More than 80% employees with a positive mind-set, 95% employees fully supporting the values of their employer and several elaborate educational programmes. These are the results that the Siemens Company can boast. This company received the ABSL Diamonds award for its innovative project, the goal of which is primarily to improve customer experience by engaging employees more. The programme is unique because the employees themselves pass on knowledge and experience to each other.
Permanent education and development of a person’s own abilities is crucial for employees working in the business services sector. They must be capable of flexibly responding to technological innovations and the needs of clients during their everyday jobs. The Siemens Company, which is active in over 150 countries worldwide and employs around 6,600 people, is aware of this fact, which is why it has several educational and innovative initiatives within the terms of its highly developed corporate culture concept.
The oldest of the programmes, called New Horizon, has been running since 2012 and is intended for new professionals, i.e. people with at least three years of professional experience, who have been working for the Siemens Company for two years. This ten-month programme includes inter-cultural teamwork, projects, training, actual and virtual cultural and business excursions and a final presentation of the results.
The newer Challenger programme, dating from 2016, focuses on managerial employees. These work on strategic business projects over the course of twelve months, during which they take part in training and virtual lectures, and are engaged in so-called career consultancy or mentoring.
ABSL Diamonds acknowledged the innovation project focusing on increasing the skills of selected talents
Another unique and innovative idea in the field of development of talented workers originated in the Prague Siemens team and is also now taking place in the company’s foreign branches. This concerns a complex exchange of experience between employees. Thanks to the so-called Global Shared Services Academy employees can choose from over 50 programmes, which they would like to take part in. The company registered over 34,000 hours of sharing experience in 2016 alone.
Jonathan Appleton, director of the ABSL Association, which associates companies in the business services segment in the Czech Republic, pointed out that Siemens received an ABSL Diamonds award for its educational concept: “The extensive and sophisticated programme of mutual training of employees of the Siemens Company was acknowledged as the best project in the Value Creation category and was awarded an ABSL Diamond. It is indisputable that satisfied and motivated employees contribute to improvement of services and also contribute considerably to the rising satisfaction of customers.“
People, customers and innovations – a corporate culture that is worth it
A recent worldwide survey performed by Siemens among its employees indicates that in 8 out of 9 examined categories the activities of Siemens achieved an above-average rating.
An internal survey showed that 89% of employees are convinced that their company constantly works on improving company processes. 91% employees support emphasis on variety in relation to their employer, over 80% employees declare that the company’s approach contributes to a positive mind-set among employees and 95% employees fully identify with company values.