“I’m surrounded by a perfect team of colleagues,” says Veronika Pavuková, new manager of the EUC PLS department

Veronika, you have been the manager of the EUC PLS department for not quite two months. How would you rate the position? Has it been difficult for you? What all have you had to learn?

I wouldn’t say that these two months have been difficult, because I am surrounded by a perfect team of colleagues who are incredibly supportive and I know that I can rely on them 100%. They are simply great at what they do😊.  It’s quite hectic for me now, because I hadn’t anticipated this new role and I have to coordinate it with my original position.

I’m currently focusing on getting a closer look into the running of individual departments, i.e. the department of external clinics and the network of contract doctors. We have always had to work together to a certain extent, but I never needed deeper insight into them. I am gaining a lot of new information, which I am gradually putting into the overall context. I’m thus getting a more comprehensive overview of the running of our company, which I didn’t previously have from a management perspective.  

You have been with the EUC group since 2012. Can you briefly tell us about your work here? In which departments have you worked and what did your work involve?

In 2012, I joined the then Medicover as a consultant in the professional supervision department. Over roughly five years, I carried out supervision at our clients’ workplaces, including first-aid training and consulting on occupational hygiene. I also gained experience working as an occupational health nurse. At the clinic, I was the right hand of our doctor, who assessed employees’ medical fitness to work, and I performed examinations spirometry, audiometry and plethysmography examinations, among other things. I remember that fondly.

I was later offered the position of manager of that department. It was an opportunity for me to gain management skills and to learn how to work with people as a manager. Because I wanted to stay in touch with clients and continue to use my knowledge in the area of occupational safety and health, I kept my portfolio of clients, for whom I continued to conduct occupational health supervision. I have worked in this position since March 2018.

How big is the team that you now lead?

I am still the manager of the professional supervision department, where nothing changes. That team now numbers five consultants and an assistant. Two colleagues from external clinics and one colleague from the network of contract doctors recently came under my direct management. However, there was a time when I managed a total of 21 people. By comparison, I can say that I am now in charge of a small team 😊.  

What are your plans for your new position in 2024?

I definitely intend to stay on the right, well-established path. Among other things, the coming year will probably be in the spirit of the product that we as EUC PLS would like to newly provide. Since everything is still being negotiated, I won’t reveal more at this time. If it works out, we have a lot of work ahead of us. At the same time, I want to focus on expanding our corporate zone, which should facilitate our clients’ work and given them an overview of the course of their employees’ medical examinations.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time and what do you most look forward to?

I like to say that I’m an extroverted introvert. When the extroverted part of me comes to the fore, I enjoy spending my free time in the company of friends and family, whether it’s over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, or a walk in countryside. When my introverted half has its turn, I’ll open a book, watch a film or go to the sauna. And regardless of which half is winning at the moment, travelling is my great passion.

In the near future, my friends and I plan to go to the gym to play basketball, which I played regularly for nine years a long time ago. At this point, it has been a good 18 years since I last touched a basketball, so I’m genuinely looking forward to it.  With Christmas approaching, I am of course also looking forward to relaxing with my family, especially after such a hectic end of the year.

Christmas is just around the corner. What is your favourite way to spend the holidays and what would you wish for your clients and colleagues in the new year?

I traditionally spend the Christmas holidays by the fireplace with my family in Ostrava; I can’t imagine any other way. And what would I wish for everyone? It may sound like a cliché, since I have a lot of sick people around me now (and I don’t just mean standard winter viruses), I mainly wish everyone good health. That’s the cornerstone for everything else. In the area of work, I wish everyone a lot of strength, fulfilment of all of their expectations and especially satisfying mutual cooperation.