Bulgaria as a Science

MANY Western companies come to Bulgaria with the idea in mind that they can open a branch and transfer their business practises and corporate ethos to this land of wine and song, with a few minor modifications to allow for local needs and culture.

But alas, after a while, they realise that those local needs and culture have taken over. Little is left of their original plans and predictions. They discover that their branch has been BULGARISED.

For the benefit and amusement of both the “oldies” and “newbies”’ to the Bulgarian Economy (an oxymoron similar to “American Culture”), I would like to discuss some symptoms of Bulgarisation with you. Although you will find many, if not all, of these symptoms in other countries, what is interesting is that you will find most of them in combination in many Bulgarian companies.

· NEPOTISM – Even before you have opened your branch, you will already have been confronted with Bulgarisation as your local representative will already have engaged the services of their relatives and friends to accommodate all your requirements. Be assured that your lawyer, accountant, real estate agent, cleaning lady, girl friend, dry cleaner, dentist and others will have been carefully selected from a list of your local management’s circle of friends, extended family and people to whom they owe favours. In addition, all future staff will be hired from the same list.

Solution: Advise your staff that if they want to hire, they also fire.

· CORRUPTION – You will realise that little can be achieved without a financial token of your appreciation in the form of the dreaded baksheesh. No matter if this is actually required or not, your managers will persuade you that no wheels in Bulgaria will turn if you do not share your wealth with bureaucrats and corporate buyers alike.

Solution: In many cases, this is total nonsense, and the only way to find out is to take your manager out of the loop and do the meeting yourself with a translator. Foreigners are rarely asked directly for a bribe.

· INFLATED PURCHASES – I can tell you many stories about executives in both large and medium companies who have taken blatant advantage of their position. The usual trick is to agree a much higher price with the supplier (usually a member of the previously mentioned list) and pocket the difference. One Dutch friend of mine only discovered after his manager had left that he had paid as much as five times the going rate for his internet services, furniture and rent.

Solution: Get involved and make spot checks in the local market and most of all, talk to other expats.

· MANAGEMENT – Often without the knowledge of the Western owners, Bulgarian branches are ruled in the same way as former state companies – by fear. Especially when key personnel were hired on the basis of nepotism and a family-like power base has been established, many underlings will be confronted with a harsh management rarely experienced in the West. Another issue is the willingness of staff to share information with each other. This nonsense is based on the notion that knowledge is power and therefore should only be shared when absolutely necessary or demanded; but never volunteered.

Solution: Stay involved, openly have meals with underlings, don’t worry about hurting senior management’s feelings.

· SEXUALITY – In addition to nepotism, you will never find out that it is not unusual for a good-looking secretary to be hired based on her horizontal activities on the sofa, rather then on her CV. In the past seven years, I have heard many Bulgarian executives brag about such conquests. I have come to the conclusion that this practice is definitely not an exception, rather a management perk. Sexual harassment during the hiring process, but also on a day-to-day basis, is a serious threat to your company, especially because, in my opinion; Bulgarian women outnumber men four to one in usefulness as employees and definitely as management.

Solution: Make any kind of sexual harassment in the workplace an instantly dismissable offence and insist on an equal number of female management. If you tolerate one instance, you might as well throw in the towel completely.

· MANNERS – Especially telephone manners in Bulgaria are often atrocious. Not only are telephone’s answered with ‘Awlo’ or just ‘Da’, it is also common not to be connected to the appropriate person in your company without a Secret Service-style interrogation.

Solution: Training, training and more training.

· SERVICE – Customer service is like manners, a major issue, and needs your daily attention. In one major service company, I saw an amazing turnaround within months of their new CEO arriving, only to disappear within weeks after his departure.

Solution: Training, training and more training.

· DRINKING AND SMOKING – Don’t be surprised that your management and staff drink alcohol during working hours and definitely at lunchtime. Beside incidental use, alcoholism is one of the most common diseases in this country. Smoking in the workplace is now regulated by law and forbidden. This is now causing major traffic jams on balconies and next to the front door.

Solution: As an ex-smoker, I should not be asked for one

· HYGIENE – Personal hygiene in the workplace and, although much approved in recent years, is still an issue, and although you can smell the improvements in most offices, it could be improved further.

Solution: Make rules, announce and enforce them.

· NO PROBLEM – You hear this expression in many situations. Employees do not want their bosses to think there is a problem. Denial seems to be a national sport.

Solution: Make your staff aware that their problems are your problems and your door is always open.

· VISION – You will encounter short-term vision in every level of society. The Get-Rich-Quick mentality is overwhelming. The idea that you can build up a solid business over a period of time is alien to most entrepreneurs and managers in this country.

Solution: Sorry, I have no idea.

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Source: Sofia Echo