Tim Schuh is the HGS-President of North America Operations and Global Business Excellence. He has been with the organization for three years now. Tim speaks about his own experience with HGS and the value propositions that HGS North America has for job seekers in the BPO sector.
How does HGS stand out for you?
When I joined, my role and the organization itself turned out to be as I had expected and as was advertised. HGS is very forward-thinking and willing to invest in the future, both for the organization as well as for its employees. There is a ton of support within for all the teams. The added advantage of being a part of a larger organization gives us the ability to overlook capital constraints, and take opportunities as they arise.
Personally, I have never come across these many people who have stayed on for 15-20 years in any other company.
HGS in North America had acquired two companies with very diverse cultures; both shared a keen appreciation for people working with them. This culture of recognition helped to bring them together as one HGS. Personally, I have never come across these many people who have stayed on for 15-20 years in any other company. I think that says a lot about the quality of work life here.
What would be HGS’ employer value propositions to prospective employees in the US and Canada?
Our value proposition to future employees is the opportunity to advance with HGS rapidly.
We are a very humane organization when it comes to our people. Of course, with business to be done, we recognize there may not be an exact alignment to what employees want in a perfect work environment. However, there is also cognizance that ours is a two-party relationship and success relies on both the organization and its employees coming together. Our value propositions to future employees would then be the opportunity to advance in their careers, and to grow with an organization rapidly. For example, our Head of Operations in North America started out on the phones.
Our Head of Operations in North America started out on the phones.
There are hundreds of cases where people have started from the bottom and risen to top positions, not just in North America but also, globally. HGS can give future employees the opportunity to be part of a close-knit organization—a community in each site in North America—and to be compensated fairly in the process.
Personally, what are some qualities you would like to see in your team?
I would want my team to have a deep caring for its people with focus on talent. Everyone at HGS has their goals and metrics, across roles, levels and functions. None of that is achievable without an investment in the people performing them. I would expect this investment to trickle down right to a team leader. Investment can take any shape—it could be by complimenting and being supportive, or by having honest and constructive conversations. Employees would appreciate that the company cares about them and not just what they can do.
The hunger for constant improvement is also a quality I would like to see in my team. I would expect our level of intensity to be higher than that of our clients. It is easy to fall into the trap of doing okay, but to my mind, that isn’t good enough. We have to be continuously redefining our bar of standard, and keep going above it.
What would be your message to prospective employees in North America?
HGS is a caring, challenging, and exciting work environment with significant opportunities to advance for those who have the drive, initiative, and the willingness for it.