It’s no secret that the world of work has changed drastically due to the global pandemic. The lasting impacts now have HR leaders asking themselves – how can we better prepare our people for the future?
The nature of today’s work environment requires organizations to think proactively and start building workforces that have the relevant skills and capabilities to thrive now and in our unexpected future. Accounting software company Sage and UN agency United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have embraced this forward-thinking mindset, and are leveraging Fuel50’s AI Talent Marketplace to develop a future-ready workforce.
Building Talent, Culture & Capability at Sage
Jo Thackray, Program Director – Talent, Capability & Culture, and Lisa Clyde, Senior L&D Manager at Sage shared their experience in building talent, culture, and capability within the organization at this year’s FuelX Talent Mobility Conference.
Sage has grown immensely over the years with now almost 50% of UK businesses being paid through Sage products, and that’s somewhat surprising when you consider that they work primarily with medium and small-sized businesses, handling accounting and financials as well as people & payroll. Sage is also in various markets around the world with a strong presence in the U.S. In fact. Sage customers transmit more than 10 billion invoices annually while more than 20 million employees (colleagues) are paid globally by Sage payroll products.
Sage has two primary drivers behind the business. Their purpose is to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, and their ambition is to be the trusted network for small and mid-sized businesses. And as Jo Thackray put it, “Our focus is on customers, first and foremost, but also on our colleagues. We have strong values, great engagement, and we really put our colleagues as our top priority.”
According to Jo Thackray, for Sage to optimize their workforce and achieve organizational objectives, they had three key problems that needed to be addressed. Firstly, they needed to fill gaps in technology across their workforce, secondly, they lacked the skills intelligence needed to fully understand their workforce capabilities, and lastly, they had limited visibility of internal opportunities across the organization.
They decided they needed a talent marketplace to help solve these issues, and that Fuel50 was the partner they needed to help them do it. They started with three execution priorities for the project:
- They wanted the right people in the right place at the right time.
- They wanted to build skills and capabilities for the future that would help them keep up with the market.
- They wanted to build the future workplace today and the ability to keep up with the rapidly changing world.
“We knew we had some gaps we needed to fill, and we weren’t going to be able to fill them with our own HRIS. … we also wanted to know what skills we have in the business now, what skills do we need in the future, and how can we start managing that capability” – Jo Thackray
The results
Just three weeks post-launch, Sage saw a 64.4% adoption rate of the platform, 63.9% returning users, and over 6,000 skills ratings. Employees raved about the ownership and accountability Fuel50 provided, enabling each person to take charge of their career and create pathways for growth, learning, and future success.
“I’m delighted to say that from all of that, we decided to partner with Fuel50. They were the best out there … and the one that stood out from the beginning. Not just because of the user interface … but also because of the culture. … we felt that (Fuel50’s) culture was very much like our culture … and we identified with Fuel50 from the very beginning.” – Jo Thackray
The UNDP Mantra: Develop Yourself, Develop the World
Pierre Noël, Manager of Career Development & Employee Experience at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) strongly believes that to help develop the world, employees at UNDP need to work on developing themselves first.
The UNDP is based in Denmark but is at work everywhere in the world. It helps countries to find integrated solutions to end poverty and protect the planet. At its core are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that range from “No Poverty” to “Reduce Inequalities” to “Responsible Consumption and Production,” a road map to guide the complex problems, and equally complex solutions, that the world is facing.
The UNDP is at the heart of this, and Pierre Noël told the FuelX audience that, “What I talk about learning at the UNDP — the United Nations Development Programme — we talk about a continuous approach. Our approach is that you can learn all the time, anywhere, in many different ways.”
One way is through the UNDP Spark Programme (Spark stands for Strive-Perform-Aspire-Reimagine-Know), with technology driven by Fuel50. Primarily aimed at women, Spark enables the participants in identifying goals for their professional and personal lives, then supporting them in achieving their full potential by acquiring the confidence and knowledge needed to “effectively progress in their career journey.”
We tried to move our culture from ‘know it all’ to ‘learn it all’. And when talking about learning, I like to focus on career. When you learn for your own career development and actually focus on your career goals and learn accordingly, you have a tendency to learn more and be more proactive. So this is where we need to invest into technology to connect the dots and to create a learning ecosystem for our people to thrive.” – Pierre Noël
The results
Thanks to the UNDP Spark Programme, participants are showing increased levels of engagement, and have gained more confidence to take on new opportunities to further their development and growth. They have since started a global mentoring programme to enable employees to expand their networks and learn from their peers. The entire process has sparked excitement and motivation for employees to develop their skills and prepare for their own future.
Testimonials from UNDP employees:
“The Spark Programme has actually changed my mindset from fixed mindset to growth mindset. I now realize that hard work is the core of every success that one can aim.” – Khalid Aden, Programme Analyst, UNDP Somalia
“This programme has enabled me to collaborate with and connect with various colleagues across the borders as well as being able to develop my skills and my knowledge further.” – Vaneetha Dharshini, Finance Associate, UNDP Malaysia
Moving Onwards and Upwards
Sage and UNDP are paving the way toward building better futures not only for their respective organizations but also for their people. Genuinely caring for your people and investing in their success was a key topic at FuelX London, and it goes to show how crucial this simple act can be for all aspects of business – productivity, engagement, retention, growth, and ultimately, future success.
