Taxback Group supports the programme “Investing in Human Capital to Invest in the Future of Karin Dom”
Taxback Group and Karin Dom in Bulgaria have launched a project called “Investing in Human Capital to Invest in the Future of Karin Dom” which aims to support the long-term vision of the center by increasing the focus and investment on the retention and the development of their specialists.
Why supporting your employees is important?
Human capital is one of the most important factors for the success of any organization, no matter its size or field of operation. Charitable organizations are no exception. Building a team where people feel trusted, supported and motivated is one of the top priorities when it comes to retaining professionals in the company.
Karin Dom works with around 300 children on annual basis. All this is done by a team of devoted and highly educated professionals. However, as rewarding as the work done by Karim Dom’s professionals is, it can be incredibly emotionally challenging. They naturally find it difficult to switch off from the stories and problems faced by their service users on a daily basis, and this can often lead to them suffering from burnout.
One of the coping mechanisms, widely used in the social sector, is the so called professional supervisions. Thanks to this program, Karin Dom’s professionals can get much needed support and have a safe and confidential place to express their thoughts and emotions. Professional supervision is a positive and enabling process that allows them to take control of their emotions and reflect on their work practice.
Taxback Group supported the first series of professional supervisions for the Karin Dom team, which were organized before the Covid-19 pandemic. Having witnessed the positive impact of these professional supervisions, we had no hesitations about continuing our support of this programme long-term.
Being a People-First company
One of the things that distinguishes Taxback Group from other companies in our industry is that we always put people first. Prioritizing employee wellbeing and development has been instrumental to our success in Bulgaria over the past 20 years, where we now employ over 1000 staff.
In 2021, we launched our global Employee Assistance Program, which ensures a first-line response to providing prevention, triage and short-term problem resolution services to our team members and their family members. It aims to support our employees through any personal or work-related issues they might have. With this, we want to ensure that our employees feel supported by the company no matter what they go through so that they are able to bring their best selves to work.
“True leadership is about not only developing such wellbeing practices in the workplace but also sharing and encouraging them in the communities in which we live and operate. Supporting Karin Dom’s program was a natural extension of our desire to support the sustainable development of human resources management. We hope that with this initiative we’ll bring our society and other employer’s attention to topics such as supporting and taking care of their employees.” – shared Ekaterina Hristova, HR Manager of Taxback Group in Bulgaria.
20 years of Clune Group in Bulgaria
“Way back in 2000 around Christmas my mom had got me a book – the CIA World Atlas. At around that time, our business was quite small – around 15-20 people working in Dublin in Taxback and we were looking to set up a second operation.
Over Christmas, I was reading my CIA Atlas, with a big glass of wine and my brother slipped by and banged off the book. The wine went everywhere; the book went everywhere and was destroyed. I was busy mopping up the mess and the most damaged page was the page on Bulgaria so I was busy reading too …… to see what info was there. I got to read a lot about Bulgaria and the spilled wine on that occasion was a very positive experience because I learned a lot about the country – the beliefs of the people, the variety of languages people can speak, the strength of universities that are there, also the fact that Varna is beside the black sea and it looked like a beautiful, fabulous place. So I took the initiative to move over to Varna and we haven’t looked back since then”
Our story so far
Terry Clune, our CEO and Founder, may have discovered Bulgaria accidentally, but the last 20 years have been by no means a coincidence. On 26th April 2001 Clune Group set up its first international office in the beautiful Bulgaria starting with just 15 people. Twenty years later, Clune Group employs nearly 1000 employees across Bulgaria’s major cities such as Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and Shumen who are boasting a wide range of skills from engineering to customer care and languages and we are proud to be ranked among the 50 best employers in the country for 2020.
The success of the company is built upon a loyal and highly skilled workforce
Many of the fabulous people who first joined the company 20 years ago are still with us today, each playing vitally important roles across the Group. The team here enabled our business to really grow technology wise and customer care wise. Throughout the years, our people evolved too. Many of our colleagues have learned new skills and have developed into much higher technology and higher skilled positions in our business. We currently work with nearly 150 people in technology across Bulgaria. Our group has marked a tremendous growth worldwide and we have been incredibly lucky to continue working alongside such hardworking, dedicated and truly outstanding people.
So what is it like to work here?
From small beginnings, we’ve grown into a global company. On a daily basis, we are guided by our No Limits attitude and our one of a kind #OneTeam culture. We foster collaboration, we recognize and reward innovation and we encourage entrepreneurship. Most importantly, we haven’t forgotten where we’ve come from and the role our people play in our day to day success. We`re dedicated to ensure that every employee, regardless of their location or position, is valued and has the opportunity to make their voice heard.
Does the above align with your own perception of the dream workplace? Then we’d love to have you on our team! Check out our current vacancies at clunetechnology.com/careers
About Clune Group
Headquartered in Ireland, Clune Group is the parent company of Ireland’s most successful and groundbreaking Fintech brands – including TransferMate Global Payments, Immedis, Taxback International and Taxback.com. In an ultra-competitive Fintech sector, Clune Group`s companies are all at the very cutting edge of financial innovation exported to the world’s largest multinational clientele.
Clune Technologies acquires Gradguide
Dublin-based career guidance and mentorship programme Gradguide has been acquired by Clune Technologies, with the latter making a €2 million equity investment in the company.
The company, which was founded by Mark Hughes, Ian Guerin, Matthew Brennan and Dave Martin in response to their own difficulties in getting the mentorship they needed, plans to scale its graduate mentorship programme both in Ireland and abroad.
The backing of Clune Technologies and Terry Clune, who built the TaxBack.com, Immedis and Transfermate, will help the founders focus on that goal with Clune’s HR expertise.
The company pairs graduates with mentors and tech companies to help them make the transition from college into the tech industry. It currently has around 60 mentors and 500 students across six different countries
“So many graduates still have that frustrating experience of sending out CVs far and wide, often more in hope than expectation. From our experience, many don’t even see a way to break into the tech sector but have the exact skillset that so many companies are crying out for. Only through mentorship did I land my own dream job post-graduation at Intercom back in 2017,” said Mr Hughes.
“Gradguide was built from the anxiety I experienced first hand upon graduation and then saw friends and family also encounter who graduated after me. We believe every company is becoming a technology company and we want to bridge the employment gap that currently exists between college and company.”
He said the company was already seeing participants going on to become mentors, and mentors becoming hiring managers building their first team through Gradguide.
Gradguide is free for graduates and mentors, while employers pay an annual fee. Among its customers are TransferMate and Immedis, and it also partners with growing technology companies such as Wayfler, Channelsight, and Quorum to connect candidates with company partners and hiring managers early on in their job search.
“Getting started on the career ladder can be very daunting for graduates. Gradguide is an extremely innovative program connecting graduates with employers through the guidance of brilliant mentors,” Mr Clune said.
“Mark and his team, all in their twenties, have a tremendous passion to help graduates find great employers. We are incredibly impressed by what they have achieved. We are delighted to be investing in Mark and his team to help build Gradguide’s future.”
Taxback Pro helped me grow not only professionally, but also as a person
Stilyana Angelova has been working as a Tax Technician at Taxback.com for almost 3 years now. It’s been an exciting three years and Stilyana is extremely happy to have the ability to grow and develop in her team. Recently, Stilyana and her colleague Plamena Koleva, both from the Irish Filing Team, successfully passed their tax TMITI exams with the Irish Tax Institute. We caught up with Stilyana to chat about this massive achievement! See what she had to say below:
Hi Stilyana, lovely to chat to you! For those who haven’t met you yet, would you please introduce yourself?
My name is Stilyana Angelova. I’m 26 years old and I’m an International Business graduate of Varna University of Economics. I have been working as a Tax Technician at Taxback.com for about 3 years now. My career at Taxback.com is going great and I have to say that it has been a really positive journey so far! I’m extremely happy to be where I am today and to be able to share my professional journey to date with you.
Is working as a Tax Technician as complicated as it sounds? We’d love to hear more about your role!
When I first started working here, the role ‘’Tax Technician’’ sounded really intense and complex to me too. With the help of my team, I immediately felt included and supported. As scary as it may sound, my role is nothing that any young high school or university graduate can’t learn, especially if they’re interested in starting a career in tax or general finance.
If I had to summarize my role in one sentence, it encompasses the whole process of a tax return; from processing the client’s documentation to the final estimation of their tax refund.
You recently passed your TITMI tax qualification exams with the Irish Tax Institute which are a part of Taxback Group’s Tax and Finance Qualification Program, Taxback Pro. Why did you decide to take part in the program?
About a year ago, my manager Petar Bogdanov recommended the program to myself and some of my colleagues. We had to take four exams in total – two in 2019, and two in 2020. Myself and my colleague Plamena are now certified Tax Technicians. In order to become Tax Experts, we must reach the final stage of tax education and get the gold standard – the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification.
What was the biggest challenge you faced during the program?
The TMITI exams are certainly no walk in the park, especially for non-residents. You have to be extremely motivated and consistent in your work. The qualification process wasn’t easy but I believed in myself the whole way through. It’s amazing to see the positive impact overcoming challenges has on your self-confidence. Taxback Pro really helped me to grow – not only professionally, but as a person too.
How does Taxback Group encourage the professional development of its employees?
Taxback Group is a great place for anyone who wants to grow. Regardless of your age, or your past experience, the company provides you with the tools and opportunities to grow and evolve. For me, that’s the greatest gift an employer can give to its employees!
The Taxback Pro qualification program helps our employees to develop new skills and competencies, while also gaining a globally recognized professional tax qualification. Since the inception of Taxback Pro, over 45 employees have successfully passed their exams to become Taxback Pro Graduates. Most importantly, they took another giant step in their career development at Taxback Group.
Want to bring your career to the next level? We’d love to have you on our team! Check out our current vacancies at www.taxbackcareers.com
A future of flexibility at Taxback Group!
While the last few months have undoubtedly presented a number of challenges, it’s fantastic to be able to look positively ahead to the future.
Taxback Group’s priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in over 90% of our workforce working from home. As we consider a safe return to an office environment, we want to provide flexible work possibilities to our teams whilst continuing to meet our group objectives of growth, innovation, delivering for our customers and being ‘One Team’.
What are we doing?
Introducing a Flexible Working Policy post covid that will:
- Provide employees with the opportunity to work remotely on an ongoing basis
- Introduce part-time roles and the opportunity to job-share
- Offer a more casual dress code once we return to the office
- Allow staff to work more flexible hours by, for example, starting work earlier/later, finishing work earlier/later or having a longer lunch break
Work-life balance is hugely important to all of us at Taxback Group and we’re delighted to be introducing a number of positive measures that will ensure our people can successfully balance their work and family lives.
Check out our most recent #TaxbackTV, where Terry Clune, CEO and Founder of Taxback Group, talks about the challenges the company has successfully faced , while also looking ahead to the future and considering the positive elements that the pandemic has brought about.
Terry Clune, Founder and CEO of Taxback Group: “Coronavirus did not have any direct impact on our business”
The last few months haven’t been easy by any means. We have been, and continue to be, faced with unprecedented and ever-changing challenges due to Covid-19. At Taxback Group, we’re extremely lucky to have amazing leaders and a workforce that has continued to collaborate, innovate and deliver, while adapting to the new situation very quickly. But what’s the secret behind our success?
Terry Clune, Founder and CEO of Taxback Group, met exclusively (and virtually) with Economy.bg to share some valuable insights about how Taxback Group has adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic and his inspiring story of building a sustainable business from scratch.
Mr. Clune, has how the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in Bulgaria and did you have to cancel any projects?
Coronavirus did not have any direct impact on our business. The services we provide are global, we’re not specific to one region or one industry and we provide a range of different financial services, mainly to global companies so our global business has not really stopped to any major extent. We’ve been very successful at continuing to trade during the pandemic because of our tremendous team of people in Varna and across the world who are very committed, very experienced and very capable. We appreciate the work that all of our team have done across the world in getting through this difficult time.
What were the main challenges for Taxback in Bulgaria to adapt to the new situation?
Coronavirus has been challenging for every business across the world and it would have been more challenging for us but we adapted what we do very quickly, we were able to move our team to remote working very quickly. All of our teams are now working successfully from home and I expect that will continue to some extent into the future.
Regarding working from home there were some expectations.I expected that working from home would have an impact on our team’s productivity but I’m very thankful that our team really got focused and straight back into their work and from what we’ve seen most people have been even more productive in working from home. They’ve really gotten behind the business during the coronavirus pandemic and we’ve managed to get through it successfully thanks to everyone playing their part.
Are your staff still working from home? is remote working something you plan to continue in the future?
For us it’s not really about whether we work from home or work in the office. Simply, it’s important for us that people are able to do their job wherever they are, be they at home or at work, it doesn’t really matter. I think into the future, I imagine many of our people will probably work half the time from home and half the time from the office.
Remote working will definitely be an option, yes. It won’t suit everybody but for those who wish to have that facility and are able to continue to perform it will definitely be a key option. I think it will be good for people and their lifestyles. Not having to commute or commuting less will mean more time at home with family for people. These are all valuable benefits for people and it’s definitely something that we’re keen to support into the future.
What type of roles does Taxback Group offer in Bulgaria?
Over the nineteen years now that we’ve been in Varna the work that we do has changed. It used to be very administrative and many of the people at the beginning of our business were involved in administrative roles. Now many of those roles have changed. They have become more expertise orientated, expertise in payroll, expertise in payments, expertise in taxes etc. We also have a much larger technology team now than ever before. We currently work with nearly 150 people in technology across Bulgaria.
Ultimately, the work here has changed from administrative to using technology to provide the services and with that roles and jobs are changing too. Many of the administrative people have now learned new skills and have developed into much higher technology/ higher skilled positions in our business.
So right across our business the work has changed and now more than ever we need highly skilled people. I’m delighted that so many of our team leaders today have grown within the business and have learned and adopted the latest skills.
Do you think that western companies will move away from South East Asia and move to Eastern Europe because of the Covid-19 pandemic? And could Bulgaria benefit from such a trend?
I think Bulgaria has done an extraordinary job of keeping the impact of the coronavirus very low in the country. One of the lowest contagion rates in Europe and is clearly a very safe place now and will be into the future to be doing business. The government have absolutely taken this issue very seriously and all the people too have taken it very seriously. Considering this, I think that Bulgaria can be a potential location for any company that is planning to relocate their business from Asia to Eastern Europe.
How would you compare Bulgaria to other countries that you are operating in and do you see any challenges or other opportunities here?
We’ve always said that Bulgaria is a great place to do business. For example, most recently I’ve seen that wherever I go around Varna the internet connections are so fast. I read recently that Bulgaria have one of the top three internet speeds in the world. So they’re clearly very forward-thinking in terms of technology and in terms of things that really matter to people and to businesses. I think over the last nineteen years I’ve seen dramatic improvements and in terms of the confidence of people there’s been a dramatic increase and also huge positive improvements in the way things are managed here. I’m sure not everything is perfect here, just like any country, but I’ve seen huge improvements in the local economy and local area and hopefully, that can continue forward into the future.
In terms of the Bulgarian people that we’ve been able to recruit and lead our teams here, they boast a wide range of skills from engineering to customer care and languages. There are very smart people here. It’s enabled our business to really grow technology wise and customer care wise across the world.
Yes, there’s a lot of competition in Bulgaria and Varna to hire the best people. We recognise that we want the best people to be working for our business and we’re very fortunate to have a fantastic team here and that’s what has enabled our business to be so successful. We also have a very strong and growing relationship relationships with local universities in Varna and in Veliko Tarnovo that has enabled us to identify people.
Recent surveys of EY and Brookings Institution showed that employers in many countries are speeding up plans to automate their businesses as workers are forced to stay at home during the pandemic. Do you think automation in business will reduce the need for staff in Taxback Group?
I think that this is not something that smart people should be concerned about. In our business, nineteen years ago, it was very non-automated and since then we’ve brought more and more automation to our business but our business has also grown more and more in terms of the number of people. The work that we do is no longer administrative, it’s more technology-enabled which leads to, for many people, more interesting work, more skilled work and more higher value added work. For people who are willing to learn the more modern and updated skills, automation should not be a worry.
Increased automation is definitely happening and our business would be a prime example of the impact of automation on services. I need and want our team to be learning the new skills and to be able to do the technology-enabled jobs.
Again, in our business, we’re not just focusing on one customer or one region. Our services are global, we’ve got customers in virtually every country in the world so it’s really about using the technologies available to provide the best service possible and having the best people driving that forward.
How will this crisis transform the software/fin-tech industry in the long-run?
Fintech and financial business is very much changing to using more technology enabled services and we’re very much at the forefront of that. For example, in the payments space with TransferMate we’re building really cutting edge technology to help companies to manage their global payments.
Our business in Varna is a combination of technology-enabled services and services which have a high degree of expertise in areas such as global payroll. For example, we manage the global payroll for Uber and for Harvard from Varna. We manage global VAT tax for IBM and Google from Varna and we provide global services for hundreds of thousands of students who for example, study in North America. We provide tax return expertise to all their universities, so we are doing very significant and important work. Also, Benamic our sales-promotion service will provide technology marketing services to very large companies like Canon.
All of these services need technology but at the same time they need a very high degree of customer care and being able to do both of those things, technology and customer care together is why we continue to be very successful.
Really all of our services are driven by technology and we’ve got very strong technology people in our business in Bulgaria, a couple of which have strong expertise in customer care.
You have gone a long way from your student years, returning from a summer in Germany and establishing a company in the kitchen of the family home. What’s the secret to building a sustainable business? What lessons have you learned along the way?
There’s a couple of important things people should think about in terms of that. I’m from a farm in rural Ireland, my parents encouraged me to start business when I was young. The first business I started was when I was eight years old. I used to collect fertiliser bags, plastic bags from farmers and I would fold them neatly and sell them to wood merchants who used them to sell firewood in. This was a great business for me as an eight year old as I was able to purchase my first bike, a yellow BMX bike. However, the biggest business lesson I learned was when I was nine years old. My business went bust when another farmer’s son saw what I was doing and ended up getting a better bag than mine to sell, a see through bag so people could see how much firewood was inside. He ended up taking all my customers as he was able to sell them this better bag and he put me out of business. This was a really, really valuable lesson for me. As I was busy with my yellow BMX bike cycling around every Saturday and Sunday to all my farmers collecting the bags, I would also spend my money on chocolate. Breakfast on a Saturday morning would consist of Snickers bars and I really felt like a cool dude. But I had gotten lazy and a bit complacent, while the kid competing with me asked the customers what he could do better and ended up sourcing a better bag. I lost all my customers then and as a result my business stopped.
There’s always opportunities to see how things can be done better. That was a very important lesson for me. You also need to surround yourself with positive people. People who are progressive rather than people who will hold you back or be critical or negative. In Varna, we’ve been very fortunate to hire an extraordinary team of people. Having fantastic people around you is a key to success for any business. The number one of course is to be hiring the best people, be that in Ireland or in Bulgaria.
We expanded our business to this extent by asking the customers ‘what can we do for you?’, ‘how else can we help?’, ‘what can we do differently or what can we do better?’ and as a result of those questions we now have many different businesses within the Group. If something changes for one business or the market changes, we are not just reliant on one company. Having a series of different businesses takes away an immediate risk.
The lesson here is that what any business must do, no matter if they’re Bulgarian or Irish, is to continue to find out from your customer what they want and stay on the pulse and keep you’re your eyes open for new opportunities because business changes all the time and the second you stop looking at how you could do better you’re going to be finished. The secret of a successful business is constantly wondering ‘how can we do this better?’
Do you think ambition or talent matters more for success?
I think success is like Einstein says, 99% hard work and 1% talent. I think talent comes from hard work. Some people are naturally talented but for most people by working at something you can become talented at it. That’s what I tell my kids, I have five children, three boys and two girls and what I would be saying to them would be by working hard at something you can become talented at it. Be it learning to play chess or play a sport, yes some people are naturally talented at those things but by working hard, putting the effort in and continuing to try you can become talented and it’s the same in business. Lots of people have talent but don’t use it so it goes to waste. It’s the people that are moderately talented but put the effort in that become hugely successful. It’s all about making the effort.
Private school or state school?
All of my schooling was in public schools. I think in Europe, for most countries the public school system is very good. I’m not sure what it’s like here in Varna but the EU would be very supportive of Ireland, ensuring that we don’t need to have huge fees for private education. The university sector in Ireland too is ultimately, not crazy expensive compared to places like America.
I think Ireland and Bulgaria have much in common in the education sector. The public system in both countries is what most people use and in general, it’s a good system.
Should young people go to university or go straight into work, what do you think provides a better experience?
I’ve met many people who were successful in business without going to university but I know a lot of them would feel at a disadvantage having not gone to university. University gives you, if anything, confidence. Confidence from getting through it. Many of the people I’ve met in business that have been successful but didn’t go to university would usually say that if they had one regret it would be not going to or not finishing university because of the confidence that it can bring you.
In Ireland now and in Bulgaria, there are very high rates of people going to university which is hugely valuable for the economy into the future. I would be encouraging everyone if possible to try and finish your 3rd level education even though it’s not always easy to do, it brings you such confidence in the long term.
This article was originally published on Economy.bg in two parts. Read the original here – part 1: „Таксбек Груп“: Търсенето на таланти при нас не е спирало and part 2: Как се създава бизнес за милиони от нулата?