Over the past decade, alongside the growth of our industry, our people have sought new competencies and new challenges, and have brought new ways of working to both the global and local labour markets.
The average number of full time internal employees increased from 14,366 in 2006 to 15,933 in 2007, as a result of growth opportunities in many of our markets, particularly in the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and Asia. The inclusion of our motto ‘Where People Matter’ as part of our corporate logo is not solely an external message; it underlines our ongoing commitment to our own staff and emphasises the important role they play in Vedior’s development.
We take great care in engaging and training professionals with staffing knowledge as well as expertise in specialised sectors and offer them stimulating experiences in an enjoyable and productive working environment. Together, we shape our roots, our growth and our world.
The organisation of our operations provides Vedior employees with a dynamic, entrepreneurial atmosphere, in which our employees and brands can grow and thrive. Vedior’s decentralised management structure, designed to enhance communication and minimise corporate overhead, sets us apart from other international recruitment companies. Each market and each sector is typified by unique characteristics, and the diversity within our organisation reflects this. Local management teams retain a high degree of autonomy in the day-to-day running of their businesses including hiring, pricing, training, sales and marketing. Such a structure enables them to respond quickly to market trends in a fast moving industry.
We conduct an Employee Survey annually for the benefit of all Vedior operating companies and personnel worldwide. Questions are made available online via the Group’s intranet and responses are anonymous to encourage candid answers. The survey is in four parts: my role, my Company, Vedior and profile of respondent, and is made available in 10 different languages. At the conclusion of the Survey, each operating company manager within the Group receives detailed and individual company results compared to both regional and Group averages enabling them to benchmark their performance. Managers are encouraged to share results and act upon any areas of concern.
The survey conducted at the beginning of 2007 was completed by 70% of our global employees and the results indicate that our workforce feels valued, respects their management team, have clear performance targets, enjoy a pleasant working environment, are proud to work for their company and would recommend it as an employer to a friend. Overall, job satisfaction was good, however, we also identified a number of issues for improvement such as bonus scheme structures, training, internal communication, marketing, staff-retention and increased female participation at senior management levels.
Initiatives we rolled out in the course of the year based on outcomes from the prior survey include employee satisfaction awards, the launch of a quarterly CEO webcast/podcast, creation of a corporate DVD for clients and staff induction and a section on our corporate intranet BigHug advertising all internal vacancies.
We believe that this attention and dedication to our staff contributes to their loyalty and commitment. Group companies are highly regarded within their sector of activity and the recruitment communities in which Vedior operates. It is our practice to promote from within the organisation whenever possible so a career within Vedior opens doors to a wide range of career development opportunities.
Recognition for excellence has resulted in a number of awards and honours received during the course of 2007. We congratulate all our employees who make this level of quality possible through their motivation and exceptional achievements. This year’s top performances include Joslin Rowe’s awards for Best Investment Banking Contingency Recruiter and Best Asset Management Diversity Recruiter in the Financial News Awards; Accountants Inc.’s recognition in The Puget Sound Business Journal as one of Washington’s Best Workplaces; Sapphire Technologies’ award as one of the Boston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work; Vedior Germany’s award for Best Employer as given by Capital Magazine and the Great Place to Work Institute; Vedior Asia Pacific’s Hewitt Best Employer rankings for operations in Australia and New Zealand; and both Hill McGlynn and the Select Group’s recognition for excellency in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For award competition.
The role of senior corporate management is to provide appropriate advice and support, enabling operational management to accelerate the development of their businesses, and to act as a clearing house for new strategies and products. Accessible management keeps the lines of communication short, and regular contact with important decision makers means that all personnel can make significant contributions within the organisation. Within this structure, co-operation and information sharing are proactively encouraged.
The progress of our company as well as our industry depends on the quality of our own staff. Vedior manages and retains top talent through a variety of channels including dedicated talent management advisors, training initiatives, and leadership development programmes for senior executives.
Vedior also hosts a number of international conferences annually which bring together management and division staff from Group companies to share best practices and build future visions. Our International Management Conference for all senior managerial personnel is scheduled every 18 months, and is a very important part of our corporate calendar. It provides the opportunity to discuss trends, explore business opportunities and encourage mutual co-operation. The event provides a forum for the development of new niche services, new products and more efficient operating practices.
The theme of this year’s International Management Conference, held in May, was “From Good to Great”, underlining not only the ongoing development challenges we face in our industry every day, but also the development of our own staff and our belief in each individual’s personal and professional journey.
This year, we also held a special management conference in December in conjunction with our planned strategic review, for the Top 120 managers across the business to come together to share in building a vision for the Group’s next stage of development.
Co-operation and knowledge sharing is further enhanced by a number of ‘functional’ conferences which take place regularly covering financial and ICT matters as well as international accounts, legal issues and marketing and communication.
Vedior operates a small corporate office in accordance with the decentralised nature of the Group. The average number of full-time corporate employees in 2007 (including the members of the Board of Management) was 51. The majority of corporate staff is based at the Group’s headquarters in Amsterdam but, given the nature of the Group’s global network, some corporate personnel also operate out of offices in the UK, Switzerland, Australia and France.
