How we became a place where people matter

One of the things I am most proud of during my time at Computacenter is how the ServiceNow Centre of Excellence has become a place where people really do matter.

This isn’t just a corporate slogan, a phrase that gets trotted out for social media or used on trendy awareness days. It is a theme that runs throughout Computacenter.?Part of our DNA.

Supporting our team

This really hit home to me when I read a blog by one of my colleagues Matt Dutton ?where he talked about the support he has received with autism at work. His comment really does encapsulate our people first ethos, and if I can quote from his excellent article: “I can say without hesitation that as far as Computacenter is concerned every person really does matter”.

Computacenter’s business is about technology.?You will see this statement on our website, HR information or job listings.?But it is also recognised that fundamentally, we are a people business.

Sure, we deliver lots of exciting ServiceNow projects and we are fortunate to work with some of the world’s largest companies.?But at the heart of what we do, are people.

As we grow our ServiceNow practice, it is vitally important that we do not lose sight of this.?Everyone in the team has a role to play and not just those involved in recruitment.

There are so many different areas that I want to bring to life, that I decided to split this into two articles so I don’t miss anything out.?But let’s start with our people.

A team like no other

Computacenter prides itself on recruiting exceptional people both in terms of character and capabilities. ?And this is reflected in our ServiceNow practice where we continually hear feedback from our colleagues that it is the people that makes us such a special place to work – ‘a team like no other’ is how it was described.

I touched on this in the last blog on bringing together a group of extraordinary people.?And we are doing this in different locations across multiple continents.

Sense of belonging

By and large, we are a positive and enthusiastic bunch of people, where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts.?Everyone has an intense sense of belonging which is unique in my 30-year career working in consulting and IT.

During the last employee survey that was conducted, belonging and team spirit were highlighted by our people as being the key things that they enjoyed the most about working at Computacenter.

United by a common goal

When you have a group of exceptional people that share a collective understanding of what it is we are trying to achieve, then something special happens.

Our proactive people work instinctively and know what needs to be done and the part they each play in being part of the team.?This means everyone can get on with the job at hand which lends itself to delivering the best outcomes for our customers.

Recognition where it is due

We work in a culture where everyone’s contribution is recognised, and successes are celebrated.?I talked in my last blog about my own highlight of our recent Summit. This was seeing individuals and teams receiving praise on a public platform in front of their peers from within the ServiceNow practice.

One comment I heard that reinforced this, was that ‘it was nice to see everyone’s contribution recognised, and successes jointly celebrated’.

Diverse multi-cultural teams

Thanks to the growth of the ServiceNow Centre of Excellence, we now have teams in Germany, India, South Africa and Romania.?Project teams are often made up of individuals from different locations and that has given many different people the opportunity to be part of multi-cultural teams.

Commitment to diversity and inclusion is another important factor.?This isn’t a box ticking exercise.?We want our people to bring their true self to work and speak with their authentic voice.?Where we’ve come from doesn’t matter for us. People do.

Our interest in people is genuine and we see everyone for the unique individuals they really are. For us, personality, character and perspective matter just as much as ServiceNow skills, knowledge and experience.

I’m proud to work for a company that is a Disability Confident Committed Employer, accredited to the Social Mobility Pledge and a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, as well as being a member of the TC4RE (Technology Community for Racial Equality).

This is part of what makes my job so rewarding.

Conclusion

I’ve talked before about the challenges that we will face as the ServiceNow practice grows.?How do we keep that special culture that has gone into making us one of the top destinations for ServiceNow skills in the market?

I believe it’s all about continuity of our commitment to recruiting top quality people as well as people with top quality skills.?Then give them an environment in which to flourish, where people do matter.

If we can get that right more often than not, then we’re well on the way to achieving our vision for the ServiceNow Centre of Excellence.