What is this? sertifikat really means to employees in Lidl, how the so-called "Lidl way of working" is built and how all the "wheels" of a complex business system are coordinated, says Ivana Marković, director of the Human Resources Directorate and member of the Lidl Serbia Management Board.
photo: lidl serbiaIvana Markovic
For the sixth year in a row, you are the proud holder of the Top Employer certificate. Which one is that? "secret formula" that allows you to maintain that level of excellence?
Anyone who knows Lidl, as a consumer, employee, fan, and critic, will tell you that there is no secret. It's just the Lidl way of doing things. We create and implement a strategy that is focused on excellence in everything we do. From our perspective as an employer, this means creating a working environment in which employees are included, active, valued and seen as part of a team, which can then together achieve what we have set out for ourselves.
Top Employer recognition for 2026. year comes at a challenging economic moment. What does this certificate specifically guarantee a worker in Serbia, and it goes beyond mere form and becomes a tangible quality of everyday work?
Of course, we are all aware of the moment, but in 2026, Lidl employees enter with less worry, because Lidl means security and stability, which we all need very much, for ourselves, but also for our loved ones. This certificate has a double value for us - it is a confirmation of high standards in the field of human resources at Lidl on the one hand, and on the other hand, for us in the company it is a constant motivator to recognize new areas that we can improve and thus make Lidl an even more desirable place to work every day.
The retail industry often goes through rapid changes. How Lidl Serbia maintains a high level of employee satisfaction? What are the key strategies that have helped you achieve this remarkable position?
Retail is truly one of the fastest growing industries, and this is the reality of all of us who live and work in retail. There are many new trends emerging, but the key is to listen to YOUR colleagues, to respond to their needs. In cooperation between people, authenticity is important, and that is why it is necessary to open communication channels and actively use them. Of course, in companies with a large number of employees, it is not possible to fulfill all wishes, but I think we have mastered the art of finding the "common denominator".
Salary increase of over 20% on an annual basis is a serious business venture. How did you arrive at that projection and how does this decision affect the reduction of the gap between the rising cost of living and the purchasing power of your employees?
Lidl's compensation and benefits strategy is unique to our market. It guarantees all employees a fair salary, based on experience and contribution to the company. Our specificity is primarily a clearly defined salary structure by position, which ensures impartiality and equal treatment of all employees and excludes the possibility of discrimination. Additionally, our salary structure is not linear, but in relation to the years of company membership, experience and contribution, it guarantees employees an annual salary increase, of course, based on the performance and engagement of employees.
When we take all of the above into account, it is clear that the increases we had in the previous 12 months are part of an agile strategy focused on the needs of our employees, with the aim that all of us, employees, in challenging times, feel that strong support from the company that gives us a sense of security and belonging to our #teamlidl.
The focus of the public is often on the sellers, but you are announcing an increase for both logistics and management from March 2026. years. How do you maintain the internal cohesion of the company and prevent a sense of imbalance between different sectors in such a complex system?
Of course, it is understandable that the majority of the public's focus is on our stores, given that they employ the largest number of our colleagues, whose role in Lidl's success is immeasurable. However, such a large organization needs other "wheels" in order to function this well - these are our colleagues from logistics and management. Like any mechanism, ours only works when all the "wheels" turn in perfect synchronization. Through open, transparent communication, we present the plan for the entire year to the employees, which eliminates the noise that could lead to dissatisfaction or a feeling of imbalance.
In addition to salary increases, at Lidl Serbia, you have a developed package of benefits. What are the benefits aimed at the long-term security of employees, and not just on current motivation?
We introduce every new benefit that we design only when we are sure that we can provide it for our employees in the long term. It gives employees a sense of security, stability - which is our goal, because all our strategies are long-term.
Our list of additional compensation and benefits for employees is really long, and it has been built over the years, based on signals and input from our colleagues. What we have are: cards for employees with a value of up to 50.000 dinars per year, for spending at Lidl, payment of night hours of work above the legally prescribed amount, private health insurance that is the same for all employees, and includes an annual systematic examination, gifts for employees and children, for the New Year and for starting school, a guaranteed annual vacation of 24 days, while the quota increases over the years of working at Lidl, a day off for parents of first-graders, gift packages for our newborn babies, affordable conditions of purchase for employees of our partners...
However, as something new and unusual in our market, I would like to point out the support program for employees - EAP (Employee Assistance Program).
Employee support program (EAP) includes free and confidential psychological, legal and financial counseling. What kind of feedback do you get? how many employees use this benefit and what types of challenges are most often solved through this type of institutional support?
Providing this kind of service for our employees was important to us because often none of us are experts enough to deal with them independently or there is still some kind of stigma and shame attached to them.
In the comments we often receive from employees, EAP is mentioned in the most positive light, and the data shows that Lidl Serbia has the highest utilization rate of this benefit, compared to other Lidl countries. However, given the nature of the topics, and in order to preserve the principle of anonymity, we as a company can only have insight into general statistics. From them, we can see that employees really use this service when they need it, that they are mostly focused on financial counseling, which is expected, considering the complexity of the process, for example. for taking out a loan with us. Another topic on the agenda is psychological support, which I am very happy that employees recognize as desirable and use to a large extent.
What specific talent development initiatives or programs do you see as key to Lidl's success as an employer??
Employee development and development programs are one of the important areas that Top Employer assesses, and our processes here are also rated as exceptional. However, it is only a good basis. Success comes from the application of acquired knowledge, the opportunity to learn by doing, in a supportive environment where mistakes are part of the process, which gives psychological security, which allows young people to grow and develop into outstanding experts who make up our team today.
Where do you see the company at the end of this earnings cycle?? Is the goal just a satisfied employee or the creation of a new standard of modern business in Serbia??
At the end of this cycle, I see us at the beginning of a new one, because we never stop dealing with topics related to the satisfaction of our employees.
Since the beginning of our operational business in 2018, Lidl has occupied a very high position among employers in Serbia and from the side of HR professionals, I can only say one thing - Lidl has initiated changes in our labor market.
I believe that nowadays the financial moment is very important, but the "formula" that we mentioned is the whole package, the way in which Lidl works, how each employee is carefully introduced to his job, how agreements are respected, how employees feel... Just as the goal of Lidl as a retail chain is to provide consumers with the best quality for the best price, Lidl's goal as an employer is to make the labor market in Serbia more quality and adapted to the needs of employees today, tomorrow and for a long time to come through its activities, a positive example. Because Lidl always pays off!
