Andreea Miron, EMEA People & Culture Director at Stefanini, talks to BR about our company’s workplace culture and the HR strategy and initiatives which helped in creating a collaborative and friendly work environment.
How Can You Define Your HR Policy and What are its Main Pillars?
First, I believe that the main role of the HR department within the company is to take care of all employees from the moment they enter the company to the moment they leave, basically the entire life cycle of an employee.
HR policies cannot have an impact without a committed People & Culture department, responsible for developing strategies and implementing plans within the organization with empathy for the employee perspective. To achieve this, we need to align all pillars of HR to provide quality services to our employees. From my perspective, these are: HR Operations – ensuring regulatory compliance, Talent Acquisition – attracting and hiring the right people, Performance Management & Development – onboarding, training, coaching, and retaining talent, Work Environment – ensuring employee safety and well-being in the workplace, Reward and Recognition – compensation and benefit programs, and last but not least: Workplace Culture – creating and maintaining a culture where employees feel comfortable and engaged while contributing to the financial success of the company. All these pillars are important to ensure that employees can perform at their best while belonging to a culture in which they feel comfortable being themselves.
What Were the Main Initiatives for Your Employees Last Year?
The pandemic has challenged us to adapt to a new way of working that focuses on employee orientation and flexibility for Stefanini. The goal in 2022 was to create a flexible work environment that best meets employees’ needs and focuses on their well-being.
To keep our company culture and team spirit alive, we had to find a way to connect our employees. So, we created a hybrid work environment with social events in all of our offices, held on average twice a month, providing the perfect opportunity for our employees to get together with their teams, meet new colleagues, and maintain existing relationships. Attendance at these events was voluntary, allowing our employees to decide which events they wanted to attend and when. Whether it was “Ice Cream Day,” “Specialty Coffee Day,” “Pumpkin Pie Day,” “Martisor Fair Day,” or “Donuts Day,” we celebrated the small but sweet treats together in the office. These types of events took place in all our offices in Romania, Moldova, Poland, and Belgium.
We have also created numerous opportunities for our employees to connect with each other. From exciting office events that promote team building (see above), to charity events (Stefanini EMEA Charity Marathon, Planting Trees, Cooking for Children, Backpacks for Children), to hybrid entertaining events (Children’s Day Contest, Halloween Contest) that bring our employees and their families together to have fun while fostering a sense of community.
What is Your Strategy in Terms of Attracting and Maintaining Talents in Your Company?
We believe in communicating the culture that we foster at Stefanini, to attract those individuals who would feel at their best in our environment, and we use a variety of recruitment channels to do so. We are present on key local and international job boards and professional networks while using social media as a “take a look inside” channel. We have built strong partnerships with professional associations and universities across the EMEA region, which help us organize successful internship and apprenticeship programs. We organize workshops, meet-ups, and events to promote our career opportunities, and we participate in job fairs and technical events. We encourage our employees to refer new colleagues through the “Refer a Friend” program. Once they join our company, our employees have access to an attractive benefits package, training programs, and certifications, as well as internal events, activities, and celebrations.
Why Do You Think You are a Desired Employer?
Broad range of technologies & clients that provide opportunities for our employees to gain valuable expertise in a variety of industries, growth opportunities for IT professionals, juniors and seniors alike, and focus on fostering a collaborative hybrid work environment.
3 HR Challenges for the Technology and Services Sector in 2023
- Talent Acquisition and Retention: a consistent challenge in the last years in the IT industry, due to shortage of skilled talent in the market and dynamic business landscape;
- Employee Wellbeing: considering the changes happening in the socio-economic landscape, it is a top priority to support employees to maintain their mental and physical health, by helping them achieve work life balance and professional fulfillment;
- Digital Transformation: Integrating technology into the workplace has become a necessity. We as a People&Culture department should focus on proactively identifying new skills and investing in upskilling our employees.