Ivana Milošević, Director And Owner, Cityscope

Technology and online platforms have enabled new organisational structures and dynamics within teams, working from home with all the challenges it brings, so CityScope director and owner Ivana Milošević believes,on the basis of her vast experience, that this will further empower women to consider new business opportunities.

Accelerated technological development is changing the way most companies operate, both in our country and around the world, and this has an inevitable impact on employees. Is managing human resources more difficult under such conditions?

Managing human resources is always challenging, because it relates to people, with all of their peculiarities and specificities. The strategic role of the HR sector is crucial, as an expert assessment of the directions and ways in what it is necessary to develop employees within an organisation, particularly today. It is flippant to claim that this assessment can be a hundred per cent accurate, because none of us can claim with certainty to know the direction in which technological development will take us. Whatever the case, it should be grounded in HR expertise, taking into consideration the needs of the business, on the one hand, and the strength of its employees, on the other.

Moreover, by taking into account the pandemic and the uncertainty it brings, I would say that short-term goals and small victories are now the most important, until the situation on the market returns to some kind of “new normal”. Technology and online platforms have enabled new organisational structures and dynamics within teams, working from home with all the challenges it brings, and I truly believe that this will further empower women to start thinking about new business opportunities.

Is it still easier for men to get jobs than women; are they better paid than their female colleagues for doing the same jobs and, if so, how can that be changed?

I wouldn’t say that a clear and explicit gender difference in the hierarchy of positions exists today. I consider that more of an individual stamp, the extent to which a person is entrenched and has self-confident in their own experience, knowhow, skills and qualifications to be able to respond to the demands of an executive role or C-1 position. Experience also tells me that women have today become more confident in themselves and louder in representing their views and ambitions, but I would like to note that each instance is an example for itself and should in no way be generalised.

As a woman and an entrepreneur, I’m very well aware of all the changes on the market that have taken place over the past 16 years. An ever increasing number of women are today at the helm of organisations, whether that applies to running companies or those who’ve decided to launch their own businesses. That was very rare back when I started my career as an entrepreneur, and I’m very glad about that.

How do you see the future of the HR sector?

I consider the evolution of business as a natural process, for certain occupations to be changed or replaced, or even cease to exist, especially at a time of rapid technological development. However, employees represent the core and greatest value of any organisation. Their ability to adapt to the changes and needs of the organisation is also what distinguishes successful companies from those that are less successful.

Herein lies the role of the HR sector as a key teammate – recognising and developing talents within an organisation has never been more challenging and essential, while on the other hand everything is happening during a time of accelerated change and large oscillations. At the same time, every time of great change is also a time of new opportunities, and that means opportunities for all women with the courage to become entrepreneurs.