Jakubas on the ideas of the Ministry of Labor: even Bareja would not have come up with this

• - The National Labor Inspectorate is supposed to have the authority to change a B2B contract to an employment contract. This is absurd - emphasizes Zbigniew Jakubas, owner of the Multico Capital Group.
• - I am an entrepreneur who is constantly investing, constantly building, and I know what bothers me: bureaucratic procedures - our interlocutor shares his impatience, pointing out how easy it is to delay decision-making.
• In charity work, regulations should be of great help. They should… The businessman gives a rather drastic example of how this is not always the case.

There is a lot of talk about deregulation today. But an unofficial coalition is also forming, quite unnoticed, stemming from a different kind of impatience.

Agnieszka Kubera (Accenture), Dominika Bettman (entrepreneur, recently Microsoft), Paweł Borys (Capital Partners, formerly Polish Development Fund), Jacek Siwicki (Enterprise Investors) and economist, former Minister of Finance Piotr Wojciechowski, whom I spoke to during this year's EEC, have basically the same appeal to governments (because it is not only about the current cabinet, but also about the outdated system): let's just talk less and act more, making decisions on matters fundamental to the economy. Or maybe the lobbying of the divided business community is too weak here?

"The design that was invented, even Bareja wouldn't have come up with"

Deregulation? - The more initiatives of business people in this direction, the better for us - for the economy, for our country - concisely sums up Zbigniew Jakubas, owner of the Multico Capital Group, in a conversation held during the 17th European Economic Congress .

He is concerned, however, that while Rafał Brzoska's deregulation group (our interlocutor is also a member of it) is trying to abolish or change the most idiotic regulations in order to "simplify life for everyone", the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy is trying to promote further - as the businessman points out - absurd ideas, such as maintaining a temperature appropriate for individual people in open rooms.

The formula that was invented, even Bareja would not have invented - assesses Zbigniew Jakubas. - And I literally read today that the State Labor Inspectorate is to have the authority to change a B2B contract to an employment contract. This is another absurdity!

And since we're on the subject of decision-making, any egregious examples?

- I am an entrepreneur who is constantly investing, constantly building, and I know what bothers me: bureaucratic procedures. If, in theory, an official has 30 days to respond, then on the last day he usually asks a question and we wait 30 days again, because then he asks a question again... As if he couldn't do it right away - the entrepreneur is surprised, but also outraged.

"We cannot afford to limit the workweek to 4 days at the moment"

The administration's idea of ​​introducing a 4-day work week makes the owner of GK Multico - as he says - "the hair on the back of his neck stand on end". At the opposite pole, he places China - a country that is developing at an exciting pace and is the biggest competitor to the EU - where in the last quarter the work week reached an average of 48 hours. Of course, it is not about copying this pattern 1:1, but...

- We cannot afford to limit the working week to 4 days at the moment. We are still a country in the making and we still need to work hard together to feel safe (not only economically), especially in the current situation in Europe (and beyond) - emphasizes Zbigniew Jakubas.

Globalization in its vulgarized version has taken a dangerous direction

This example of a 4-day work week - from a pragmatic assessment of the state of affairs and Poland's place on the path of development - is actually, let's say, quite bold. It seems that such a critical assessment of this concept in the case of the Multico boss results from a rational assessment of the situation, and not a craving for capitalism in the 19th century version. Why?

For years, Zbigniew Jakubas has been in favor of increasing the tax burden on the wealthiest (one of the managers I once talked to jokingly called him a socialist).

It is also about the fact that he rigorously emphasizes the values ​​that his companies are supposed to share with the management staff. And he treats many long-term employees to a large extent like family members, helping them even with private problems. Another fact is his extensive charity work, which he tries not to publicize in any special way.

The question is whether this is a model worth recommending in management for the future? Will it ensure high productivity and effective competition, especially in so-called difficult times?

- As you can see from the success of my companies, such an approach to co-workers - creating a very family atmosphere in this group of people (and there are thousands of them) - brings good results. I cannot imagine a situation where a person is just a cog in a clock or a machine. In my opinion, this is a road to nowhere - the businessman shares his conviction.

Globalization in its vulgarized version - my interlocutor emphasizes - has taken a dangerous direction: it is not the person who counts, but the result of the work, and when someone burns out, another candidate is sought.

- Maybe I'm an old-fashioned person, brought up differently - not in such aggressive capitalism. However, I believe that such capitalism has already ended everywhere. I'm not talking about India, where children also work, or Africa, but about developed countries, where values ​​are approached differently - says Zbigniew Jakubas with conviction.

"In Poland, we are now at the stage of entrepreneurs who are already walking well and are just starting to run"

Now, one more word about charitable and foundation activities - in the broad sense of the word.

Business in Poland does this on a much more modest scale than in developed economies , such as Great Britain and especially the United States.

Is it still a matter of simply insufficient capital accumulation (e.g. in comparison with the countries mentioned), or a lack of appropriate tradition and custom, or perhaps also regulations and an appropriate system that facilitates the effective absorption of these funds (I mean here, for example, the provision of subsidies or donations to Polish universities or research institutions)?

- A little bit of everything. We have had capitalism here for (only) thirty years. I know from my own experience that for every entrepreneur the first years are hard work, constant loans, a struggle for existence - especially since during the transformation in Poland, it was mainly Western companies that had the facilities; Polish business was not helped in the same way as German, American or other Western companies - the businessman recalls.

And he says figuratively that "in order to be able to run, you must first learn to walk - a child first walks, then runs."

- In Poland, we are now at the stage of entrepreneurs who have already developed, have accumulated some capital and are at a stage where they are already doing well and are just starting to run…

And at this point, people no longer look only at how to make ends meet. I am thinking here about charitable purposes, about helping others. This is already a time when Poles will share more and more often - emphasizes Zbigniew Jakubas.

Regulations should help a lot in this. They should… The businessman gives a rather drastic example of how this is not always the case.

- A few years ago, when buying a flat for a blind runner, I faced the fact that she had to pay a large gift tax. We approached the Minister of Finance about this; I hired Deloitte specialists who helped me - and after a year and a half of struggle, the officials reduced the tax by 50% - says the businessman.

The problem, however, has not disappeared. Zbigniew Jakubas is now helping to stabilize life by buying a flat in Myszków for three orphan sisters (their mother died a few years ago). In this case, the beneficiaries are also facing a large tax that they cannot afford…

- And now I wonder how to transfer this apartment to them: every year - as a permitted donation - part by part of their property? In such situations, the state should be liberal if someone finances it from their own funds - earned and taxed. Something is "not right" here - our interlocutor assesses.

And he is very economical with words here.