In 2018 USG People was awarded 13th place* in Great Place to Work's Award for multinationals in Europe. In total 2,800 companies, across four categories, employing 1.5 million employees participated in the largest annual survey in the region.
The annual award is based on the results of an employee survey and a detailed analysis of HR policies and corporate culture. The results confirmed that USG People is a place where the management is trusted, employees are proud of what they do and enjoy being with their colleagues.
Clockwise from top left: Secretary Plus wins the Great Place to Work award, Yoga at Secretary Plus, Linda Capelle (Managing Director at Secretary Plus), Color throw at Secretary Plus, Dirk Veerman (Director HR & Communications at Recruit Global Staffing, formerly USG People).
What makes USG People great?
Dirk Veerman, Director HR & Communications at Recruit Global Staffing, formerly USG People, elaborated on what makes USG People such a great workplace:
"We believe the diversity of our organization is a great advantage. USG People is a people-oriented network of local workplaces attractive to their employees, each in its own way. The operating companies are free to maintain their own unique culture and pride, while together they benefit from the privileges of a powerful global family. Being engaged in a larger global collective with a challenging joint ambition helps motivate everyone."
"Throughout our organization people try their best to create a better working world every day, and they rightfully take much pride in that. Their work is not just a job but it has special meaning to them and they feel they make a difference. The nature and purpose behind our daily work is also one of the aspects that is highly appealing to our employees.
Encouraging freedom throughout the group
The outcomes from the analyses of HR policies and corporate culture show that USG People's operating companies are given the freedom to do things their own way, and the results of this can be seen in their success too.
Secretary Plus (a Belgian subsidiary of USG People) has received Great Place to Work awards for the last three years running, and last year was also awarded the Gezond Werken (Healthy Working) Award.
They started the year with a campaign promoting "A healthy mind in a healthy body" focusing on both mental and physical wellbeing. The program kicked off with yoga sessions and insights into 'clean' eating. Throughout the year, relaxation techniques and mindfulness courses were offered and more attention was given to workplace ergonomics resulting in bigger screens, headsets, e-learning and healthy snacks. Linda Cappelle, Managing Director at Secretary Plus Belgium explains how their culture impacts the workplace:
"Secretary Plus is a small organization that is constantly looking for new ways to innovate, grow and evolve. We are eager for our employees to put forth new ideas or launch new projects. The knowledge that there is room for such initiatives appeals to them and incites many to go the extra mile. In addition to these possibilities for growth, entrepreneurship and learning, one cannot underestimate the importance of FUN in the workplace. Fun contributes to better teams and open communication; it breeds creativity and makes for alert, engaged and happy and healthy employees. It's one of the secret ingredients of our outstanding results!"
Making USG People and its subsidiaries even better places to work
Dirk Veerman on leveraging the opportunities in a globally interconnected organization:
"USG People constantly invests in being an attractive employer. Since we started to participate in Great Place to Work we have seen this translated into improvements year after year.
Following the transition to Recruit Global Staffing, we are now focusing on becoming a globally interconnected organization in which everyone in the company can take pride. Being engaged in a larger global collective with a challenging joint ambition helps motivate everyone. There is an abundance of experience and knowledge across the organization. By sharing best practices in human resource management, Recruit Global Staffing aims to further capitalize on the many good things already established. Being connected opens up great opportunities."
*Source: Best Multinational Workplaces in Europe