12^th generation of AmCham Young Professionals, hello,

Let’s start with a story.

Random meeting at Čopova 16:00:

Rok: “Laura, Urška, hello, how are you?”

Urška in Laura: they wave while walking by with their phones in their hands and greet each other simultaneously… “Ooo, hello Rok. Great, thank you but we are REALLY BUSY and late to our next meeting. See you around, let us know on Viber when you’re free” … and they disappear around the corner.

Sounds familiar? Recently there has been an increase in use of digital tools, social media, and remote work. It’s easy to get the feeling we’re missing out on life, trends, and progress in general without constant connection and staying informed. How does the inclusion of technology in every aspect of our lives, and its excessive use, affect productivity and efficiency in organizations, as well as in everyday life? Are 6- and 8-hour workdays myths, or can they be reached? What are the realistic expectations of the most ambitious employers, and how do young talents avoid with the traps of flexible work time and work that exceeds their capabilities? These are the subjects that we’ll address at our next meeting with Laura Smrekar, Competo and Rok Gumzej, Logout. Urška Kajtner, Loftware NiceLabel & AmCham Top Potential 2020 will be leading the debate.

And Rok’s message: “World stop! Urška and Laura need a break!”

Laura Smrekar, BA in Sinology, Partner, Head of Communications at Competo

Laura Smrekar intertwines her passion with work. As a partner in human resources she aspires to co-create a better future at work. She likes to open discussions on taboo subjects and regularly spreads awareness about challenges and opportunities on the market, as well as the various processes of employment. She is also a CEO and founder of the institute Vitae+ for life after a sports career (Vitae+ Za življenje po športni karieri), working together with her husband. This aims to empower top athletes between the end of their careers, so that they are better prepared for their future life and work. For the 8^th  year in a row she has volunteered as part of a project to promote financial education called Youth and Money (Mladi in denar).

Rok Gumzej, Social pedagogy, counsellor at Logout

Combining his own personal experience playing video games and his background in social pedagogy, he helps individuals balance their usage of digital devices. In his free time, he also creates video content about gaming and livestreams playthroughs. He also produces different web and TV series that try to educate the general public about the pros and cons of today’s technology in an informative and fun way.

Urška Kajtner, lawyer, HR Business partner at Loftware NiceLabel, and AmCham Top Potential 2020

Urška Kajtner is a lawyer by profession, but in her heart she is a humanist, humanitarian and olive lover. She acts as a promotor of good ideas, projects, and human resource practices in the company NiceLabel (Loftware), with the title of HR Business Partner. She likes to build respectful relationships and support fearless teams. In her next life she will be an anthropologist or psychotherapist, but in this life she spends her free time focusing on humanitarian projects, leading charity debates, cocreating children’s stories and passing all her knowledge to the next generations. She won the title of Volunteer of the Year 2020 for her achievements. She is an active member of AmCham, an advocate for equality, and a person you can always pull aside and invite out for a coffee!