Like continual growth, another one of the critical tenets of HGS life is teamwork. From a 23-member team, we have grown into a company spread across seven geographies and 73 sites. This couldn’t have been possible without collaboration. For many of our clients, we operate across geographies as one virtual team supporting the client. Maggie Arendela, one of our project managers in the UK, affirms, “When I went to the Philippines for a holiday, I visited our site in Manila. Talking to the folks there, I realized that all our goals are aligned. Everyone in Manila and London is working toward the same vision. It’s great to be a part of such a large and cohesive team.”
We deliver consistent results only because of our ability to work like a well-oiled machine on a global scale. Our shared objectives foster great leadership. Jill Hardy, assistant operations manager for HGS Canada, has observed the effects of common organizational goals. “What we are taught in training sticks so effectively that it translates to great leadership teams,” she says. “This, in turn, trickles down to the representatives. So, we succeed because of the shared goal to be the best in customer service and technical support.”
We are proud of the fact that we are one of the few global organizations that continue to have a family-like atmosphere at work. This could be part and parcel of being in the customer service industry. Empathy, compassion, and respect for the next individual are common threads of customers, clients, and employees alike at HGS. As a result, we have a work environment where team members have each other’s backs, everyone is involved in their roles, and employees are valued as assets. Dwayne Bailey, a quality analyst in Jamaica, says this is what makes employees stay with us. “I love working with my team,” he says. “We have a great relationship, inside and out of work. If there’s a task that someone is struggling with, we all chip in to assist. HGS genuinely cares for people—not only us employees, but also our community members. I’m proud to work with such a company.”
We have many employees around the world who have stayed with HGS for 5, 10, 15, 20, and more years. Not only have they grown as professionals, but their contributions have been instrumental in our progress as an organization.
Another significant part of the contributions of our tenured employees is mentorship. They have seen a lot in their time with us, and many might have even contributed to bringing in clients and setting up the process. As a practice, we believe knowledge is best used when shared, and this makes our tenured employees some of the best resources. Rick Philips leads a quality analysis team in the US, and he has been with us for more than 20 years now. He says, “The most rewarding part of my job over the years is seeing how my coaching has positively impacted my team members. Watching people grow in this profession and accomplish things that they might not have thought possible is very satisfying.”
Our tenured employees are also best positioned to share our culture of camaraderie, support, and learning. Alexander De Loyola is a team leader in the Philippines. He learned the HGS team spirit from the first team he worked with when he joined us 10 years ago. “My first team’s identity has been a part of me since I started at HGS, even though I have moved a few teams since,” he said. “ Now, I’m a team leader myself, and I have created a similar environment for my team members. It is only fair that I pass on the guidance I received as a young professional.”
While teamwork at HGS has proven benefits for our business, it plays a crucial role in keeping our people together. Naveen Kumar, one of our recruiting managers, states that HGS nurtures a sense of belonging at an individual level. He says, “Feeling like you belong here is important because it helps you take risks and apply what you have absorbed at the beginning of your tenure. I have experienced it first-hand.”