Almost 80% of enterprises from the SME sector indicate that unfair practices of contractors have intensified during the pandemic, according to a study by Rzetelna Firma and the National Debt Register of the Economic Information Bureau. Most often, they were associated with late payments, be it in terms of payments (35% of responses) or the performance of contracts (30%). In addition, 3 out of 10 entrepreneurs also encountered an attempt to justify the pandemic of errors or negligence by the contractor.
“Our current study shows that with the development of the coronavirus crisis, dishonest activities in business multiply. For comparison, more than six months ago, unethical practices among their contractors in the pandemic were noticed by every fourth company from the SME sector. So it can be seen that the unhealthy phenomenon is intensifying and, as a result, it damages the entire Polish economy, said the president of the National Debt Register, Adam Łącki.
“Companies that have experienced dishonesty on the part of their partners rarely decide to terminate their cooperation with them. Only every third company does not tolerate such practices and terminates relations with an unreliable business partner. situations would be unacceptable “- indicated the expert of Rzetelna Firma Andrzej Kulik.
In a pandemic, some entrepreneurs try to take advantage of the situation and treat the coronavirus as an excuse to default. As the authors of the study point out, there is also the other side of the coin. In these difficult times, many companies decided to support their business partners. 60% of entrepreneurs from the SME sector encountered an exceptionally ethical attitude of their contractors during the pandemic. Every fifth appreciated their care for the safety of employees. 19% could benefit from their knowledge and experience. Another dozen or so percent of enterprises appreciated the understanding and tendency of contractors to extend payment terms or to divide them into installments.
The “Business year in a pandemic” study was conducted by MANDS in March 2021 at the request of Rzetelna Firma and the National Debt Register of the Economic Information Bureau. It covered a group of 500 companies from the SME sector, including: micro (employing 3-9 people), small (10-49) and medium-sized enterprises (50-249). Research technique: CAWI.
