It has long been a tradition at Hankook that every employee can choose a gift for themselves before the holidays. By the time you read these lines, everyone will most likely have already received the JBL headphones, set of bed sheets, or meat package that brought them the most joy. Many people may not realize how much careful planning goes into making sure that these surprises reach you smoothly every year.
The gift-giving process has been coordinated since 2009 by our colleague Marcsi Kordics, a member of the General Affairs Unit, whose responsibilities have expanded year after year. The entire CMT is actively involved in the preparations and, in particular, in the distribution of gifts, but the organizational threads continue to converge at Marcsi. Today, it is enough to “swipe” your ID card to receive your chosen gift, but this was not always the case.
As the number of employees at the Rácalmás plant grew, so did the project itself, making the previous manual signature system unsustainable: an identification system had to be developed, with the IT team playing an important role in its implementation. The distribution of gifts also has to be coordinated with the bus schedule, as it affects 400-700 employees per shift. All this requires thorough consultation, careful planning, and precise timing.
Choosing gifts also requires great care: the selection must offer something new to long-standing employees, and the needs of foreign workers must also be taken into account. This is followed by finding the right suppliers: partners who can commit to orders of hundreds, sometimes thousands of items months in advance, at the specified price. All this requires serious preparation and often daily coordination.
“Brainstorming goes on all year round,” says Marcsi. “If something comes to mind, or a promising product pops up, I make a note of it right away. This is followed by approval and then contacting suppliers. We’re talking about more than 3,000 gifts, which is still hundreds of items even when divided into thirds. The number of items can only be determined after assessing demand, so there are few partners who can meet all the criteria.”
The final stage of the process is the distribution of gifts, which can take up to a whole week, spanning multiple shifts. “At this point, everyone really does their part,” he adds. “We distribute gifts before and after the day shift, as well as at the end of the afternoon shift. We often ask other UNITs for help, and IT is also present to operate the IT system. It’s a joint effort in which everyone willingly supports the process. I am very grateful for this helpful attitude.”
This year, the charity collection continued: it has become a tradition to collect non-perishable food, clothing, toys, and sweets for a selected organization at Christmas, making the holidays brighter for those who need it most. This year, we joined the “Chocolate Collection with Boti” initiative. The initiator is Földi Boti, a nine-year-old boy who himself spent a long time in hospital following an accident. The aim of the campaign is to collect as much chocolate as possible for children recovering in hospital, making their Christmas brighter. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in this noble initiative!
