15 Voices – 15 Countries: Vladimir Orozovic, Serbia

This year NORMA Group is celebrating its 15th anniversary. In the blog series 15 Voices – 15 Countries, 15 colleagues from 15 countries report on their experiences at NORMA Group and tell us how NORMA Group has developed at their location.

Vladimir Orozovic works as an HR Business Partner at the NORMA Group site in Subotica, Serbia.

Vladimir, how long have you been working at NORMA Group?

I started working at NORMA Group in May 2012. So I’ve been here for over nine years now.

How has NORMA Group changed or developed since you started working here?

The location in Serbia has now existed for ten years. From around 100 employees at the beginning, we have now grown to more than 1,000 employees. As an HR Business Partner, I actively contribute to this growth, helped by my many years of experience. Watching empty production halls and offices become fully functional thanks to the many employees is something very special.

What events do you remember most from your time at NORMA Group?

At the NORMA Group site in Serbia, we organize many different events and celebrate special days. For example, NORMA Help Day, Diversity Day, International Women’s Day, family days, Christmas parties or summer and team events.

Of all the great events that take place around the year at our site here in Serbia, I am particularly proud of our “NORMA Start Internship Program.” As part of the program, which has been running for eight years, we have introduced more than 100 young and talented people at the beginning of their careers to the business environment and the workings of a modern industrial company. More than half of them still work at NORMA Group today. Those who are no longer with NORMA Group are now working in high positions at other well-known companies. In addition, we have entered into cooperation with many university departments in the surrounding area as part of the program. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we regularly introduced the company to numerous schoolchildren on site – showing them around our production halls and warehouses and explaining what the production process is like. I hope that this will soon be possible again.

An experience that was very significant for my personal and professional development was my Bubble Assignment in France. NORMA Group offered me the opportunity to work in France for five months and thus get to know a new country and culture. I am very grateful for that experience.

What I also always remember fondly are the regular HR meetings that took place in person before the Covid-19 pandemic. At least once a year, we had the opportunity to meet our colleagues at one of the NORMA Group locations. It is incredibly important for cooperation to get to know colleagues personally and to be able to exchange ideas directly and in person. This makes further communication much easier.

One thing that I personally really appreciate about NORMA Group as a company is that every employee is heard. We’re all seen. Here with us, it is easy to put forward your ideas, even in front of colleagues in higher positions. Your own voice is heard and good ideas are supported. Many people are content to simply be one part in a big machine. But if you want to expand your knowledge and develop yourself, you have the chance to do so here.

NORMA Group was my first employer. Here at NORMA Group in Serbia, there have been so many projects, activities, change and growth over the past few years, there is never a dull moment. I have never had to look for exciting tasks or new activities, they come to me.

What do you wish for the future of NORMA Group?

I would like NORMA Group to remain a stable and profitable company. I hope that we will maintain our values and keep growing. After all, we all want a secure job and a secure future. Here in Serbia, we offer more than 1,000 employees a secure job and thus also support their families, and I am very proud of that. I hope that we can continue to offer this stability to more families in the years to come. All employees should know that they can rely on NORMA Group as an employer and that the company can also rely on its employees at the same time.