A
successful businessman has been found out to be so generous to his
employees that he gives them free cars and sends them on vacations.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
Radomir Novakovic Cakan
Radomir Novakovic Cakan is a successful businessman from Montenegro, who has earned himself nicknames like “the best boss in the Balkans” and “Brother” by being incredibly generous to his employees.
Cakan, who owns “Cakan Sports”, the largest sporting goods store
chain in Montenegro, and recently went into politics, has been making
news headlines in Balkan countries for years, but not for his
professional success. He is best known for the generosity he shows his
loyal and hard-working employees, and the close relationship he has with
them. The businessman firmly believes that his company can only thrive
if he keeps his employees happy, and to that end, he has offered the
best of them some pretty unbelievable presents.
Radomir first surprised his workers back in 2012, when he offered
four of them brand new cars – 2 VW Golf 6 and 2 VW Polo – complete with
paid insurance. They were some of the oldest and most hard-working
employees of Cakan Sports, and since the company had recently moved its
operations on the outskirts of Bar, Cakan thought his best people
shouldn’t have to struggle to get to work. “This way, they no longer
have an excuse for coming in late,” the owner joked in an interview.
Radomir Novakovic Cakan and his workers
As you can imagine, the recipients of the generous gifts were
shocked. “When we saw them, we were speechless,” Danijela Roćenović
recalls. “While the boss was saying ‘this is a gift for you’, all I
could think of was ‘this is not real, this can’t be happening to us’.
But this was just one of the generous ways Radomir Novakovic Cakan
has rewarded his employees over the years. In 2014, after hearing that
one of his workers had been saving up his paychecks so he could buy a
ticket to the World Cup soccer final, in Brazil, he took him there
himself, at his own expense.
A couple of year ago, he sent a group of 14 employees on exotic
vacations to the Bahamas and the Seychelles, simply because “they
deserved it”. Another time, he sent more of his employees on a luxury
cruise on the Mediterranean.
Asked why he doesn’t use a cheaper means of motivating his employees, like a small raise or a cash bonus, Cakan had this to say:
“Money comes and goes, but memories are forever. I have a
friend who runs a travel agency and I asked him what’s on offer and the
prices, because I wanted to offer my employees a vacation. When they
returned they were happier, and worked even harder. They showed me
photographs, and we laughed together at their adventures.”
After getting lots of attention from news outlets both in
Montenegro and neighboring Serbia, for his display of generosity towards
his employees, Radomir said he was shocked by all the coverage.
“When a person is normal, this is big news,” the businessman said. “It
surprised me a little, but I was happy about the positive feedback, as
that is very rare nowadays, especially when one is in politics.”
Last year, Radomir Novakovic Cakan went into politics, becoming a councilor of the Municipality of Bar.
Although he has been actively working with authorities to make life
better for the people of this city, his generosity once again
overshadowed is professional activity. It was recently revealed that
Cakan hasn’t cashed any of the 11 paychecks he was due – which amount to
$15,300 – choosing instead to donate it to various charities. He also
declined to receive a work phone and to have his travel expenses paid
from taxpayers’ money.
Asked why many of his employees call him “Brother”, Radomir told a reporter that it was because “brothers always help each other”.
As is always the case with such positive stories, some people just
can’t help spew a little vitriol. They accuse Cakan of being nothing
more than a clever businessman who uses this so-called generosity to
avoid paying taxes.
***
Via Oddity Central
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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