Connecting beyond screens: a memorable visit to Skopje

At the end of January, my colleague Adrijana and I finally embarked on our long-awaited trip to Skopje. We chose this timing deliberately, wanting to avoid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

The idea had been on our minds for quite some time, especially since Software Sauna began operations in Macedonia at the start of 2022.

Our Macedonian team, like our colleagues in Zagreb, works remotely. We’ve been strong advocates for the benefits of remote work, and it has proven to be a great fit. However, there’s something invaluable about meeting face-to-face with the people you collaborate with daily—it strengthens relationships and lays a solid foundation for future remote work.

Naturally, we took the opportunity to visit our accounting office, Ecovis, and have a coffee with our lawyer to discuss some aspects of working together. Together, we reviewed our collaboration aspects, clarified our shared future plans, and addressed the hiring needs. A growing team needs administrative and HR support, so it is important to plan proactively.

We also recently introduced a new benefit to our Macedonian team—private health insurance.

We also recently introduced a new benefit to our Macedonian team—private health insurance. So, it was logical to meet with our insurance broker, Aleksandar, to ensure everything was in order and to gather additional insights on how our Macedonian team could make the most of this offering. Aleksandar gave us instructions and presented some other benefits we discussed earlier, such as employee pension fund payments.

In Croatia, employers can contribute directly to private employee funds chosen by the individual, with these payments being entirely exempt from tax. However, a personal tax is still applied to such contributions in Macedonia. From our experience, Croatia offers employers significantly more flexibility when it comes to providing tax-free benefits to employees. In Macedonia, only a few categories, like health insurance and travel expenses, are tax-free.

We booked a few meetings with some of our software developer candidates in the afternoon. When I say candidates, I mean people who have already passed our screening interview and a technical assignment, and we are actively searching for project(s) for them.

They gave us fresh insights into the Macedonian market, and some of them confirmed (and their careers speak the same) that among the various segments within the IT Services market, IT Outsourcing is expected to dominate with a projected market. This is good for us as Sauna is eager and ready to hire experienced consultants in 2025!

We also didn’t want to miss the tourist sights of Skopje, so we booked an evening activity called the Free walking tour. They rely entirely on donations, and we were fortunate to have almost a private tour as the group was tiny.

We got a chance to see most of the main attractions in the city center. Famous Macedonian sights like the Memorial House of Mother Teresa, Old Bazaar, and the Skopje Fortress. We were pleased to hear all the stories connected to the different parts of the city and see so many monuments built after 2014 as part of rebuilding the city to give it a more classical look.

Meeting our Macedonian colleagues finally in person reminded us about the power of connecting beyond screens, turning daily actions into stronger relationships. The trip left us with great memories and a desire to return.

Skopje, see you again!