Adam Foster is the CEO of HGS - UK & Europe. He has been with us since July 2017 and is responsible for business expansion into key European markets. Adam is also part of the HGS Global Advisory Board, participating in corporate strategy. He reflects on aspects about HGS that stood out for him during his recruitment process and why HGS - UK is a workplace of growth for job seekers, currently.
What about HGS is the most striking for you?
Even though I joined the company last July, I have been working full-time only since September, so this is literally my sixth month. I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed the engagement of the business so far. From a cultural stand-point, HGS feels like a family. Its culture is one of the things that appealed the most to me during my recruitment process, and that comes through right from the very first interaction. That is HGS’ differentiation and I feel many people would want the same.
The family-like culture at HGS is its differentiation.
When you think about it, there are almost 50k colleagues spread across the world. However, the business has a personal feel to it. It is interesting to note that globally, all colleagues are friendly, supportive, and keen to help you get used to the way the business runs. I hope to have a long and successful career here.
What are value propositions in the UK for current and potential employees?
HGS has been around in the UK since it acquired a customer relationship management company in 2010, which was very well established in particular sectors at the time. We have continued to build upon those strong foundations and rooted principles. The company has been set up to grow with access to adequate funds and also has the support of our shareholders. There are a lot of opportunities that will be created for people in the UK, with the current growth prospects. When I think about value offerings for potential employees here, it would be these:
• We can offer our employees more than a static career: Here is a chance to evolve one’s career and flourish with the organisation. There is plenty of work, being a steadily growing organisation, so that creates a diverse scope of tasks for our employees. I think this goes a long way in engaging employees, so they will want to stay with HGS.
• We are expecting to expand right now: We already have a solid geographical foot-print that is set to grow in the coming months. There is a good pipeline of business opportunities, so it opens up plenty of avenues both of current and prospective employees.
• We have an open culture: HGS is a flat-structure organisation, where everybody’s opinion is of equal importance. That is the way I would expect our business to represent itself to our prospective employees. Of course, there are little differences between the levels; everyone should feel their voice is heard here. As we grow as a company, employees have the opportunity to change things that will work better and to influence that change.
The amount of work here creates a diverse scope of tasks for employees.
What qualities would you like your team to have?
In my team, I would look for ethics that I practice myself, which are:
- Transparency- I firmly believe that you shouldn’t ask people to do things that wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself. Also, the collective power of the team is more significant than its elements. So, I would want my team to be open in their communication.
- Support- In a collective, having one another’s back and extending our consideration to the next person are very important. I would want a team that supports one another.
- Challenging environment- We all need challenges to improve ourselves. A team that challenges one another would help us continue to lead the business forward.
Transparency in communication helps harness the collective power of a team.
What would be your message for potential employees in the UK?
HGS has all the benefits of a large organisation—financial support, stable structures and practices, and compliance and governance. And yet, it has retained the feel of a family-run organisation which is a delicate balance to achieve. This culture is the differentiation we can offer a potential employee here.