Efstathia – ‘Effie’ for short – Daskalaki joined Alfa Beta as an eager 27-year-old. Today, 15 years later, she’s still with the company and was recently promoted to the role of HR Payroll Manager within the European Business Services (EBS) department. "I love structure and like to have an overview of everything, in both my professional and personal lives. And if there isn’t any structure, I really want to create it. That's why this role suits me perfectly."
Rewind to 2009, the year when Effie started as an HR Payroll Associate at AB Vassilopoulos. “I was very excited about my new job and wanted to learn as much as possible. And I had a lot to learn because I was still quite inexperienced when it comes to the retail business. Over the past 15 years, I've gained valuable insights, but above all, I feel that I've really matured professionally.”
Effie’s steep learning curve comprised various chapters: after 13 years as an HR Payroll Associate, she moved up to a supervisor position, and then most recently, progressed to the role of manager. “Essentially, it is my job to ensure that all associates are paid accurately and on time, while also complying with relevant federal and local legislation. Most colleagues rarely think about where their salary comes from or the process behind getting paid. As AB employs over 15,000 people, this is an enormous responsibility. That’s partly why I enjoy my work so much: it has a direct impact on the lives of so many colleagues. The idea that I can resolve any issues that they might encounter and provide support for them brings me immense satisfaction.”
The diversity of the job is another reason Effie loves what she does. Aside from payroll processing and compliance, her work also involves software management and leadership skills. “Payroll can be complex, with various different regulations to remain aware of and many unique situations for different associates. Successfully navigating these challenges and finding solutions for them can be very fulfilling. I love structure and enjoy getting an overview of a situation – I'm an extremely organized type of person. I'm always looking for ways to streamline and improve processes and structures further. That quest for continuous improvement, alongside strong communication skills and attention to detail, is key to being successful in this role.”
Many people occasionally doubt whether they've made the right career choice. Not Effie. “I just love everything about this job. Aside from it fulfilling my need to organize and optimize everything, I also love that everything is continually evolving. Legislation is constantly changing, technology is always developing, and human behavior is forever changing. The fact that so much happens in the field forces HR professionals to invest in continuously staying up to date.
As a payroll department, we have to be on top of what’s happening around us and take on a leading position. Not only does this mean we’re always learning, but it also keeps the work exciting and challenging. I love operating in such a dynamic environment.”
Changing the game with HR-HaRa
"I see continuous improvement as one of the biggest goals in my role. We're constantly looking into new technologies and exploring how they can improve and professionalize our processes. Two years ago, we integrated HR-HaRa into our HR system. HR-HaRa is an AI-based chatbot that has the answer to virtually any question an AB associate might have. Whether a person is wondering about parental leave or wants to know how many vacation days they have left, HR-HaRa will provide the answer. If someone needs a specific form for the bank, the chatbot will send it within minutes. This innovation saves us a tremendous amount of work and time – as it further modernizes our processes and enhances the associate experience, it represents a major step forward for our department. Of course, the system requires daily monitoring and regular updates, and we're always looking for ways to improve it. Regardless, we're proud to have this sort of technology in our HR department.”
The payroll department that Effie leads is really quite remarkable. Not only has Effie been working in this team for 15 years, but she's been doing so with the same people (more or less) for that whole time. “We're an incredibly close-knit team that has truly grown alongside the organization. We've attended each other's weddings and celebrated the births of each other's children. My team honestly feels like my second family. I'm the youngest in the team, which consists of seven people including myself. Recently, I was promoted to a manager position. It’s a truly fantastic team to manage. We cooperate so well and are all organized, thoughtful, and good at thriving under pressure. I owe so much to this team. I look forward to celebrating many more accomplishments and enjoying more experiences with this amazing group of people.”
Name: Efstathia Daskalaki (1982)
Started working at AB Vassilopoulos: July 2009
Studied: MBA Economics, University of Piraeus (2007)
Living with: My husband, Lefteris, and our son, Minas
Hobbies: Spending time with my family, doing sudoku puzzles, watching movies and series, and reading business magazines
Wake me up in the middle of the night for: If you need my help, you can wake me up for anything
Favorite holiday destination: An all-inclusive hotel. The location doesn’t matter, as long as there’s a nice pool, good food and I’m there with my loved ones
Life-changing event: The birth of Minas
Biggest source of inspiration: To always improve things and strive for perfection
Best advice I’ve ever received: ‘Don’t bring problems, bring solutions!’
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