HRB Portal Podcast

Guest:AGroup | Ksenya Ivanova | Head of Service Delivery 

Host:  AGroup | Julia Kuznecova | Head of PR & Marketing 

In this episode looking forward to the special workshop on Project Management at our AGroup 1st HRB Portal Community Conference, which will take place in Riga on June 9, 2022 we've discussed with our guest down-to-earth prerequisites,requirements, main phases, issues, overall approach & image to consider regarding HRB Portal Project Management for AGroup long-term operation across the Baltic Countries & Poland. 

HRB Portal Podcast is brought to you by AGroup - a leading HR digitalization service & software provider in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania & Poland.

To learn more visit us at www.agroup.lv

Job shadowing hands-on approach is a great way to determine if you can see yourself in a similar role. In this episode AGroup PR & Marketing Manager chated with students from Valmiera about their motivation priorities, career visions & skills that they are good at, as well as, the students asked the host about a career path, AGroup company culture & the essence of work. It's really delighful that young people are motivated by an adventurous life experience rather then material bonuses & also they consider creativity as one of the key advantages at work.

Guests:Ketija Cinberga & Laura Gruntmane | Valmiera Pargaujas State Gymnasium

Host: Julia Kuznecova | PR & Marketing | AGroup

HRB Portal Podcast is brought to you by AGroup - a leading HR digitalization service & software provider in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania & Poland.

To learn more visit us at www.agroup.lv

Guest:Igor Rodin | Partner | Artificial Intelligence | Central Europe Deloitte

Host:Julia Kuznecova | PR & Marketing | AGroup

In this episode our guest Igor Rodin, who has worked for Deloitte around 30 years and over the last years his passion has been Artificial Intelligence (AI) shared his valuable insights on how AI enabled solutions in HR, namely workforce forecast & planning, could minimize labour costs & save financial resources contributing Bottom Line growth, which is especially topical for the retail sector. 

As well as, whether Big Data is too big for any company in the Baltic States taking into account quite a limited volume of a Baltic market and why la ocal vendor is a proper one for dealing with a strictly regulated legislation in HR field. 

Also, he articulated his views on Deloitte holistic approach to AI implementation and disclosed that Deloitte has established the Center of AI called "Riga .ai Studio", which operates not only in Baltics but all across Europe focusing on Data modernization and AI implementation.

Deloitte besides being the world's biggest consultancy firm, providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, and related services to clients in more than 150 countries, is an expert in AI and its implementation in business processes, modernizing data infrastructure.

HRB Portal Podcast is brought to you by AGroup - a leading HR digitalization service & software provider in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania & Poland. 

To learn more visit us at www.agroup.lv

Over this #7 episode we’ve talked with AGroup CEO, Alexander Snurnitsyn about the company’s milestones over these 14 years, as well as about attitudes, corporate culture & morale to understand us better since exactly understanding makes people work together along with mutual respect, resilience and agility. Since 2008 AGroup has been transforming HR & payroll digitalization processes of organizations in various industries in Baltics & Poland. Alexander has been AGroup CEO for more than 10 years and more than 20 years has dedicated to IT field.

Guest: AGroup CEO, Alexander Snurnitsyn

Host: AGroup Marketing & PR Manager, Julia Kuznecova

Alexander has shared his views on AGroup corporate culture, attitude to people, recalled the most challenging project & client, as well as, revealed AGroup market share and an average time spent on a project. He outlined the key factors that have helped us to outperform the competitors, mentioned the best sellers of HRB Portal modules and expressed his appreciation & gratitude towards AGroup partners, colleagues, clients and even rivals. Finally, he highlighted AGroup plans for the future development.

HRB Portal podcast is brought to you by AGroup - a leading software & service provider of HR digital solutions. 

To learn more visit us on www.agroup.lv  and follow in Facebook & LinkedIn

Guest: GLIMSTEDT attorney-at-law & certified tax consultant, Gita Avotina

Host: AGroup PR & Marketing Manager, Julia Kuznecova

On 11 November 2021, the European Parliament gave the final approval on the EU Directive on public Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR), formally known as the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches.

Glimstedt is a well-recognized & leading law firm, which provides AGroup and respectively all HRB Portal users with all the necessary suite of legal and regulatory support in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, ensuring full compliance with local legislation and proper conditions to make informed & confident decisions that work.

In this episodeGita Avotina, Glimstedt attorney-at-law & certified tax consultant answering the questions assumed that publishing CbCR on a voluntary basis might demonstrate the long-standing commitment to transparency since the positive impact outweighs the negative effect of higher tax payments.

Furthermore, there are companies which have independently moved towards voluntary publishing, for example, Vodafone, BHP Billiton, Unilever. Besides, enhanced transparency could be considered as a pivotal goal. Also, it’s worth noting that the EU Directive doesn’t overlap other CbCR standards, such as BEPS Action 13 and Global Reporting Initiative-207 (GRI-207).

Along with that, Gita has outlined that the most vital is the condition that information is public (disclosure of information) and is not filed only to the tax authorities. What’s more the exchange of information has already been performed, but only for tax authorities. Which means that the companies by substance have been prepared since 2016. Additionally, non-EU companies are covered by the regulations as well, if non-EU parented companies if they are operating in the EU through medium-sized or large subsidiaries or branches.”

HRB Portal podcast is brought byAGroup, a leading HR & business software provider in Baltics & Eastern Europe. To learn more visit us onagroup.lv 

Guest: Glimstedt Lawyer & Certified Tax Consultant, Gita Avotina;

Host: AGroup PR & Marketing Manager, Julia Kuznecova

Glimstedt is a well-recognized & leading law firm, which provides AGroup and respectively all HRB Portal users with all the necessary suite of legal and regulatory support in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, ensuring full compliance with local legislation and proper conditions to make informed & confident decisions that work.

On 11 November 2021, the European Parliament gave the final approval on the EU Directive on public Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR), formally known as the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches.

In this episodeGita Avotina, Glimstedt lawyer & certified tax consultant answering the questions assumed, “If we refer to discrimination, it should be kept in mind that there shall be a principle of proportionality between interests of society and interests of individuals, in this case – companies. And we can see that by accepting this initiative public interests have been recognized to be justified, grounded and legitimate by implementing a particular approach. Furthermore, these proposals which have been implemented, have been discussed also with taxpayers, experts and this is generally acceptable concept for all involved parties. It continues the strategy of OECD BEPS 13 action plan, with one notable difference - publication of data. Therefore, Directive foresees transposition period for implementation and the first reportable year shall be only 2025 with reporting deadline December 2026. Thereby, there is a time limit provided for the companies to undertake actions for protection of their sensitive information. Furthermore, please note that a possibility to defer disclosing certain information for a limited period by providing reasoned explanation is foreseen. Which means that the publication of most important data can be deferred.”

Also, Gita Avotina considered, “There shall be a certain position result reached and discussions have shown that during more than a 5-year period this result (let’s say to this moment reasonable result) has been reached. If companies and society know that the information shall be published, so companies and all the society can get more “ready”, including transposition period, than simple publication (leakage) of data from companies internal databases. So, the main purpose of all this action is to ensure that companies’ profits are taxed in countries where these profits are generated.  General public as such can initiate proceedings for amendments in legislation, initiate administrative proceedings, but by the end – those shall be state institutions which shall make decisions, undertake particular actions towards taxpayers. Therefore, this publication of data is controlled. It’s in a legal framework.”

HRB Portal podcast is brought byAGroup, a leading HR & business software provider in Baltics & Eastern Europe. To learn more visit us onagroup.lv 

In the episode#4we'reexcited to announcethe successful completion of a management buyout transaction between AGroup and BaltCap.

Back in 2011 we built a partnership with BaltCap, which resulted in a venture fund becoming a major shareholder of our company. All these years have been marked by the sign of productive cooperation, with BaltCap investing in AGroup’s breakthrough evolution. Particularly, it’s important to mention the contribution of Martins Jaunarajs, the fund’s partner, who we are deeply thankful to for his patience and confidence throughout all these years.

Apart from BaltCap, AGroup’s shareholders also have taken part in managing our company, thus a decision has been made to buy out a share previously sold to our partners in the fund. It has been a general and thoroughly agreed solution which, we believe, will result in our further success and extensive evolution.

AGroup confirms its commitment to our present development strategy: focusing on the Baltic States and Poland, on the major international companies with distributed workforce mainly from Retail & Manufacturing sectors.

The company will do its best to keep on developing our main product (HRB Portal) and constantly improving the quality of services we offer. BaltCap shares our views, believing that this bargain will increase AGroup team’s motivation and have a positive effect on our business and customers. The fund in its turn is going to focus on different projects which are no less strategically important for BaltCap.

“We’re grateful for the invaluable support provided by BaltCap in the timeline of our cooperation. Buying back the fund’s share for AGroup has been a hard decision, and, apparently, it hasn’t been a spontaneous one. We have to move on and expand new horizons, and the more we work, the more opportunities we see in a nearby future and the more goals to fulfill”, says Alexander Snurnitsyn, AGroup CEO.

“It was a real pleasure to work with Alexander and AGroup. Over the years, the team has built a great IT solution for the management of HR-related tasks of enterprises with distributed workforce. The recent onboarding of several large companies in their respective industries in the Baltic Sea Region has been a testimony of a solid work performed by AGroup. I wish Alexander and his team success in developing the business further”, - adds Martins Jaunarajs, BaltCap partner.

AGroupwas founded in 2008 with an intention to become a leader in a software companies’ cluster in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe. So far, we have made 550 organizations’ lives easier with our products, in 22 countries till now – and are still expanding a customer base.

BaltCapwas founded in 1995 and ever since has been operating in the Baltic States region serving as a large and experienced private equity investor. Over the past 25 years BaltCap has invested in about 100 companies in a wide range of industry sectors, giving preference to those which are considered the most innovative ones. BaltCap's main goal is to develop companies into internationally recognized business champions.

Host: AGroup Marketing & PR Manager, Julia Kuznecova

To follow AGroup: Facebook@agroup.lv   LinkedIn www.agroup.lv

In the episode #3 we’ll explore what to do when there is nothing normal. We are experiencing such a level of disruption — extreme uncertainty and business risks are not seen in generations. Some companies freeze and fail, while others innovate, advance, and even thrive. Well, to be able to thrive in the face of a rapidly shifting environment there is an accelerated need for companies to become bionicaccording to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).It implies a conscious synthesis of human and technological capabilities. Building bionic companies is also at the heart of HRB Portal approach to digital transformation since it’s absolutely idle to make standalone digital improvements.

McKinsey Global Survey on digital strategy (2021) confirms that the time is now to make bold investments in technology and human capabilities that will equip businesses to outstrip others in a rapidly evolving landscape. The results suggest a clear link between the technology endowment and economic outperformance. 

The most digitally mature industries according to BCG’s Digital Acceleration Index (DAI) study (2021)have appeared the following:

Financial institutions, Technology, Telecommunications.

Apart from that the pandemic has clearly accelerated the digital development of:

Not surprisingly, the above mentioned industries are among the key HRB Portal adapters.

Over the last couple of years the most digitally mature companies have already outperformed their peers across 9 KPIs (revenue growth, enterprise value, ROI, cost reduction, share price increase, market share growth, overall EBIT impact, digital impact & artificial intelligence impact), and they have been particularly strong in such areas as:

While nearly all organizations are focused on digitalization McKinsey Global Survey on digital strategy (2021) intimidates us by the fact, that only 10% of chief human resource officers agree that their organizations are prepared for the future of work. 

Our HRB Portal specialists can professionally advise you how to obtain a purpose-driven digital transformation strategy which allows you to align teams, launch proper digital initiatives, and build capabilities to sustain a digital advantage. Digitally transformed HRB Portal companies are powered by cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights possessing remarkable advantages over their competitors.

AGroup CEO, Alexander Snurnitsyn asserted, “HRB Portal digitally transformed companies might see powerful outcomes, including enhanced capabilities, and better performance in terms of cost efficiency, revenues, and return on capital. They also might find a higher sense of purpose and improved organizational wellbeing.”

Host:AGroup Marketing & PR Manager, Julia Kuznecova

To follow AGroup:

Guest: AGroup CEO, Alexander Snurnitsyn

Host: AGroup Marketing & PR Manager, Julia Kuznecova

In the episode #2 we’ve talked with AGroup CEO, Alexander Snurnitsyn about the reasons why to outsource payroll to IT software companies and what criteria bear in mind while choosing a proper payroll provider. Perhaps you’re just looking for a simple way to automate payroll processing. Or, maybe you’d like a payroll service that comes with all extras. By the way, this year AGroup has started offering payroll outsourcing services to mid-sized enterprises starting from 100 to 500 employees since there has been a great demand for it. It’s undeniable that the best payroll services are the ones that save companies time and effort at a cost-effective price point.

As aCEO,Alexander Snurnitsyn manages AGroup in such a way that employees enjoy work and are passionate about the company. Alexander is responsible for overseeing the company’s strategy and sales efforts across geographies. He focuses on building & expanding relationships with key customers & strategic business partners. For more than 20 years Alexander Snurnitsyn has been a true innovator and a product visionary in the IT industry. Alexander holds an Executive MBA degree from the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and a Master’s degree in Physics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

To follow AGroup:

AGROUPHRB MOBILE APP will tackle management & engagement gaps in field, distributed & remote workforce operation 

Nowadays, in the age of X, Y, Z generations dominating the workforce when a significant chunk of work is done “on the go”, no one can imagine a People Management tool w/o a mobile component. Well-aware of our HRB Portal customers’ needs AGroup announces HRB Mobile App release.

It is targeted for self-service users such as field, distributed & remote workforce of companies operating in various geographies and languages. HRB Mobile App includes the main HRB Portal modules and functions supported by multilingual interfaces (LV, LT, EE, PL, EN) on Androids & iOS.

HRB Mobile App possesses a complete set of features demanded by the majority of employees and Line Managers in their day-to-day work, for example, they’ll be able to: apply for a leave, submit claims’ expenses, assign tasks, check pay slips, approve/reject requests, receive push notifications with reading acknowledgments, send messages & reminders. HRB Mobile App dashboard is intuitive and easy-to-navigate providing you all the key features right at your fingertips.

“AGroup has built HRB Mobile App on the basis of insights gathered from our customers – the leaders in their industries and gaps to fill in. Well, we are expanding the functionality of HR tools making it an integral part of our lives! It is not just about streamlining operational processes and improving workforce management, but about driving their engagement, which is especially topical during the period of remote work,” commented Alexander Snurnitsyn, AGroup CEO.Hassle-free HRB Mobile App will be available solely to AGroup HRB Portal users to come to rescue them. They'll get the data on the go with alerts to communicate messages.

Come & join HRB Portal community!

Folow usFB&LinkedIn

Read more on www.agroup.lv