Euroherc

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Is Christmas yet another good excuse for buying and selling? Do you wonder about the origin of the symbols of the season? Let’s see what is beneath the layers of consumerism and how the December holiday traditions came to existence. There are many stories behind the Christmas traditions. In today’s world of consumerism, Christmas is becoming a materialistic festivity. Everybody has a different sentiment about it as well as different Christmas traditions. They depend on your religious beliefs, personal preferences, and your upbringing. Yet, the traditions have been created by the people and for the people and it would add purpose to the celebration if we were more aware of the meaning of the traditions we celebrate. We wish a very merry Christmas to everyone hoping to put even more symbolism into the celebration and give a deeper meaning to this wonderful season.

All throughout December we celebrate a number of saints who represent the good and the acts to be remembered. We will talk about the three most celebrated ones. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and marks the beginning of the festive Christmas. He is also a patron of sailors, orphans, travellers and all those suffering and in need. December 6th or St. Nicholas Day is said to be the beginning of little Christmas. The legend says that St. Nicholas was a gift-giver, leaving the gifts in a stocking. Today all over the world children hang their stockings on St. Nicholas day waiting for him to stop by. In Sweden, Norway and Denmark St. Lucia is a festival celebrated on December 13th. She is celebrated in various ways and countries, including in Croatia. The basic meaning of this saint is that she brings light in the dark winter and good forces in life. Another deeply revered saint is celebrated on December 26th, St. Stephen’s Day. St. Stephen is the first Christian martyr for his faith. He is the patron saint of horses so this festivity is associated with horse-racing and hunting sports activities. Boxing Day is another name for St. Stephen’s day. The name itself dates back to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is not known. It is said that the Lords and ladies of England gave their Christmas gifts (boxes) to their servants on December 26. Finally, Christmas Day is the biggest day of the holiday season. It’s a family celebration starting on Christmas Eve when children wait for a gift from Santa Clause or Father Christmas on Christmas morning. People who celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, celebrate the birth of Jesus, the God who came down to Earth as a helpless baby to save the man from his sins. The circumstances surrounding his birth are described in the Bible and every person is familiar with them from their early childhood along with other sweet childhood memories of these special winter days. Regardless of the age of consumerism, we still hope and believe that underneath all the decorations and gifts there is a key to happiness, love and hope.

Kada se poslodavci susreću s temom zapošljavanja osoba s invalidnošću, imaju niz pitanja, nedoumica pa čak i straha koji proizlaze iz nedostatka iskustva ili informacija. Kako bi im pružila objektivne informacije, tvrtka Selectio s nekoliko partnera pokrenula je projekt ‘ZaposliOsi’. Okosnica je projekta internetska stranica koja će odgovoriti na niz pitanja. Uskoro će na spomenutoj stranici biti aktivirani pojedini alati, prvi je ‘Primjeri i vodiči’, sveobuhvatni priručnici o sustavnom pristupu zapošljavanju osoba s invalidnošću, širem kontekstu upravljanja raznolikošću te pregled zakonodavstva. Također bit će predstavljena iskustva poslodavaca sa zapošljavanjem osoba s invalidnošću, posebno dobitnika nagrade ‘Ključna razlika’. Idućih tjedana aktivirat će se ostali alati koji će poslodavcima pomoći da postanu primjer dobre prakse zapošljavanja osoba s invalidnošću. Trodimenzionalna virtualna kompanija pokazat će na primjerima što za poslodavca znači zaposlit osobu s invalidnošću; oštećenjem vida ili sluha, motoričkim oštećenjem ili intelektualnim teškoćama, te kako prilagoditi radno mjesto.

To znači prilagoditi radni proces, arhitektonski prilagoditi radni prostor ili koristiti se tzv. asistivnom tehnologijom. Alat Samoprocjena poslodavaca pomoći će u tome; na temelju podataka koje će poslodavac unijeti u upitnik izradit će se individualno izvješće o statusu pojedinih aspekata prilagođenosti i u koja bi se područja moglo dalje ulagati. Posljednji je alat Kalkulator potpora zapošljavanju osoba s invalidnošću, a omogućit će poslodavcu individualni izračun koje poticaje i u kojim iznosima može ostvariti za zapošljavanje osobe s invalidnošću te od kojih organizacija može dobiti financijsku i stručnu potporu.

Pratite ovu rubriku u Lideru u kojoj ćemo predstavljati pojedine alate prije nego što postanu dostupni i koristite se njima. Projekt ‘ZaposliOsi’ provodi Selectio d.o.o. u partnerstvu s Liderom, Hrvatskom gospodarskom komorom, stranicom MojPosao.net i Institutom za razvoj tržišta rada, a financira se iz Europskog socijalnog fonda.