KF: I would like to extend a warm welcome to Maciej Kups, manager of strategic partnerships at Gremi Personal employment agency. Thank you for taking the time for this interview. Please tell us about Gremi Personal's business, what services the company provides and what distinguishes it in the market.

MK:Hello Mr. Krzysztof, thank you very much for the invitation. Gremi Personal is an international employment agency that specializes in the recruitment of unskilled workers in cooperation with clients from every industry. What can we distinguish ourselves with? First of all, flexibility and fast action. We respond very quickly to customer questions and needs, fulfill orders and provide support at every stage of our cooperation.

KF:I understand. And does Gremi Personal have any special experience in recruiting employees from the warehouse sector?

MK:I will tell you that we have a very strong presence in this market and work with many companies in the logistics and warehousing industry. We feel very comfortable in this area. We have proven recruiters, we have a very large base of employees who are ready to take on a job at short notice. Whether a client needs an ad hoc employee, or for a longer or shorter period, we can provide them. The warehouse industry is very demanding and dynamic, so we try to be flexible and fast.

KF: And here you mentioned that the workers are unskilled. What is the situation with specialized workers? Do you recruit for all positions?

MK: yes we have a permanent recruitment department that specializes in recruiting skilled workers, starting with managerial and administrative positions, up to commercial directors, board members and even presidents. As an agency, we can provide shifts at any level if the company needs it.

KF: Of course, you mentioned that most of the employees come from Ukraine. What is the situation with other countries? I'm also thinking of Poland here.

MK: As far as Poland is concerned, we work with Polish workers in skilled positions. However, when it comes to unskilled labor, we specialize in recruiting workers from outside Poland, mainly Russian-speaking. In addition to Ukraine, these include Moldova, Belarus, and Asia. We try to provide them with the best possible working conditions and integration into the Polish market.

KF: To which cities and regions do you supply employees? Do you serve only the largest metropolitan areas, or are you able to supply workers to smaller towns and cities as well?

MK:As an agency, we have 18 offices throughout Poland, so nothing is impossible for us. We practically take on every challenge. Of course, before deciding to work with a client, we meet with them, talk to them, and analyze their needs.

KF:And what is the issue of employee accommodation? Is it the responsibility of the agency's client, or does it stand with the employee?

It depends on the situation because we have different clients. Some of them have hostels next to their companies because they have extensive operations, and then we as an agency don't have to look for housing for such an employee. Others have companies close to large metropolitan areas. Then the employees can commute by public transportation and rent their own apartments, so we don't have to support them in this regard. On the other hand, if employees do not have their own apartments and need to relocate, we have a separate department in our company that deals with housing. So here, too, there is no problem in terms of making sure that the employee has a roof over his head, can live in decent conditions, and is close to work.

KF:What is the minimum and maximum number of workers you can supply to a client in one order? For example, if a client needed three workers. Do you undertake such an order and what is the situation with larger numbers?

MK: For us, there is no such word as "no" for a client. We always make an appointment with the client and analyze their situation. We explain how we operate because I believe that you can't reject a client just because he needs two or three people. In my experience, among my clients, there were those who started with three, five, or ten people, and now they have twenty, thirty, or fifty people working for them. This happened over the course of several years. This shows that if we gave up on a customer with a small demand today, it could turn out that he will develop in two, three, or five years and will need a hundred people. Then he won't want our cooperation. As for larger orders, there is no limit. There is no set upper limit because we are able to recruit any number of people in a reasonable time. Of course, it is impossible to recruit two hundred people in a week, but this is all to plan in the schedule. We have clients with hundreds of people working for us, and this is all done systematically. We periodically bring in new people. These are conscious clients who know that a large group can't be introduced right away and this group won't be ready tomorrow or the day after.

KF:How do you, as a temporary staffing agency, manage to respond quickly to clients' staffing needs? In what timeframe are you able to deliver employees from the moment you receive an order, and at what stage is a contract signed with a client?

MK: I'll start with the contract and recruitment because these are the key elements of our cooperation. At the very beginning, we meet with the client, discuss their needs, make a quote, and outline in what time we can find a given employee. There is no single rule here, as it all depends on a number of factors, such as location, scope of duties, rate and the number of people our client needs. For example, when it comes to jobs for unskilled workers, who can work both men and women and if it is a large city such as Poznan, Gdansk or Warsaw, it is a matter of a few days. Provided, of course, that no additional sanitary examinations or other formalities are needed, and a simple medical examination will suffice. We as an agency open recruitment only after signing a contract with the client. This keeps both parties safe and binds them to their contractual obligations. We can't take the risk of looking for employees before the contract is signed, because the client might get flustered and cancel the assignment. Then we would incur losses and expose ourselves to a bad reputation among both employees and other potential clients. If people are already recruited, they expect to go to the job in question. If a client cancels an assignment for us, we have to thank such an employee and look for another replacement job for him.

KF: What are the billing rules between the client and your company?

MK: Billing consists of one monthly invoice, which includes the summarized hours of all employees, multiplied by the rate. The amount to be paid is calculated by our coordinator, who is the first contact with our client and checks the number of hours worked by our team. Usually there is also a designated person at the client's site to verify this data so that there are no discrepancies. After approval from both parties, we issue an invoice and that is the entire billing process.

KF:Of course. What is your opinion on the current labor market situation in the warehouse sector in Poland?

MK:In my experience, this market is growing again. As usual, there is a high season around August and September, as companies prepare for Black Friday. Then after Black Friday comes the returns period and Christmas. Most companies have a deadline for returns until the end of January. February is a quieter month, at least that's how I see it with my clients. On the other hand, from mid-March to April, I again see a spike in demand for warehouse workers. So we are getting more orders, and I think the situation is good, although of course there are better and worse months in every industry.

KF: Thank you  Maciej for granting the interview and taking the time to talk to us. I'm sure we will meet again in the future and discuss various issues related to employment in the warehouse sector. I cordially invite you to visit Gremi Personal's website and learn more about the company's exact services. You will certainly be satisfied.

MK:I also thank you. Chris very much and hope that we will meet because today was such a general interview. I think many topics can be developed more. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to us on the Gremi Personal website or on LinkedIn, where I am available and would be happy to help or support you with any questions.

This was an interview with Maciej Kupś, strategic partnership manager from Gremi Personal. We hope you enjoyed the interview and that it provided valuable information about the principles of the recruitment agency and the labor market in the warehouse sector. We invite you to read more articles on our website.