Institute for Monuments and Culture celebrates 15 years this year

“We are dedicated to education, awareness and networking in the care of historic buildings,” explains Aleš Kozák, the organisation’s director and fundraiser.

The non-profit, based in the picturesque South Bohemian town of Písek, is probably best known for its information portal and magazine PROPAMÁTKY, where you can read news about monument maintenance and also find an overview of grants, collections and experts working in this field. In addition, it organises conferences and one-off events such as exhibitions and concerts. The Institute employs around 14 to 15 people, including freelancers. It is also specific in that it operates as a social enterprise – it gives work to people with disabilities who would otherwise find it harder to find employment. The team consists of management and administrative staff, as well as several editors.

“We have mostly part-time jobs, my colleagues need to adapt their working life to their health situation. Our smallest part-time job is 0.2, The biggest part-time 0,8,” adds Aleš Kozák. Also because of the number of different lengths of time, a good HR system is very important for organisations.

Sloneek is the third HR system that the organisation has tried

Before the Institute for Monuments and Culture started using Sloneek, it tried two different systems. Neither of them quite worked for them.

“Sloneek is our third system, the previous ones either couldn’t do what we needed, or they weren’t as affordable,” explains Aleš Kozák.

The impulse to try Sloneek came from his personal life. He knows the founder of the company, Milan Rataj, who also comes from Písek. When he found out about Sloneek during a meeting over wine, he downloaded a trial version that very evening.

“I know him through a personal story. But the most important thing is that the system works, and it works well. If it didn’t work for us, I wouldn’t want to use it, even if my best friend did.” he adds.

The Institute started recording data in Sloneek in January 2018 and has been using it ever since.

Few clicks to schedule work

In the beginning, Aleš’s team used timetracking tool where a worker checks in at the start of the day and checks out when they’re done. Over time, they found that the work scheduling module suited them much better.

“We don’t work in a way that we have a precise time from when to when we have to work. Rather, we need to know where and when someone plans to work so we know we can count on them that day. This is practical just because of the part-time nature of the team and the fact that the team works in different locations around the country.” explains Aleš Kozák. He adds that in an organisation where most of his colleagues work full-time it may not be so crucial, but the moment some of his colleagues need to do their tasks in the morning, others in the afternoon, and others for health reasons have to have a longer break in the middle of the day, such a clear system is really useful.

The people at the Institute for Monuments and Culture always plan their work on Mondays. Just a few clicks into the system and they can enter how they plan to work that week, as well as say, plan a vacation, a business trip, or whether they have to see a doctor. The schedule can change if unexpected events occur during the week. Aleš and the others then immediately see in the simple user environment who is available that day and who is not working.

“I don’t have to call him to find out if he’s at work or not. If I can’t reach someone, I check Sloneek and I see whether he has a doctor’s appointment or has no scheduled work,” says Aleš Kozák.

According to Aleš, his colleagues soon got used to the new system – and if they needed advice, they could contact Czech Sloneek support.

Thanks to the tools records, it is immediately clear where the computers are located

The Institute for Monuments and Culture also uses the tools registration function . “This is a very handy feature. For example, computers and other electronics are not loaned for weeks, it’s usually for a long period of time, for months or years, and by then you can forget where they are. Thanks to Sloneek, I don’t just have this information somewhere in a file cabinet, but it’s available from anywhere and we can share it with others,” adds Aleš.

As a director of an organisation, he also appreciates the fact that he can easily delegate work using Sloneek so he doesn’t have to think about everything.

“The structure of the organisation can be set up in the app. This then shows who is responsible for whom. For example, as a director here, I don’t care too much when editors are on holiday. But it is important for the editor-in-chief, who works directly with them. I can look at their data, but I don’t manage that agenda anymore.” he explains.

He also finds the connection to other applications interesting. For example, Sloneek can be linked to Google Calendar, where holidays and other data are entered, so that the user can see them in the environment he or she is using, for example more often. The system is quite comprehensive and has a number of links to various other tools, so it can easily be adapted to your individual needs.

Don’t be afraid to give Sloneek a try, advises Aleš Kozák

And what would he recommend to those who are thinking of switching to a similar HR system?

“Definitely try it out. I myself also first downloaded a trial version and started using the app. You can start with just about anything, like keeping track of your work and holidays, and then gradually expand to other areas.”

In addition to the features that make his job easier, Aleš also likes the responsive support and the fact that the development team is constantly pushing the app forward, even he, as a user, can send them suggestions for improvements. And last but not least, the fact that it is a local, Czech-Slovak company. And not only because of the language barrier that might bother some of his team members when using tools from global players.

“I think it is good to support local systems that have the ambition to expand and break out abroad. It’s good to use something that was created here,” he concludes.

Sloneek x TechSoup x Institute for Monuments

How did this collaboration come about, you ask? TechSoup Czech Republic develops the technological capacity of non-profit organisations by providing access to software, hardware, IT services and related training. This allows organizations to achieve their goals and fulfill their missions more efficiently and easily.

TechSoup accomplishes its mission primarily by facilitating donations and discounted software deals. Through our partnership with Sloneek, registered nonprofits pay TechSoup 40% less for each user than the commercial price.

The case study is produced by TechSoup.