be an asset to any company.

Foretunately, clashes and problems in a business do not constitute a majority of the daily business activities. In a healthy business, the daily scene is usually one of harmony amongst employees. This sense of team spirit throughout the company’s work force is a very good gauge of the level of success of a business.

During the months of November and December, a subject that came up the most during the lunch hours was the effects that Christmas time had on business, especially theirs. They also discussed the advantages that their business would gain during the months of sales in the retail outlets. In he break time, the workers often share information regarding the opening time of shops and also give advice on the different shops. The reform in the opening and closing times of retail outlets has left many unsure about how it will work. Katrina makes it a point to spend lunch time with her employees. Although the amount of work would not always allow her to do so, she tried her best to be present as she believed that this was important to maintaining a good relationship with her employees.

One of the employees of the company talked extensively about being a voluntary worker at an orphanage. Many of the employees would donate money to the orphanage and also clothing and other products. In a year’s time, she managed to convince some of the employees to donate their time to voluntary work in their community because they believed that voluntary work contributes to the country’s economy as well. Our country has a proud tradition of volontary work which does invaluable work in our community. The church as well as other unaffiliated NGOs are exclusively taking care of certain aspects in our society which are not covered by the public or private sectors.

The employees of the company which are the nearest to  pension age, would often start a discussion on whether the pension payments given by the government would be enough for a pensioners to afford the same expenses they did during their working years. The younger people in the company would also voice their concerns on the future of the pension system and how young people are probably going to get the short end of the stick when it comes to pension payments. They believe that its never too early to start saving for their retirment years since the future of the pension system, to say the least unsure.

During the break time, the female employees would gather round Katrina and try to pick her brain on her start as an entreptreneur and other advise she might give them. They used to discuss the issues that led up to such a lack of women entreptreneurs and the fact that many women don’t find the courage or support to make the step into self-employment.

Over the years, Ganni u Katrina’s business had transformed from a business of two people to a company that employs almost 200 people. They had a very good turnover and maintained excellent relationships with their customers. Still, they were well aware that success can turn into failure over night if they suddenly do not remain competitive or if the sector that they work in goes into the saturation stage. Therefore, management finds it to be of upmost importance that during the frequent meetings that they had, they would allocate time for an evaluation of their sector and whether they should be limited to one sector or diversify into others.

The tourism sector and the work opportunities within the tourism sector have improved consistently. Meanwhile, the opportunities of work related to the financial services have also retained a steady increase. At the moment the country’s economy is dependent on these two sectors to guarantee yearly economic success.

Also, one should not underestimate the success in the aviation industry and the digital economy. Over the last few years, we have witnessed how these two industries have created countless job opportunities in our shores and have also contributed greatly to our economy.

Our economy, and also those around the world, are moving into a new chapter whereby the creation of green jobs and also job related to the blue economy are proving to be the next big job creators in the following years, including in Malta.

Also important to mention is the opportunities available for building careers within the health sector, which is truly increasing in demand. The demand for the services provided by the health sector will never be extinguished for obvious reasons and also because the sector keeps evolving and renewing job opportunities throughout the world.

The business of Ganni and Katrina was always very active and always sought new opportunities for investing. Ganni and Katrina made sure to benefit from different incentives, schemes and other available help that were put forward from time to time.

Malta, nowadays, feels that it is an integral part of the European economy and therefore it is important that a business person sets his business in line with the European Social Model. This model aims to intertwine the economic goals with the social goals. Every business should keep a close eye on the way government is benefiting from the European Social Fund and on how the business can also benefit from these funds. It is also important that the business owner remains updated on the Country Specific Recommendations,  based on those issues most important on the European level.

The Maltese Members of the European Parliament have an important role to play. They are the Maltese ambassadors for the European Union and they are the ones responsible for getting the greatest possible deal for Malta and also for our representation in issues which affect our country both directly and indirectly. It is therefore a great honour that Malta was given the opportunity to host the presidency of the EU Council for the first half of 2017. Malta’s Presidency of the EU council is an opportunity that comes only once in 14 years and therefore it was a wise to make sure we use this opportunity to our advantage.

The business journey of Ganni u Katrina, is an example of the challenges that a business encounters during its daily activities. The circumstances they had throughout their business operations are very realistic and any person who is in or is thinking about the entrepreneurial role should be prepared beforehand for these circumstances. The entrepreneur should always keep informed about all the discussions being had in the country and all the news both in Malta and around the world. It is the only way for the entrepreneur to be proactive in dealing with every eventuality.

An informed person is one who is better equipped to dealing with every challenge. If a person is given adequate knowledge, then one would not be threatened by problems that emerge and will know how to turn every problem into a possibility. This results in a consolidation of business success that the entrepreneurs would have worked so hard to achieve together with their employees.

Conclusion

This was the main message that the SME Helpdesk, within the Malta Employers’ Association, wanted to convey to the entrepreneurs and the owners of small businesses in our country, with this initiative.

Although this story prepares you for the realities of daily life of a business, it should encourage you more to embark on your journey to success. We are sure that this project will further convince you in your business potential and leadership skills and make you look to the future with more determination. Nothing should come in between you and your journey to becoming excellent and successful entrepreneurs.

You can watch the promotional video which will explain in more detail the whole concept of the TV programmes MEA. This concept is successful in its goal and has been escalated to a new level by the introduction of this initiative. We have found the right formula of distributing the programmes better to all those who might be interested in venturing into the business world.

Make sure to keep an eye on this project since the story will continue to evolve and will continue to be complemented with further TV programmes of the series MEA……….

[1] Since the airing of the TV programme in 2014, the ETC has changed its name to Jobsplus. Therefore, we are sorry if any information given during the TV programme does not apply for the situation of today.

[2] The TV programme regarding Brexit, was recorded in 2016, immediately after the Brexit referendum took place in the UK. Therefore, we excuse ourselves if at the time you are watching the video, multiple developments would have taken place.

The following are reviews from local and international bodies.

Business Doctors

“The Maltese Business Story project by the Malta Employers’ Association is an innovative initiative that provides a myriad of useful and practical information to those owning and managing Maltese SMEs.”  Read more  

CORE Platform

“…This initiative by the Malta Employers’ Association, will most certainly help these owners when faced with such troubles. Sometimes, all these people need is guidance from business experts or from other entrepreneurs who have undergone the same difficulties and overcome them. A few tips and some encouragement could be all these Maltese family business owners need.”  Read more

MCAST

“MCAST supports The Maltese Business Story initiative organised by the MEA-SME Helpdesk and believes it is a simple yet innovative and creative idea of how to transmit valuable information about startups to anyone wishing to open up a new business in Malta.”  Read more

International Organisation of Employers

“… MEA has been extremely active in promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship at both international and European level. In discussions at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and during the International Labour Conference, MEA has been highly engaged in the tripartite discussions on the promotion of sustainable enterprise and entrepreneurship.” Read more