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eos-solutions.com

                                              New Work

                                              Normal,
                                              just different
The magazine for customers of the EOS Group

                                              NPL           Diversity
                                              The secured   Success
                                              portfolio     through
                                              business      diversity
Normal, just different 01 21
EOS at
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         editorial

			  a glance
Main activities
 Fiduciary debt collection
 Purchasing unsecured and
  secured debt portfolios
  Real estate realization
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Dear Readers,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two characters
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      and    which stand for “danger” and “opportunity”,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ­r espectively. What sounds like business lingo coined for
Originating in 1974 as the debt                                                 The companies of                                                                                                                  a management seminar is actually a most apt description of
collection arm of the Otto Group in                                             the EOS Group are located in

                                                                                26
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  the situation in which we find ourselves.
Germany, EOS is now a leading
technology-driven financial investor                                                                                                                                                                             Although we are still warding off the dangers of the pan-
with specialist expertise in the                                                                                                                                                                                 demic, in this issue we prefer to concentrate on the opportu-
processing of outstanding receiv-                                                                                                                                                                                nities that arise in such an exceptional situation. How about
ables. EOS is a trusted partner                                                 countries.                                                                                                                       an example? If someone had told me when the crisis began
to customers from a wide range of                                                                                                                                                                                that one year later most of our employees would be working
sectors in 26 countries.                                                                                                                                                                                         remotely from home, I would have said he or she was crazy!

For Europe’s banks, we are one                                                                                                                                                                                   If you think of cultural change as a journey, you might con-
                                                    Through its international   More than

                                                                                7,500
of the preferred purchasers                                                                                                                                                                                      clude that the pandemic was the accelerator. At high speed
                                                    network of subsidiaries
of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) .                                                                                                                                                                                 we sometimes had to chart a new route while at other
                                                    and partners, EOS offers
We take over receivables manage-                                                                                                                                                                                 times we had to hit the brakes and regroup. We nevertheless
                                                    services in more than
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 managed to create a bit of normality in a time that was

                                                   180
ment for companies, municipal
authorities, and administrations,                                               employees work                                                                                                                   anything but normal and thus smoothed the way to a new
even across borders. Through our                                                for the EOS Group                                                                                                                form of collaboration.
services, we ensure liquidity and                                               worldwide.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 As in many other companies, we too grappled with the ques-

                                                                                                               Cover-Illustration: DAQ   Photo: Jann Klee/EOS   Illustrations: Gutentag-Hamburg; C3 Visual Lab
investments and safeguard jobs.                     countries.                                                                                                                                                   tion “How do we want to work, communicate and lead
However, our most important                                                                                                                                                                                      in the future?” In times like these we have to be open to new
­investment is in our employees,                                                                                                                                                                                 ideas everywhere, including in our core business. We have
 who use cutting-edge technology                                                                                                                                                                                 discovered and devised a lot of interesting approaches, some
 to give their best, day after day.                                                                                                                                                                              of which we present in this issue. Who would have thought,
 We introduce some of them to you                                                                                                                                                                                for example, that techniques from ballet could be transferred
 in this magazine.                                                                                                                                                                                               to the world of business?

20,000
customers, including banks, insurance companies, utilities,
mail order firms, telcos, mechanical engineering companies and
publishers, are served by our more than 60 subsidiaries.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Klaus Engberding,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 CEO of the EOS Group

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             3
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content

                                                            03                               dossier no 1                                            22                                                                                                                        dossier no 2                                                    45                                                54
                                     Editorial                                            The New Normal                                 perspectives: finlit                                                                                                             Real estate secured                                 thoughts: Success through                    tools: Collaboration for beginners
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               receivables
                                     Crises don’t bring risks only; they also                    12                                 EOS is bringing financial literacy to                                                                                                                                                                  diversity                         How do you turn a traditional office into
                                      offer opportunities. EOS CEO Klaus
                                                                                           Rethinking the office
                                                                                                                                      ­German schools via the finlit                                                                                                               36                                       Diversity drives innovation. In this inter-             a collaboration space?
                                     Engberding on cultural change in times                                                       foundation. Schoolchildren are not the                                                                                                                                                   view, Tijen Onaran explains how compa-
                                                                                          How will we use our offices in                                                                                                                                              The secured receivables business
                                                 of coronavirus.                                                                          only ones who benefit.                                                                                                                                                            nies can promote and exploit diversity.                              56
                                                                                       future? EOS and Dropbox present                                                                                                                                                What matters when trading in real estate
                                                                                                their concepts.                                                                                                                                                                secured receivables.                                                                           outlook: Stress doesn’t help
                                                            06                                                                                       24                                                                                                                                                                                        48                                         anybody
                                        starting up: What’s new at EOS                                  16                        fintech: Digital tools for skilled                                                                                                                        38                                         stopover: Aarhus                     How do you remain resilient when things
                                         The first school classes are learning                                                             trade businesses                                                                                                                                                                  Denmark’s second-largest city has a                     are not going well?
                                                                                        Leadership amid the crisis                                                                                                                                                          Good reputation the key
                                         about money with the ManoMoneta                                                            EOS is working with its subsidiary                                                                                                                                                      lot to offer both business travelers and          Four young colleagues relate their
                                                                                       In times of widespread uncertainty,                                                                                                                                                           to success
                                       program, EOS in Switzerland launches                                                      FinTecrity to develop software targeted                                                                                                                                                                weekend tourists.                               experiences.
                                                                                         leadership skills are in demand.                                                                                                                                                Business is booming in Bosnia and
                                         its new debt collection system, and                                                                     at SMEs.
                                                                                                  Employees too                                                                                                                                                            ­Herzegovina and France. A key
                                           employees are encouraged to be                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      52                                                58
                                                                                             need to take the initiative.                                                                                                                                             ­advantage is the company’s good name.
                                      whistleblowers. Overview of all the news                                                                       26                                                                                                                                                                        style: Two heads are better                         rules: Protected by law
                                                 from the EOS Group.
                                                                                                        18                          testcase: Client onboarding                                                                                                                             42                                            than one                            The ECJ is strengthening the hand of
                                                                                                                                    At EOS, new customers undergo                                                                                                                                                             Even managers need good advice.                 bank customers who lose their bank
                                                                                        Communicating remotely                                                                                                                                                            Separating the chaff from
                                                                                                                                           a transparent and                                                                                                                                                                       A mentoring program is                    cards. Debt collection fees are reduced
                                                                                    Seven communication tips to liven up                                                                                                                                                            the grain

                                                                                                                                                                               Photos: EOS; Jasper Sanidad; Benne Ochs (2); Armin Durgut (2)   Illustration: DAQ
                                                                                                                                   uncomplicated onboarding process.                                                                                                                                                          designed to encourage dialog and                       for German consumers.
                                                                                   online meetings. Also: A ballerina shows                                                                                                                                           The evaluation of secured receivables is
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                      us how to be more “present” when                                                                                                                                                 extremely complex. The pandemic has                        a culture of trust at EOS.
                                                                                             working from home.                                      28                                                                                                                 brought even more factors into play.                                                                                     59
                                                                                                                                       inside: And who are you?                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Addresses
                                                                                                                                   Every EOS employee has a personal                                                                                                                        44                                                                                   Where to find EOS close to you.
                                                                                                                                    story to tell. Four of them introduce                                                                                                       Data set prices
                                    The two artists behind the                                                                                themselves here.                                                                                                           EOS in France and the Center of
                                    DAQ creative studio live
                                    in ­Barcelona. Their work is                                                                                                                                                                                                      Analytics are currently working on an AI
                                    marked by a love of ­geometry,                                                                                                                                                                                                     prototype designed to help determine
                                    volumetric shapes and                                                                                            32                                                                                                                    the prices for secured NPLs.
                                   ­contrasting colors.
                                                                                                                                  dataflow: Europe in crisis mode
                                                                                                                                 Five countries, five situations: How have
                                                                                                                                  consumers in Europe experienced the
                                                                                                                                 crisis? The COVID-19 Financial Report
                                                                                                                                            provides answers.
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                   Legal notice
                                   Publisher                                     Tel.: +49 40 2850 -1222                      Overall responsibility: Lara Flemming                                                                                                Editing & layout: C3 Creative Code and                Art director: Eva-Maria Ostendorf                Lithography: Giesick I Medien Produktion
                                   EOS Holding GmbH                              Email: explore@eos-solutions.com             Editors-in-Chief: Tabea Reich, Sabrina Ebeling                                                                                       Content GmbH, Hamburg, Germany                        Image editing: Annegret Strauß                   Printing: optimal media GmbH, Hamburg
                                   Steindamm 71                                  Web: eos-solutions.com                       Publication frequency: twice yearly                                                                                                  Editorial board: Philipp Stiens                       Final editing: Kathleen Simmons (fr.)
                                   20099 Hamburg, Germany                                                                                                                                                                                                          Editorial team: Nicholas Brautlecht (fr.), Isabelle   Project management: Isabell Hannemann,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   ­Buckow (fr.), Claus Hornung (fr.), Elena Rudolph     Eileen Klussmann, Mareike Brenneisen

                                                                                                        4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      5
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starting up                                                                                                                                                                                                         starting up

                                                                         Financial literacy for children

                                                 ManoMoneta successfully
                                                   launches pilot phase

                                       THE EOS GROUP’S NON-PROFIT FINLIT                    finances an even bigger issue for many fami-
                                       FOUNDATION launched the ManoMoneta                   lies,” says Sebastian. “That’s why we are
                                     educational program for children aged 9–12             ­delivering financial literacy to children at home                                                                                                                   Whistleblowing system
                                     in September 2020. In earlier work with an              through our remote learning program.”                                                                                                                               Let’s speak up!
                                     education partner, the finlit team developed
                                     the free, cross-media financial literacy               The finlit foundation recently participated in                                                                                                                       IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE to openly address
                                     ­content and tested it in schools. “After six          Global Money Week. In live formats and short                                                                                                                         wrongdoing or shortcomings in a company. Employees often
                                      months we had already reached just under              video messages, influencers and EOS staff                                                                                                                            face an unpredictable risk of being punished for their
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 openness through intimidation, reassignment or even
                                      100 schools and more than 9,700 children,             promoted the topic of financial education on
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 termination. To encourage transparency within the company
                                      despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” says                  Instagram and LinkedIn.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 and protect whistleblowers, the Otto Group established a
                                      ­Sebastian Richter, Managing Director of the                                                                                                                                                                               group-wide program called “SpeakUp” in December 2020.
                                       finlit foundation. Changes related to the            Sebastian Richter and a Berlin elementary                                                                                                                            Via a secure channel, employees can report wrongdoing
                                       coronavirus situation were incorporated              school teacher explain why financial literacy is                                                                                                                     anonymously without fear of reprisals. Compliance officers
                                                                                            so important for children and why it pays to use                                                                                                                     follow up every tip and if necessary, contact the whistle-
                                       directly into the development of the material.       programs like ManoMoneta in schools.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 blowers, who remain anonymous.
                                       For example, the team created a digital                 Page 22
                                       learning platform featuring videos and several
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 With SpeakUp the Otto Group has pre-empted the new EU
                                       other elements. “We want as                                                                                                                                                                                               directive on establishing secure channels to protect
                                       many teachers and school-                                                                                                                                                                                                 whistleblowers, which will go into effect for all companies in
                                       children as possible to use                                                                                                                                                                                               December 2021. The system also is a clear affirmation of
                                       ManoMoneta, especially now                                                                                                                        Data analysis                                                           the group’s corporate values.
                                       that the pandemic has made
                                                                                                                                                                                         EOS in France tests cloud-based
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                                                                                                         data storage
                                                                                                                                                                                         EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT data-driven
                                                                                                                                                                                         approaches have a direct impact on payment receipts at
                                                                                                                                                                                         EOS. The more efficiently the data is used, the better the
                                                                                                                                                                                         result. To improve the use of the data analysis, the Center
                                                                                                                                                                                         of Analytics and EOS in France are currently working
                                                                                                                                                                                         on a sophisticated infrastructure that gives easier access
                                                                                                                                                                                         to the data. At the heart of the system is cloud-based                  10-year anniversary
                                                                                                                                                                                         storage that collects data from all core operating
                                                                                                                                                                                         systems in a central location. The aim is to streamline                 Congratulations, EOS in Bosnia
                                                                                                                                                                                         reporting activities and automate data processing,                      and Herzegovina!
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                         leaving more time for the actual data analysis and                      EOS launched its business in Bosnia and Herzegovina with
                                                                                                                                                 Photos: GettyImages (2); Shutterstock

                                                                                                                                                                                         decisions on what to do next. In future, the prototype                  just a handful of staff, a great vision, and even greater will-
                                                                                                                                                                                         developed will be the foundation of the EOS analysis                    power. Today, 10 years later, the workforce of 67 people can
                                                                                                                                                                                         system and, if successfully implemented, will be made                   look back on several successful years.
                                                                                                                                                                                         available to other EOS national subsidiaries.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 How successful? EOS Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Managing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Director Petar Mrkonjić tells you.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Pages 38 to 41

                                                                                        6                                                                                                                                                                  7
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starting up                                                                                                                                                                                     starting up

                                                                               New Swiss debt collection system                                                                                                                           Accolade

                                                                   35,000
                                                                                                                                                                                                              EOS in Denmark
                                                                                                                                                                                                                wins second
                                                                                                                                                                                                               Gazelle Award
                                                                                        project hours

                                                                                                                                                                                 EOS IN DENMARK, having won an award in 2019
                                        WERE INVESTED in the now completed                           and bankruptcy law. Among other things, it                                  in acknowledgment of its exceptional growth,
                                        development. In November 2020, EOS in                        governs interactions between natural persons,                               repeated the experience again last year. Despite
                                                                                                                                                                                 the COVID-19 crisis, our Danish national
                                        Switzerland successfully migrated its two                    legal entities governed by private and public
                                                                                                                                                                                 subsidiary managed to continue its growth
                                        different collection systems that had evolved                law, and debt collection authorities.
                                                                                                                                                                                 trajectory and in 2020 received the second Gazelle
                                        over time into IKAROS, the new debt collec-                                                                                              Award in a row from the leading financial magazine
                                        tion-ERP system. For customers it brings a                   Once the new ERP system has been con-                                       Børsen. Through the Gazelle award the prestigious
                                        high level of automation and individual                      nected to customers’ digital accounts receiv-                               magazine honors companies that have at
                                        customizing. The new system allows proc­                     able management systems, the digital                                        least doubled their revenue over a period of four
                                                                                                                                                                                 years. Peter Haegerstrand Jensen, Managing
                                        esses to be adapted to customer prefer-                      ­exchange of data with the Swiss collection
                                                                                                                                                                                 Director of EOS in Denmark, talks about the
                                        ences and automated without a lot of                          authorities can begin. The Debt Collection
                                                                                                                                                                                 company’s success strategy:
                                        programming. From now on, analyses and                        Office in Switzerland is a cantonal or munici-
                                        conditions can be customized too.                             pal authority responsible for collecting debt                              Peter, congratulations on yet another award!
                                                                                                      under Swiss law. It also maintains various                                 How is your success reflected in the figures?
                                        Most importantly, IKAROS provides the                         registers. The digital connection with those                               Thank you very much! The reason for the first
                                                                                                                                                                                 award in 2019 was a revenue gain of 450 percent
                                        technical basis for the exchange of electronic                offices not only makes the transfer of data
                                                                                                                                                                                 in the previous four years. Last year we were able
                                        debt collection data in accordance with the                   faster and more secure, but also saves a lot
                                                                                                                                                                                 to increase our pre-tax earnings by another
                                        Swiss eSchKG standard for debt enforcement                    of paper and postage costs.                                                21 percent. We are naturally delighted by the
                                                                                                                                                                                 second award in a row, especially as this accolade
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                                                                                                 is granted to a mere 0.05 percent of all Danish
                                                                                                                                                                                 companies. This is great recognition of our work.

                                                                                                                                                                                 What do you think is the secret to your ­s uccess?
                                               New EOS survey                                                                                                                    In 2019 we did not make any major investments in
                                                                                                                                                                                 debt portfolios, so the growth is based more on our
                                                                                                                                                                                 improved operational processes. Moreover, we
                                                                                                                                                                                 prioritized our resources to a greater extent when

                                   In debt due to the crisis                                                             “It’s perfectly under-                                  processing cases, primarily by focusing on the most

                                   During the COVID-19 crisis, consumers
                                                                                                                         standable to take on                                    promising cases and giving our staff further training.

                                   have not simply refrained from planned                                                   debt temporarily                                     What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had
                                   expenditures. Many had to take on debt
                                   just to make ends meet. For the COVID-19                                                    to cover the                                      on your work?
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                   Financial Report, EOS asked more than                                                  necessities of life.”                                  Where possible, our staff worked from home during             Peter Haegerstrand Jensen
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               and his team at EOS in
                                   7,000 people from five European countries                                                                                                     the first and second waves. However, working
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Denmark are working remotely
                                   about their pandemic experiences to date.                                                                                                     remotely from home was nothing new for them, so
                                                                                                                                    Andreas Kropp,                                                                                             from home due the pandemic –
                                                                                                                          Member of the EOS Group’s Board                        there were no negative effects on the work                    and that has proven to be very
                                   You’ll find the survey results on                                                                                                                                                                           successful!
                                      Page 32
                                                                                                                           of Directors with ­responsibility                     performed. That’s also reflected in our figures,
                                                                                                                                                               Photos: EOS (3)

                                                                                                                               for the German market
                                                                                                                                                                                 which have improved substantially since the
                                                                                                                                                                                 completion of the annual report in February last
                                                                                                                                                                                 year. We feel very fortunate in this respect.

                                                                                                 8                                                                                                                                            9
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dossier                                                    no
                                                                                                           1
                                                        Lesen Sie hier:
                                                           How office use might look in times of hybrid
                                                            working models.
                                                           What managers have to look out for during
                                                            and after the COVID-19 crisis.
                                                           Why remote working and a productive meeting
                                                            culture are not contradictory.

                                   Normal, just
                                   different
    eos-solutions.com

                                   The COVID-19 crisis has turned the work environ-
                                   ment as we knew it completely upside down. These
                                   exceptional situations offer the opportunity to
                                   break down outmoded structures and reorganize
                                   them to create a ‘new normal’.

                                   I l l u s t r a t io ns _ DAQ
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                               10   11
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Offices                                                                                      dossier 1 _ the new normal

                                                                               Insider viewpoint

                                                                               About desk sharing, home
                                                                               zones and multi-spaces
                                                                               As part of a project team, Vera Handler is guiding the EOS headquarters
                                                                               in Hamburg into the new normal. In this interview she explains what
                                                                               the pilot workplaces are all about and why EOS will let employees decide
                                                                               where and how they do their work.

                                                                               P h o t o _ Be n n e O ch s

                                                                               Vera, you are part of the project team            What are your initial ideas?                   choice and design of the new spaces, but
                                                                               called ‘The New Normal’. How                      We are experimenting with multi-spaces,        also discuss different forms of hybrid
                                                                               did the idea for the pilot workplaces             ranging from welcome zones and social          collaboration, questions of identity, and the
                                                                               come about?                                       spaces to desks that can be booked using       technical requirements for creating the ideal
                                                                               VERA HANDLER: The abrupt switch to                an office management tool and large,           work environment.
                                                                               remote working from home during the               flexible areas for workshops and planning
                                                                               COVID-19 crisis worked out surprisingly           meetings. We know for sure that the need       So what’s next for Hamburg, and can pilot
                                                                               well. Data security was guaranteed,               for fixed workstations in the office is        workplaces be taken to other EOS
                                                                               performance was strong, and the workforce         decreasing, so we are looking at desk-shar-    national subsidiaries?
                                                                               was highly satisfied. Nine out of ten EOS         ing too. In my regular team we have been       The conversion of the pilot workplaces will
                                                  What will the office of      employees have the desire and the                 working without our own desks for quite        continue until late summer. The first
    eos-solutions.com

                                                  the future look like? Vera   feasibility to work from home in the future,      some time and have had positive experi-        colleagues can start using them in autumn.
                                                  Handler and her project
                                                  team are lookin into this    and suggest doing so three days a week.We         ences. We use mobile containers for            We envision gradually adapting other areas
                                                  issue at EOS.                also found that even before the crisis, one in    personal items and documents. A survey         in Hamburg to the new work environment.
                                                                               five desks at EOS headquarters was empty,         conducted in-house showed that nine out of     Not all spaces will be made from the same
                                                                               due to business travel, vacations or illness.     ten employees at EOS in Germany are            mold, but will be planned according to the
                                                                               So the pilot workplaces are the first step        willing to share their workspaces, and         purpose and the needs of the teams. The
                                                                               into a new working world!                         two-thirds are amenable to alternating         concept for EOS headquarters gives the
                                                                                                                                 workstations. Nevertheless, some ‘residents’   entire building a thematic framework that
                                                                               What is your approach?                            will still have permanently assigned desks.    makes it easy for employees and visitors
                                                                               The key questions everyone needs to ask           For teams we are planning to introduce         alike to find their way around the building.
                                                                               are: How and where can I best get my job          identity-building areas known as ‘home         This ‘story’ cannot be converted one-to-one
                                                                               done? Work quietly alone? Or in collabora-        zones’, which provide a base for those times   for other countries because the work
                                                                               tion with coworkers? We assume that               when they are in the office.                   cultures are too diverse internationally.
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                               employees will come into the office for                                                          However, the insights gained in Hamburg
                                                                               collaboration, socializing and teamwork.          Is the idea simply to create new spaces        will help colleagues in other countries and
                                                                               But solo work of a confidential nature will       and let the rest take care of itself?          locations with similar projects of their own.
                                                                               be accommodated too. We emphasize what            No, not at all! The new normal is much more.
                                                                               may be done, not what must be done.               Modified spaces are just an sign of
                                                                                                                                                                                To find out how you can turn your own
                                                                               There are no quotas for the time employ-          changing modes of collaboration. When we
                                                                                                                                                                                office into a collaborative space in just a
                                                                               ees spend working in the office, at home,         meet with teams in dedicated workshops,        few steps, go to:
                                                                               or elsewhere.                                     we purposely do not talk only about the            Page 54

                                             12                                                                                                      13
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Offices                                                                                                                            dossier 1 _ the new normal

                                   Outsider viewpoint                                                                                                                       Location-independent
                                                                                                                                                                            working is a challenge for

                                    Dropbox favors
                                                                                                                                                                            companies and their
                                                                                                                                                                            employees, but also a chance
                                                                                                                                                                            to gain more flexibility.

                                   “Virtual First”
                                   When it comes to office use, Dropbox is taking a strict
                                   approach. The tech company’s employees will be
                                   allowed to meet in the office only for collaborative work
                                   in what will be known as “Dropbox Studios”.

                                   Te x t _ N icho las Braut lecht

                                                   hile EOS will let its staff choose   for all employees, according to Laura Ryan,

                                   W               whether, when and how they will
                                                   use an office in the future, some
                                                   Silicon Valley tech companies
                                                                                        Director of International HR. Complete free-
                                                                                        dom, on the other hand, could lead to a jum-
                                                                                        ble of unwritten rules. That had become clear
                                   are writing the rules. For the 2,900 employ-         when Dropbox discussed the issue with other
                                   ees of Dropbox, for example, this summer will        companies. “Ultimately, there are problems
                                   see the end of their own desks and private of-       with inclusion, promotion, career trajectory,
    eos-solutions.com

                                   fices. At Dropbox, remote working will become        cliques and different standards arising in dif-
                                   the default.                                         ferent teams,” says Ryan.
                                        As part of a “Virtual First” initiative, an
                                   alternative will be “Dropbox Studios”. The           A model with a future?
                                   company’s head office in San Francisco and           When questioned about its rigidity regarding
                                   other offices in places like Dublin, for exam-       office use, Dropbox says that staff members
                                   ple, will then be open only for “collaboration       now have more flexibility about where they
                                   and community building” but specifically not         want to live. For example, they could move to
                                   for solo work.                                       regions where Dropbox doesn’t have an of-
                                        Dropbox is making the change even               fice, provided their role allows it. Now employ-
                                   though the company signed in 2017 what was           ees can benefit from cheaper rents on the out-
                                   then the largest office rental lease ever seen       skirts of cities, for example, or even live abroad
                                   in San Francisco. A company spokesman left           for a few months.
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                   open the question of whether the almost                   Whether “Virtual First” will really work re-
                                   70,000 square meters will now be converted           mains to be seen. Dropbox is being low-key
                                   completely to collaborative spaces or partially      about its expectations. Although the initiative
                                   sublet. Dropbox also will not disclose details       was the right thing to do, “it’s new to us and
                                                                                                                                             Photos: GettyImages (2);

                                   of the studios’ design until a later date.           we know that we may not get it 100 percent
                                                                                                                                             Jasper Sanidad (2)

                                        Dropbox is giving an interesting reason         right immediately.” With its consistent willing-
                                   for its rigid stance on office use. The new rule     ness to learn, Dropbox is once again acting in
                                   is intended to ensure equality and inclusion         typical Silicon Valley fashion.

                                                                                                              14                                                                            15
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Leadership                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  dossier 1 _ the new normal

                                                      Insider viewpoint                                                                                                                                                                                     Outsider viewpoint

                                                    “I’m not ashamed to                                                                                                                                                                                     Dissent
                                                     show my fears.”                                                                                                                                                                                        obligatory
                                                      Barbara Cerinski is the Managing Director of EOS in Croatia. What the                                                                                                                                 Anja Förster thinks that encouraging employees to be independent thinkers
                                                      crisis has taught her above all is that managers have to be honest!                                                                                                                                   doesn’t go far enough and that managers have to make it obligatory.

                                                                                        ne Tuesday last December, Bar-            In times of remote working, managers                                                                                                                        here’s no place in a company for        1. An explicit obligation to dissent

                                                                          O             bara Cerinski’s home country liter-
                                                                                        ally began shaking yet again, when
                                                                                        Croatia was devastated by the
                                                                                                                               have to empower employees and encourage
                                                                                                                               them to take the initiative. “Just asking some-
                                                                                                                               one to speak up occasionally will get you no-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  T           bobbleheads. No one who automat-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ically nods in agreement whenever
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              the boss says something is of value
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The obligation should not be misunder-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      stood as an invitation to all troublemakers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      or those I’m-against-it-on-principle types,
                                                                           worst earthquake in more than 140 years. As         where,” says Barbara.                                                                                                                               to a company. That’s why managers should           but to all who have a different opinion and
                                                                           if the pandemic hadn’t already been enough                                                                                                                                                              encourage critical, independent thinkers in        can defend it with sound arguments.
                                                                           of a test for everyone. “These kinds of earth-      Less is sometimes more                                                                                                                              their own ranks. An independent voice grabs
                                                                           quakes trigger primal fears,” says Barbara. She     Virtual working practices are pushing women,                                                                                                        attention and stimulates thinking, steering it     2. Managers who accept dissent
                                                                           had to do whatever she could to help her staff,     even those at the management level, into the                                                                                                        in new directions and ultimately improving the     Wherever you have a lot of yes-men and
                                                                           both as a responsible manager and a fellow          background. In a survey conducted in the US,                                                                                                        quality of decisions.                              yes-women, you often find authoritarian
                                                                           human being. There was no time to worry             almost half of the female managers polled said                                                                                                           Take the example of Bridgewater, the          and inwardly weak bosses who cannot
                                                                           about appearances. “I am not ashamed to             that it was difficult for women to get a word in                                                                                                    world’s largest hedge fund, where the prin-        handle dissent. Conversely, managers who
                                                                           show my fears at times like these.”                 during video conferences. One in five said that                                                                                                     ciple of critical, independent thought is im-      are strong create an environment in which
                                                                                Looking to the future, she wants to take       she had felt “ignored” in virtual meetings.                                                                                                         plemented in the breathtaking form of an           people exercise constructive criticism. This
                                                                           the lessons learned in this “abnormal” phase            To empower staff, managers generally                                                                                                            “obligation to dissent”. Not a right to dissent,   is the mark of a culture of trust.
                                                                           and combine them with modern approaches             need to step back more, says Barbara: “More                                                                                                         but an obligation to dissent! At Bridgewater,
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                           from the previous work environment to devise        humility in your words, actions and body lan-                                                                                                       constructive criticism is expressly encour-        3. People with backbone
                                                                           a new form of leadership. “The long phase           guage!” This also means not always giving an                                                                                                        aged, with no regard for hierarchies and           This kind of culture needs people who are
                                                                           away from normality has shown us how far we         answer right away. “Instead of making false                                                                                                        ­interests.                                         adults and want to be treated as such, and
                                   Barbara Cerinski                        can test our limits,” says Barbara. “For the ‘new   promises, you should come up with an answer                                                               Anja Förster                                   Essentially, it is understanding the use-     who reflect, question, have their own opin-
                                   has headed EOS in Croatia for           normal’, it is important that we have our feet      later.” This brings us back to the concept of                                                             is an entrepreneur and speaker.           ful potential of dissent and constructive crit-    ion and can defend it when questioned.
                                   more than a decade. She nurtures a                                                                                                                                                                    Her book ‘Vergeude keine Krise!’
                                   culture of trust within the company.    on the ground, keep our eyes on the ball and        honesty. Barbara believes a culture of trust                                                              (Don’t waste a crisis!) is a battle       icism. After all, if everyone always agrees,
                                                                           remain open to new developments.”                   can be created only with honesty both in ex-                                                              cry against conformist groupthink.        nothing happens. Controversies create mo-          To sum up:
                                                                                In everything they say and do, managers        treme situations and in the “new normal”.                                                                                                          mentum and contain the inherent potential          An obligation to dissent is no easy matter
                                                                           should be transparent and accessible. Bar-                                                                                                                                                              to initiate a process of renewal. Controver-       for team members or managers. It takes a
                                                                           bara says the end has come for the era in                                                                                                                                                               sial points of view, and the resulting discus-     certain amount of resilience to grit your
                                                                           which managers could while away their time,                                                                                                                                                             sions in which dissent has its place, stimu-       teeth, hold your head high and carry on.
                                                                           aloof and detached from reality on the top                                                             Photos: EOS / Petar Santini Photography; Lydia Jonas                                             late a rethink and serve as a hazard warning       But it also allows the smartest minds to
                                                                           floor of an office building. “I am very pleased                                                                                                                                                         light: Stop! It’s absolutely imperative to think   make the best decisions.
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                           that the ‘new normal’ is breaking down those                                                                                                                                                            again! For this to work, three conditions need
                                                                           outdated structures!”                                                                                                                                                                                   to be met:
                                                                                To really feel the heartbeat of a company,
                                                                           managers have to pay regular visits to its ‘en-
                                                                           gine room’, like call centers, for example, and
                                                                           talk to staff members in depth about their
                                                                          ­expectations.

                                                                                                16                                                                                                                                                                                                      17
Normal, just different 01 21
Communication                                                                                                                              dossier 1 _ the new normal

                                   Outsider viewpoint

                                   Be present like
                                                                                                                                  on’t worry, you don’t need to per-             joints to be free and mobile, and our energy

                                                                                                                       D          form like a ballerina in your next
                                                                                                                                  virtual meeting! There are, how-
                                                                                                                                                                                 and focus to surge.”
                                                                                                                                                                                     Once the meeting starts, we’re most fo-

                                   a ballerina
                                                                                                                                  ever, some surprising parallels be-            cused on faces, arms and hands. “In an ideal
                                                                                                                       tween the world of dance and business, as                 world, we want our audience’s faces to appear
                                                                                                                       Rachel Cossar, a former professional balle-               engaged, focused and intent,” says Cossar.
                                                                                                                       rina, explains in her book “When You Can’t                But when watching others we tend to forget
                                                                                                                       Meet in Person”.                                          about ourselves. Facial muscles become
                                                                                                                                                                                 slack, cheeks and mouth move downwards,
                                   You’ve got trouble maintaining presence throughout virtual meetings?                It all starts with … presence:                            which may make us appear unapproachable
                                   Don’t know what to do with your hands and you suspect that                          Cossar knows her stuff. As a member of the                to others. Imagine prima ballerinas doing that.
                                   your facial expression looks off-putting to others? You’re not alone!               Boston Ballet, she used to perform lead roles
                                                                                                                       in front of thousands of people across the                Mirror, mirror on the wall…
                                   A ballerina reveals how to throw your “physical anchor”.
                                                                                                                       globe. She reminds us that feeling the con-               To change that Cossar advises us to try acti-
                                                                                                                       nection to our bodies brings us into the pres-            vating our upper cheek muscles in front of a
                                   Te x t _ N icho las Braut lecht                                                     ent moment. Being “present” for ballet danc-              mirror. “You can play around with a very small
                                                                                                                       ers means they “can respond to unexpected                 hint of a smile, or think about brightening your
                                                                                                                       changes, pick up on live feedback from audi-              eyes.” The self-view camera may also initially
                                                                                                                       ence” and communicate their “message with                 help us to get a feel for our facial expressions.
                                                                                                                       increased resonance”. To be more present in               “Once you notice a difference for the better,       Rachel Cossar
                                                                                                                       virtual meetings, Cossar suggests we initially            go ahead and raise the stakes by taking your        From ballet to business: Rachel
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Cossar was a dancer with the
                                                                                                                       activate our posture through a technique she              self-view away,” as the self-view tends to dis-     Boston Ballet for 10 years. Since
                                                                                                                       calls “physical anchoring”.                               tract us, according to Cossar.                      2017, she‘s been sharing her
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     experience through communica-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     tion and presence training in the
                                                                                                                       Simple ways to anchor include:                            Demonstrate more gravitas                           workplace
                                                                                                                         Placing your feet firmly on the ground at          To communicate our message “with increased          choreographyforbusiness.com
                                                                                                                             about hip width distance                            resonance,” we should position our camera at
                                                                                                                         Pressing your sit bones into the chair and             least an arm’s length away and raise our hands
                                                                                                                             lengthening your upper body                         slightly higher while we’re talking. “You want
                                                                                                                         Keeping your pelvis in a neutral position.             to avoid moving your hands below where your
                                                                                                                             You can picture a bowl of water: if it is tilted    lens picks up.” To demonstrate gravitas we
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                                             too far back or forward, water spills out –         may slow down our movements. “I tell clients
                                                                                                                             we want to keep it all in.                          to imagine they have weights in their hands”,
                                                                                                                                                                                 Cossar says. “Don’t be afraid to really mirror
                                                                                                                       Energy and focus                                          your intention with your movements: When
                                                                                                                       Before a meeting, Cossar advises us to do a               something is big and inspiring, move big!
                                                                                                                       few shoulder rolls, stretch our arms up and to            When something is detailed and precise,
                                                                                                                       the side and roll our neck to free it up. “­Moving        showcase that with precise finger move-
                                                                                                                       around increases circulation, enabling our                ments.” Just like a ballerina. 
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                           Photo: PR

                                                                               18                                                                                                                      19
Communication                                                                                                                                                                                            dossier 1 _ the new normal

                                   Insider viewpoint

                                   The “mute” function?                                                                                                                                          4. Use your body

                                   A conversation killer!
                                                                                                                                                                                                 I am the energetic type of
                                                                                                                                                                                                 ­person, so I like getting
                                                                                                                                                                                                  up from my chair and using the
                                                                                                                                                                                                  white board – even in situa-
                                                                                                                                                                                                  tions when it isn’t really neces-
                                                                                                                                                                                                  sary. I am convinced that body
                                                                                                                                                                                                  language is a key factor on
                                   Communication is key to remote collaboration.                                                                                                                  how a message is perceived.
                                   Still, many people stick with the view that a                                                                                                                  But it’s not all show! Using
                                                                                                                                                                                                  the white board helps me
                                   face-to-face meeting is the only way to create an                                                                                                              to structure ideas and it helps
                                   atmosphere of openness and trust. Alexander                                                                                                                    my colleagues to understand
                                                                                                                                                                                                  my presentation.
                                   Bauwens’ experience has been different. We asked
                                   him to share his top seven communication tips.

                                   Te x t _ N icho las Braut lecht

                                   1. Be creative                          2. Think kitchen!                                                                                                                                                                    5. “ Zone in” with people
                                   How can we get the vibe and the         I am convinced that everyone will benefit from the symbiosis of working                                                                                                              Remote communication will never resemble face-to-face
                                   excitement of live presentations        from home and in the office in the “new normal” as it combines the                                                                                                                   communication and that’s good! At the end of the day, it’s a
                                   transferred into the digital world?     human and the professional. Office kitchens or coffee corners have                                                                                                                   people’s business. But before giving feedback to others, we
                                   My answer is simple: Try to put more    always been places where colleagues casually interact and chat. In video                                                                                                             should still try to “walk in their shoes”: What’s the colleague
                                   energy into digital presentations       conferences, I try to actively recreate that “kitchen atmosphere”. I make                                                                                                            thinking or experiencing right now? What was the other person
                                   and feedback sessions and be cre-       use of weekly calls for instance to touch some more personal issues:                                                                                                                 doing before the meeting? What’s the mood? That way
                                   ative: Simple tricks like fun photos    How is the renovation going? How are your kids? You’ll see: It’s fun! In                                                                                                             we ensure that we sit in the same boat and steer in the same
                                   or texts can take your message          an atmosphere of trust, people will start to behave more naturally.                                                                                                                  direction. In more complex situations, don’t hesitate to use the
                                   to another level and lift the mood                                                                                                                                                                                           phone, as old-fashioned as it might feel. Complicated emails
    eos-solutions.com

                                   for everyone involved. Small effort,                                                                                                                                                                                         may lead to misunderstandings. Phone calls help to remove the
                                   big impact! But watch out: Too much                                                                                                                                                                                          distance barrier.
                                   positivity can also kill a situation.
                                   Because sometimes we all get tired
                                   of hearing positive encouragement
                                   messages – let’s be honest!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                6. Mindset helps communication
                                   It’s about striking the balance in                                                                                                                                                                                           The “new normal” will have to be continuously reinvented.
                                   your messages.                                                               3. Background noise? Yes, please!                                                                                                               In other words: There won’t be a “normal” again, but rather an
                                                                                                                Statements like “Sorry guys, I’ve been on mute!” are true conver­                                                                               “innovative tomorrow”. It may be difficult to get that message
                                                                                                                sation killers. To avoid it, I’ve told my team: Nobody is on mute                                                                               across from top to bottom as people tend to prefer staying in
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Alexander Bauwens                                              their comfort zone. But it is necessary as an innovative mindset
                                                                                                                anymore! If you want to cough, cough! If the kids are screaming –                is Collection Team Leader and Culture
                                                                                                                that isn’t a problem! Even if we hear the craftsmen that renovate                                                                               is key to good communication.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Companion at EOS Aremas in Belgium.
                                                                                                                the house shouting – that’s fine! It’s only human! Life goes on!                 During the crisis he has been dealing with
                                                                                                                Or do you prefer listening to a monologue of someone presenting                  the topic “Cooperation in home office”.
                                                                                                                bullet points?                                                                                                                                  7. Forget about stereotypes
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                People often have pre-defined images of others, including
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                that colleagues in their 20s may adapt more quickly to change
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                than those in their 50s. I say: Forget about it and you will be
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                positively surprised! Sometimes the people who really embrace
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                change and new technologies aren’t the ones you initially
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                expected would do so.
                                                                                                                                                                                    Photo: EOS

                                                                                                       20                                                                                                                                                21
perspectives

                                                              Tackling the problem                                                                                             Ms. Radic, the Otfried-Preußler Elementary School is one                                 Outsider viewpoint

                                                                    at its core
                                                                                                                                                                               of the first pilot schools to test the ManoMoneta program.
                                                                                                                                                                               What convinced you to get involved?                               “For children, proper
                                                                                                                                                                               TATJANA RADIC: I do not think enough attention is paid to
                                                                                                                                                                               financial literacy in German schools. In our school the topics    money management
                                                                                                                                                                               money and finances are only ever discussed in mathematics
                                                                                                                                                                               lessons at the most. When I heard about ManoMoneta                         is now more
                                        Through its non-profit finlit foundation, EOS promotes financial literacy. The aim is to
                                       lay the foundations early to protect upcoming generations from excessive debt. One of
                                                                                                                                                                               I thought that this might allow us to close this gap a little.
                                                                                                                                                                               Because proper money management is now more important
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 important than ever.”
                                          the founders and a teacher say why they believe this social engagement pays off.                                                     than ever for children.

                                                                                                                                                                               What makes you think that?
                                                                                                                                                                               Times have changed in many respects: Due to equal rights
                                                                                                                                                                               for women, money has also become an important issue for
                                                                                                                                                                               girls. In addition, lifestyle consumption, targeted marketing
                                   Insider viewpoint                           Sebastian, finlit is committed to ensuring financial                                            and digital payments can be overwhelming. And along with
                                                                               literacy even among very young schoolchildren. How                                              the stress of their jobs, most parents hardly have time
                                   “We need to take                            are you doing that?                                                                             to teach their children about handling money responsibly
                                                                               SEBASTIAN RICHTER: Our educational program                                                      and to be a role model for them in this area. But in fact, even
                                    a pro-active approach                      Mano­Moneta is designed to make it easy for teachers to                                         elementary schoolchildren are already preoccupied with

                                   to excessive debt                           impart financial knowledge. We offer teaching materials,
                                                                               a financial game and an online learning portal with
                                                                                                                                                                               money. It starts with their betting smaller amounts. I recently
                                                                                                                                                                               heard one child say to another: “You owe me another euro,
                                   through corporate                           digital worksheets and explanatory videos. The package
                                                                               is free of charge and ad-free, because it is important to
                                                                                                                                                                               because you lost the bet.”

                                    social responsibility.”                    us for finlit to be separate from the business operations                                       Why are programs like ManoMoneta a useful addition to
                                                                               of EOS.                                                                                         the curriculum?
                                                                                                                                                                               Because money and finances are something that children
                                                                               How did this commitment come about?                                                             constantly have to deal with, now and in the future. Children
                                                                               Cultural change had greatly changed the perspective at                                          have to be made aware of this. They have to learn:
                                                                               EOS in many respects. Employees are increasingly                                                How much pocket money do I have? How do I divide it up?
                                                                               aware of social components and the responsibility of                                            And what does it actually mean if I borrow money? Mano-
                                                                               companies towards society. In all areas of the company                                          Moneta teaches these principles in a way that is fun
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                               there is a desire to give something back to society. In                                         and easy to understand. It also makes it easy for me as a                                             Tatjana Radic
                                                                               addition, Dr. Michael Otto was immediately very receptive                                       teacher. The teaching material is compact, varied and                            is a teacher at the Otfried-Preußler
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ­Elementary School in Berlin, Germany. With
                                                                               to the idea of the finlit foundation.                                                           child-friendly. It is the ideal lesson plan, even for teachers            the help of the finlit foundation’s teaching
                                                                                                                                                                               who do not teach mathematics.                                               materials, she instructs her pupils in the
                                                                               Why is social responsibility so important to EOS?                                                                                                                                          proper handling of money.

                                                                               It stems from our purpose of a debt-free world. If we are                                       How do children approach the topic of financial education?
                                                                               really committed to achieving a debt-free world, we                                             I believe that the children in my class have generally been
                                                                               cannot do it through our operational business alone. We                                         pretty clueless about finances so far. Many of them have no
                                                                               need to tackle excessive debt pro-actively, and this is                                         idea about the value of money. Of course I can only speak
                                                                               where education as a social responsibility is the key.                                          for the children in my school, which is located in Berlin-­
                                                                                                                                                                               Heiligensee, a rather affluent area where most people lack
                                                                               You want to prevent people from falling into the                                                nothing materially. As a result, many children grow up
                                                                               debt trap. Is EOS not destroying its own debt collection                                        feeling that they can have everything they want, regardless
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                               business in the process?                                                                        of how much it costs. At an early age they do not think
                                                                               We are a long way from killing ourselves off. Around one                                        that money is a finite resource. And that’s exactly why I find
                                                                                                                                            Photos: Matthias Oertel; private

                                                                               in two German households has debts. Often these debts                                           financial education for children so important.
                                   Sebastian Richter                           are what is known as good, healthy debts, for example
                                   was a project manager at EOS for eight      if you take on a loan to buy your own home and can
                                   years. He is now part of the management
                                   team of the finlit foundation.              pay it off. We want to tackle the problem of excessive
                                                                               debt at its core and protect people from it through better
                                                                               financial literacy.

                                                                                   22                                                                                                                                                23
fintech

                                   Digital tool for skilled trade
                                            businesses
                                      Through its fintech subsidiary FinTecrity, the EOS Group is developing                         hen FinTecrity launched its new
                                         ­s olutions and services not tied to specific third-party collection
                                    systems. Its products help small and medium-sized companies to digitize            W             online portal in April 2020 in
                                                                                                                                     Germany, no one could have
                                                                                                                                     guessed then that the timing
                                                    their invoicing and receivables management.
                                                                                                                       would turn out to be so favorable. The
                                                                                                                       ­C OVID-19 pandemic was still in its infancy
                                                            Text _ Phil i pp Sti e n s    P h otos _ B e n n e Och s    and many companies were already wrestling
                                                                                                                        with serious concerns about their liquidity.                  Until now it has been difficult for smaller
                                                                                                                        Even in non-crisis periods, the young compa-                  trades-based businesses to find a suit-
                                                                                                                                                                                      able factoring partner. FinTecrity aims to
                                                                                                                        ny’s products are designed to help its custom-                change this through its digital processes.
                                                                                                                        ers stay solvent and reduce the default risk
                                                                                                                        as much as possible.
                                                                                                                                                                         within two banking days at the latest. The fac-            not just typical for Schoeb, but also for many
                                                                                                                       Digital factoring solution frees up               toring fees are billed to the customer on a                other trades-based businesses.
                                                                                                                       liquidity                                         monthly basis.
                                                                                                                       “There are around three and a half million                                                                   Other solutions in progress
                                                                                                                       SMEs in Germany. For many of them, invoice        Focus on SMEs                                              Until now, EOS affiliate EOS KSI in Germany
                                                                                                                       management is a necessary evil, something         The main target group includes smaller re­                 also was unable to take on smaller compa-
                                                                                                                       that is done in an incidental way but without     tailers, service providers, consultancies,                 nies as debt collection clients. The expendi-
                                                                                                                       much enthusiasm,” says Marco Gaspar (in           agencies and traditional skilled trade busi-               ture was simply too great relative to the ex-
                                                                                                                       photo), who is responsible for business devel-    nesses. One such firm is Schoeb electrical                 pected order volume. The fact that the
                                                                                                                       opment at FinTecrity. The company’s DV            engineering service provider, whose owner                  company can now handle the overdue in-
                                                                                                                       Abrechnung­Plus and DV FactoringPlus prod-        Bernd Schoeb now uploads all his invoices to               voices of FinTecrity customers is due primar-
                                                                                                                       ucts are designed to change that by leverag-      the Deutsche Verrechnungsstelle portal.                    ily to the ongoing digitization of the pro-
                                                                                                                       ing digital solutions. The products are cur-      “Factoring allows me to manage my cash                     cesses involved. As Johannes Brummer, who
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                                       rently being sold exclusively via DV Deutsche     flows in a way that suits me, including for tax            is responsible for marketing at EOS KSI and
                                                                                                                       Verrechnungsstelle, a subsidiary of Deutsche      purposes. When I have earned my money for                  FinTecrity, says: “The SMEs can now upload
                                                                                                                       Vermögensberatung, and are intended for           the month I do not upload certain invoices un-             and administer their overdue invoices in the
                                                                                                                       companies that have previously struggled to       til the turn of the month with the knowledge               system by themselves, which keeps the pro-
                                                                                                                       implement a professional invoice and receiv-      that I will have my money within two days.” For            cessing costs down for both parties.”
                                                                                                                       ables management system, for example, due         receivables not purchased by the factor he                      Meanwhile, FinTecrity is working on new
                                                                                                                       to their small size.                              uses the integrated billing solution. His rea-             features to resolve existing media interface
                                                                                                                           “Especially in times of crisis, companies     soning is quite simple: “I just don’t want to be           issues and streamline the processes even
                                                                                                                       are asking themselves fundamental ques-           messing around any longer with sending out                 more. Marco Gaspar cites one example: “For
                                                                                                                       tions: How do I get my money, and how do I        reminders or chasing after payments.”                      a few weeks now, customers have been able
                                                                                                                       get it as quickly as possible? Our factoring            After starting off as a one-man operation,           to send their invoices to the portal with just
                                                                                                                       solution means that they no longer need to        Schoeb now employs around 20 people. How-                  one click. This does away with the manual up-
                                                                                                                       worry about issues like payment terms and         ever, trying to find a suitable factoring prod-            load, which saves time. Our solutions are de-
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                                       defaults,” says Gaspar. Instead, companies        uct for his business was no easy matter. “Fac-             signed to make the customer’s work easier.
                                                                                                                       can upload their invoices to the DV portal.       toring for trades-based businesses has always              With this in mind we listen closely to our cus-
                                                                                                                       Thanks to a real-time creditworthiness check,     been a difficult market,” says Schoeb. “We                 tomers and observe how they use our ser-
                                                                                                                       the company will know after just a few mo-        were simply too small for most providers.” DV              vices.” Other services, such as a factoring so-
                                                                                                                       ments whether the factor – TeamFaktor NW          FactoringPlus is specifically intended for com-            lution for lawyers and a billing platform for
                                                                                                                       GmbH – will purchase its invoice or not. If the   panies with an annual turnover of less than                driving schools, are already a work in prog-
                                                                                                                       invoice is purchased, the company then re-        EUR 2.5 million. The average value of each                 ress. The driving school solution is now in
                                                                                                                       ceives the full amount in its bank account        invoice is around EUR 1,500, a figure that is              the pilot phase.

                                                                                     24                                                                                                        25
test case

                                   Step by step:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   3.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Choosing a secure

                                   Client onboarding at EOS
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               interface
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The next step is for EOS to work with the client
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 to determine how the transfer files are going to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 reach our system. Debt collection cases involve
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 particularly sensitive data, so when choosing our
                                   At EOS, new customers benefit from a clearly structured and transparent                                                                                                                                                                                       interfaces our priority is a secure transfer that
                                   onboarding process that connects them efficiently to our processes and systems.                                                                                                                                                                               complies with data privacy legislation. The sim-
                                   The main priority is to establish a secure interface.                                                                                                                                                     2.                                                  plest and most secure transmission channel is
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Correct data                                             our web portal and the SFTP interface.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          formats
                                   Te x t _ P h ilipp S t iens                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Web portal
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          To ensure seamless and efficient processing of                         Our web portal, which is encrypted using the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          all collection cases, the parties first define the                     HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          scope and format of data the customer will sup-                        protocol, can be reached via all major browsers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          ply in the future. Customers are sent a sample                         Customers can log into the web portal using
                                               he terms and conditions have been                                                                                                                                          file as a guide, which primarily answers two                           their personal logins and upload their transfer

                                   T           negotiated and the ink has dried on
                                               the contract, so we’re good to go.
                                               As with the induction of new em-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          questions:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Which data are needed?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 files at the agreed intervals.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 SFTP interface
                                   ployees, a well-structured onboarding process                                                                                                                                          The sample file shows which data EOS needs                             For file transfers via the SFTP protocol (Secure
                                   for clients leaves no questions unanswered                                                                                                                                             from the customer in order to achieve the best                         File Transfer Protocol), a direct IP interface is
                                   and gets productive collaboration off to a                                                                                                                                             possible outcomes. Generally, personal details                         created between customer and EOS. You sim-
                                   quick start.                                                                                                                                                                           of the defaulting payers are required, along with                      ply place your transfer files on the server and
                                        The greatest challenge for onboarding in                                                                                                                                          information about the amount and due dates of                          we are notified of their availability. Beforehand,
                                   debt collection is making sure that the right                                                                                                                                          the receivable. In special cases we need addi-                         an SFTP application is completed that specifies
                                   data move securely from the customer to the                                                                                                                                            tional data such as the title and other details of                     what is to be transferred, when and how often.
                                   debt collection service provider. At EOS, this                                                                                                                                         legally enforceable claims or certain industry-                        The Client Data Inte-
                                   responsibility rests with the Client Onboard-                                                                                                                                          specific information.                                                  gration team sets up
                                   ing & Projects, Client Data Integration and                                                                                                                                                                                                                   the server and sup-
                                   ­Client Data Exchange teams, all of which are                                                                                                                                          In which format are the data required?                                 ports the customer
    eos-solutions.com

                                    part of Client Services. The teams personally                                                                                                                                         The sample file provides a template showing                            through the entire
                                    support new clients by taking them through                                                                                                                                            how the data need to be arranged. The more                             process.
                                    the onboarding process step by step.                                                                                                                                                  transparent and clearly structured the data in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          the transfer file, the better they can be pro-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          cessed. In certain cases it may be useful to pro-
                                                                                                                                     1.                                                                                   vide a dataset description that shows where we
                                                                                                                                  Contract                                                                                can find which data in the transfer file. We work
                                                                                                                                 signing of                                                                               with all common file formats like Excel spread-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          sheets and CSV, XML or TXT files.
                                   EOS Client Journey                                                            The customer has agreed to general conditions
                                                                                                                 for working with the EOS Sales Team and put
                                   Transparent, flexible and personalized                                        them in the contract. Once the contract has been    Illustrations: Gutentag-Hamburg (3); C3 Visual Lab                                                                                    4.
                                   To maintain the transparency of the onboarding process, every client goes
                                                                                                                 signed by both parties, the Client Onboarding &                                                                                                                                     Test run and
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                   through a customer journey tailored to its specific circum­stances. Once
                                                                                                                 Projects, Client Data Integration and Client Data                                                                                                                                interface release
                                   all requirements have been recorded and questions clarified, it takes         Exchange teams get down to work and initiate
                                   about 14 days until the interface has been set up and the first cases can     the first steps of the collaboration.                                                                                                                          The last step is to simulate the data transfer in a test environ-
                                   be transferred.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ment to check that all data get to the correct location free of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                errors. If this is the case, the interface is released and work
                                   The process can be adapted flexibly to accommodate specific preferences.
                                   For we know that every customer has special requirements of the onboard-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                can begin. For quality assurance purposes, we monitor the ini-
                                   ing process. The customer may have had little or no previous experience                                                                                                                                                                      tial data transfers so that any transmission errors can be iden-
                                   with debt collection or may have to deal with industry-specific complexity.                                                                                                                                                                  tified and rectified promptly.

                                                                                                          26                                                                                                                                                                        27
inside

                                                                    People at EOS:
                                                                   And who are you?
                                                    The jobs to be done at EOS are just as diverse as its workforce.                                                                       Gunnar
                                                 Four of our colleagues introduce themselves briefly to tell us who they                                                                   Woitack
                                                                 are, what they do and what drives them.                                                                                   Has worked
                                                                                                                                                                                           at EOS since 1998 and is
                                                                                                                                                                                           currently our Chief Informa-
                                                                                                                                                                                           tion Security Officer.

                                                                                                                                                                                           Is particularly
                                                                                                                                                                                           passionate about
                                                                                                                                                                                           Is particularly passionate
                                   Kerstin                                                                                                                                                 about books. He is currently
                                                                                                                                                                                           reading ‘When She Was
                                   Schulz                                                                                                                                                  Good’ by Michael Robotham.
                                                                                                                                                                                           His favorite TV series: ‘The
                                   Has worked                                                                                                                                              Sopranos’.
                                   at EOS since 2018 and is
                                   currently a Consultant in the
                                   People & Development Team.

                                   Is particularly                                                   “WHAT DO COLLEAGUES NEED to
                                   passionate about                                                  deliver an excellent performance within the
                                   traveling to distant                                              organization? This is one of the key
                                   countries. Her next
                                   preferred destinations are                                        questions that we ask in the People &
                                   Mexico, Peru and Columbia.                                        Development Team. In this context, the
                                                                                                     focus of my work is on issues of leadership
                                                                                                     and culture. In our Leadership Startup
                                                                                                     program, brand new managers learn how to
                                                                                                     get a grip on their new roles q­ uickly. I was
                                                                                                     able to help develop the program from
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                     scratch and am now involved in it as a
                                                                                                     trainer. I find it great fun to experience the
                                                                                                     participants and interact with them!

                                                                                                     In my private life I am very interested in                                           PEOPLE SAY: “Cyber-security is the ugly stepsister of
                                                                                                     mindfulness and regularly do yoga. I also                                            digitization”. Accordingly, there is a lot to do in this
                                                                                                     associate mindfulness with painting, walks,                                          area at EOS. I have been active in the EOS IT environ-
                                                                                                     hikes and runs outdoors, for example                                                 ment for more than 20 years now. Since 2015 I have been
                                                                                                     around the Alster here in Hamburg. After                                             responsible for the information security of the entire
                                                                                                     the pandemic is over I am most looking                                               group. In our business we cannot avoid dealing with a
                                                                                                     forward to relaxing evenings with friends, in                                        large volume of personal data, so security obviously plays
                                                                                                     a bar or restaurant, at home or outdoors.”                                           a major role. The purpose of my work is to avert damage
                                                                                                                                                                                          to the company that could occur in the handling of this
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                          information, for example, in a case of data theft. Person-
                                                                                                                                                                                          ally, what excites me about my work is the international
                                                                                                                                                      Photos: EOS; Achim Multhaupt

                                                                                                                                                                                          outlook. Every day I am in contact with colleagues from all
                                                                                                                                                                                          over the world, from America to Russia. In the process
                                                                                                                                                                                          you inevitably get to know a very diverse range of
                                                                                                                                                                                          people and cultures. The same is true of travel, which I
                                                                                                                                                                                          also enjoy very much.”

                                                                                   28                                                                                                29
inside

                                                                 “I LIKE TO TEST MY LIMITS. That’s why
                                                                 I like hiking. Also because it makes me                                               Esther
                                                                 calmer. I am normally a very impatient                                                van Oirsouw
                                                                 person. My first longer hike took me more
                                                                                                                                                       Has worked
                                                                 than 181 kilometers from the tri-border                                               at EOS Technology
                                                                 region Czech Republic-Germany-Poland                                                  Solutions as Head of Portals
                                                                 to Prague. I then covered twice that                                                  & Integration since 2020.

                                                                 distance to the Austrian border. For that                                             Is particularly
                                                                 trip I launched a fund-raising campaign.                                              passionate about
                                                                 For each of the 348 kilometers covered,                                               her adopted home town of
                                                                                                                                                       Hamburg, where she has
                                                                 I collected money for children with cancer,                                           been living for six years now.
                                                                  which was a huge motivation for me!                                                  She particularly likes the
                                                                      Currently I am walking more than                                                 proximity to water and the

                                   Kateřina                              500 kilometers a month. My next goal
                                                                                                                                                       city’s many green spaces.

                                   Tichá                                  is to do the Portuguese Camino,
                                                                            from Lisbon to Santiago de
                                   Has worked
                                   at EOS in the Czech                       Compostela.
                                   ­Republic since 2016,
                                    currently as a Database                  At EOS I started off on the
                                    Programmer.
                                                                               admin side, before moving
                                   Is particularly                               to IT in 2018. Apart from
                                   passionate about                               my work and my hikes,
                                   all kinds of sports, except
                                   ball games. She broke two                       I do yoga daily and also
                                   fingers playing volleyball.                      enjoy jogging and rock
                                                                                    climbing.”
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                                                                                                        “FOR ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE are my family, my
                                                                                                                                                                                        health and the professional challenges that help me develop as a person.
                                                                                                                                                                                        And thankfully, my job as Head of Portals & Integration has plenty to offer
                                                                                                                                                                                        in this respect. A further challenge is the COVID-19 pandemic, which
                                                                                                                                                                                        coincided with my starting my job at EOS. Having to reconcile remote
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                        working, home schooling and family life, and still schedule some time for
                                                                                                                Photos: jirikralovec.com; Benne Ochs

                                                                                                                                                                                        myself, was an momentous experience for me.

                                                                                                                                                                                        I am planning to marry my life partner in May, which is quite a project in the
                                                                                                                                                                                        current times. Apart from all the paperwork and other formalities, you
                                                                                                                                                                                        also have to deal with the constantly changing Covid-19 restrictions. If all
                                                                                                                                                                                        goes well, I will be married by the time you are holding this magazine in
                                                                                                                                                                                        your hands!”

                                                                                                                                                                                            31
Single parents in difficulty                                    Single parents in                            Childless couples                                                                                                                  dataflow
                                   Parents without partners were hit                               particular are                               are affected
                                   especially hard by the crisis.                                  going into debt                              relatively little
                                   Couples without children, on the
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Limited to the bare essentials*
                                   other hand, rarely took on debt.                                      Germany 26                                Germany 8                                                Without debt, many of those affected would
                                                                                                                                                                                                            not have been able to cover their basic
                                   Data in percent.
                                                                                                         Spain 23                                   Spain 13                                                living costs. Most respondents also did not                                                                                             57 %
                                                                                                                                                                                                            take vacations.                                                      56 %
                                                                                                           Croatia 33                               Croatia 14
                                                                                                                                                                                                            *The results refer to the mean values from the
                                                                                                           Romania 34                                 Romania 22                                              five participating countries.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             24 %
                                                                                                            Bulgaria 35                                 Bulgaria 30                                                                                                                                                                                           36 %

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       28 %
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    24 %
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Basic necessities

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Housing costs

                                   Europe in crisis mode                                                                                                                                                          Health costs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Vacations

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Renovations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                What did people take on debt for                                      What did people cut back on
                                   The pandemic has turned the lives of many people                                                                                                                               Furniture                                     during the COVID-19 crisis?                                           during the COVID-19 crisis?
                                   ­u pside down – from a financial perspective too.
                                    For the COVID-19 Financial Report, EOS asked people
                                    in five European countries about their debt
                                    situation and consumption patterns during the crisis.                                                                                                                   The crisis continues
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Respondents tended to view the future
                                                                                                                                                                                                            pessimistically. Consumers in Bulgaria                                                                           Vacations

                                                                                                                           Bulgaria
                                                                                                                                                                                                            and Romania in particular assume
                                                                                                                                                                                                            that they will need to take on new debt
                                                                                                                                                                                                            in the next six months.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                56 %
                                                                                                                          32 %
                                   Bulgarians took on the most debt                                                                                                                                         Data in percent.
                                   In an international comparison, German
                                   consumers have come through the crisis so far in
                                   the best financial shape. In Bulgaria, on the other                                                                                                                                                                                                      Furniture
                                   hand, one in three consumers has been forced to                                                                                                                                                       Germany 19
                                   take on debt as a result of the pandemic.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Spain 24
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  19 %                                    Renovations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Croatia 20
                                                                                             28 %
    eos-solutions.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Romania 35
                                                                                                                                                                                                               Debts
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Bulgaria 36
                                                                                 19 %
                                                            15 %                                                                                                                                                                                                     When the pandemic is over,                                                  29 %
                                       12 %                                                                                                                                                                                     Germany 65                           let the vacations begin!*
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Spain 45                             Whether for financial reasons or COVID-19
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ­restrictions, 2020 was not a year for travel. So it
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Croatia 42                            is not surprising that most respondents would
                                        Germany               Spain                Croatia   Romania         Bulgaria
                                                                                                                                                                                                             No debts                                                 like to go on vacation once the crisis is over. Far
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Romania 39
                                                                                                                          People cannot pay their debts                                                                                                               fewer respondents were prioritizing expenditure
                                                                                                                          The percentage of people who have not                                                                 Bulgaria      29                      on renovations and furniture.
                                                                                                                          been able to pay their debts since the crisis
                                       12 %
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     *The results refer to the mean values from the five
                                                                                                                          began is nearly the same as for those who                                                                                                   ­participating countries.
E O S e x p l o r e    01 _ 2021

                                                            16 %                 18 %
                                                                                                                          have taken on debt.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Germany 14
                                                                                                                                                                          Illustrations: Gutentag-Hamburg

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Spain 30
                                                                                             24 %                                                                                                                               Croatia 36
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        To see the entire survey with all results in detail, simply scan
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        this QR code.

                                                                                                            30 %                                                                                             Not sure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Romania      25                                         Source: EOS survey of 7,000 people aged 18 and over in five
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        European countries (Germany, Spain, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria).
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Bulgaria 32                                             Online interviews conducted in January 2021.

                                                                                                  32                                                                                                                                                                                       33
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