O2 CZECH REPUBLIC A.S. 
By - Telefónica places third in the total ranking, as the only telecommunications company in the top ten
- Telefónica also wins the award for the best employer in Prague
Telefónica Czech Republic has ranked highest among the companies from the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) segment in the Employer of the Year 2012 competition. This stems from the results of the tenth year of the prestigious Sodexo Employer of the Year competition. Telefónica placed third in the overall ranking and has won one of the competition's regional rounds - in Prague. A total of 130 companies sent applications into this year's competition, 10 of them from the ICT sector. The companies were rated on the basis of a questionnaire using the PwC Saratoga methodology.
"The success is driven also by the fact that we are able to consistently raise the motivation of our employees, which we monitor regularly. We cooperate with our managers on long-term basis on changing their approach and becoming leaders who develop their teams. We also work intensively on raising the flexibility of the internal labour market, thus allowing our employees to grow professionally, " said Ctirad Lolek, Telefónica's HR division's director.
In addition to the quality of HR work, the assessment focuses on many other categories, such as the no. of hours of training per worker, employee benefits, salary costs and, last but not least, charity activities. "We managed to carry out several new projects in most of the assessed segments in the past year. We have introduced a special training system, which uses our employees as internal trainers. Almost 2,000 of our employees have already participated in volunteering activities this year," adds Ctirad Lolek.
Telefónica has 5,900 employees around the Czech Republic now. This year, the company added tens of new job positions in its call centres in Ostrava and Ústí nad Labem. All employees may choose from a wide range of portfolios from the Cafeteria online system. Another novelty is the payment of a financial contribution for child care for mothers who decide to return to work immediately after the end of their parental leave.
Top five employers in 2012:
