People at the centre of attention
Michaela Vlasáková has completed her first year as Group HR Director at Accolade. The year was marked by continued expan-sion and growth of the team and stabilisation of internal processes. What else did it bring from an HR perspective?
You’ve celebrated your first year in your current position–what were your initial expectations?
When I took on this role a year ago, I knew it would be a big challenge, both professionally and personally. I expected to have to find my feet quickly in an international environment, complete projects that were already in motion with the team, and at the same time keep in touch with the reality of the day-to-day HR agenda. None of this would have been possible without an excellent team of experienced colleagues.
What key moments of 2024 would you mention?
Today I can say that it was a very intense year full of real results. I would definitely highlight the digitisation of the agenda, as we rolled out a new HR system for the entire company and a new recruitment system (database). We also digitised our annual tax returns and switched to external payroll processing. This is a huge step forward that has freed up our hands, at least partially.
I’m also delighted with the way the team and the company as a whole have grown. We welcomed 45 new colleagues across all markets in 2024. Despite that, we have managed to maintain a strong corporate culture, which was wonderfully demonstrated at the Christmas party and team-building events, for example. People I can rely on are the people I cherish most. I had unlimited faith in every colleague in my team, and together we achieved a lot. Overall, it was a year of growth, change and new beginnings.
The professional advice I subscribe to is: surround yourself with people who are better than you.
Speaking of company growth, how do you recruit for key positions in the light of your international expansion?
In 2024 we filled several key positions across Accolade, both in the Czech Republic and abroad (Poland, Spain, Croatia). Recruitment at Accolade isn’t just something HR does. It’s a collaborative effort involving the hiring manager, management and often future teammates. We make sure that the new person is a good fit not only professionally, but also culturally and personally, because team chemistry is fundamental for us.
How difficult is it to find suitable candidates for Accolade today?
Finding the ideal candidate is not easy, especially for specialist roles. But that’s why we don’t rely solely on the external market–we actively search within our own ranks. We leveraged our in-house resources several times in the last year. For example, one colleague transferred from Development to the Energy team, another switched from Asset Management to FP&A, and one colleague relocated from Poland to Spain.
How active is Accolade in looking after its employees, their training and development?
For 2025, we have a comprehensive Learning & Development plan that responds to the real needs of teams and individuals across the business. The main training programmes focus on team dynamics, project management, soft skills and digital skills. The formats we’ve gone for are workshops, training courses and e-learning courses.
Do you also collect feedback from employees?
Yes, employee feedback is an important part of our work and we ask for it regularly–after internal training sessions, after company events and within individual offices, for example. On top of that, we conducted our first company-wide engagement survey this year, involving colleagues across all countries. We always carefully evaluate the results and, in consultation with management, look for ways to apply the findings in practice.
The HR team has a relatively short history at Accolade. What is its position today?
A separate HR team was set up at Accolade more than two years ago, but its role has shifted rapidly since then. I believe that HR is not seen as an isolated unit, but as a natural part of the company’s functioning. In some other companies I know of, employee queries are answered by referring to a directive etc. We don’t want that here, and I’m glad that the whole team is supportive and always tries to find the best solution for our colleagues.
If you had to sum up Accolade’s culture in three words, what would they be?
Teamwork, growth, and business. Partly because cooperation and relationships between people throughout the company work well, and Accolade is growing across markets and segments. We are a performance-oriented company with a clear goal and the drive to succeed.