Burcin Ressamoglu

CEO of Sodexo Employee & Consumer Engagement

Talks with: Lorri Lowe, Partner, Friisberg & Partners UK

Employee Engagement is now more important than ever. What changes have you seen over the past year and what are your expectations for the future?

The change to remote working has for many companies meant a dynamic acceleration and a rapid embedding of digital ways of working. Without physical interaction and positive reinforcement of an office culture, it is too easy for people to feel isolated and undervalued – this is the challenge for many employers. There is a tendency for some people to work too hard, to burn out - perhaps to over compensate for not being visible on a daily basis and maybe some, who have been hiding behind others, are suddenly exposed.

Employers want different and instant ways of connecting with and rewarding their remote teams to keep productivity and engagement high and not lose the value of a shared work ethic. Increasingly digitised ways of working are undoubtedly the future and similarly access to ways of incentivising teams will be through readily accessible and easily usable digital platforms.

I believe leaders need to find ways to show they care in order to maintain productivity, focus and engagement of their team. Digital Benefit platforms are increasingly important and we have seen more employers turn to these to better take care of employees to ensure their wellbeing.

Leadership teams are focusing less on the long-term strategy of the company, perhaps less overtly on the financials, instead spending more time connecting with their people to ensure they know and understand what is expected of them. If someone feels isolated, knowing what steps can quickly be taken to re-focus them is vital.

What would you encourage CEOs and Boards to do to maximise engagement from remote workers?

This is undoubtedly the biggest challenge - not just in terms of maintaining employee engagement, but also their overall efficiency. I believe that at this time the leadership team must be more visible and accessible than ever.

It is important to celebrate and encourage a better work/life balance. In the past leaders were understandably focused on the best ways of transacting the company strategy, but now it is more about having the right mindset and the right tools to effectively manage their teams remotely. Being mindful of your people’s needs, not expecting everyone to always be available 24/7, ensuring the team has regular breaks, communicating a shared understanding of the KPIs and ensuring everyone feels supported – in summary, looking after your employees’ wellbeing has never been so important.

As leaders we must take care of ourselves too. It is all too easy to be so concerned about the team that it is easy to forget about yourself. Being a role model to promote wellbeing for the Board and leadership team is essential.

Transparency of feelings and open communication are also vital. At Sodexo, we meet formally and informally, virtually of course, to check in and discuss where we are, how we are feeling about home, about the office, and what might we need. This means any action can be taken promptly and everyone feels they have a voice and are heard. Informal communication is very important – e.g. quizzes, late afternoon drinks in smaller teams promote easier conversations, so if there is a problem we can immediately help.

As a CEO, how have you changed how you run your business over the past 6-9 months?

Socially and economically the world has changed. Previously we worked collaboratively in our office and I knew working remotely would not replace the daily physical interactions. Of course, the general principles stay the same in terms of how employees bring potential to the business, how they can best contribute and how we can all engender trust. But I took the time to do lots of research on remote working and I reviewed our communication strategy straight away adjusting my daily focus from addressing the long term goals to being more agile and nimble – we had to evolve and quickly. We introduced a temporary program , we identified targets over 6 months rather than a year, and with shorter term objectives we can be more agile, reactive and proactive in response to change from the impacts of COVID19.

What changes have you seen in consumer behaviours and their relationship with brands and business?

One million business consumers interact and use our products daily, so we genuinely understand consumer behaviours. It was vital that our platform was totally digital and incredibly user friendly. Consumers now demand short lead times – not 3 days anymore, but immediate. They also want more for their money and want to shop with trusted brands. Demands for our discount platform (engagement of consumers is positive where there are good discounts) is high – people are more focused on their earnings and household budgets.

What advice would you give to other CEOs now that would never have crossed your mind a year ago?

Never underestimate what you and your team can achieve. In 120 hours we moved from being office based to 100% remote working. We embraced the technical, adjusted the infrastructure, aligned our collective mindset, and ensured all our processes were in line. I might never have thought that possible - after years of discussions, in just two months we were 100% digital – this as a result of external pressures to adapt to unforeseen change. We achieved this together and now we know we can achieve anything. It is important to share ambition and to look for the potential in people - the real potential. Taking the time to reflect on what you have achieved is paramount and, of course, never underestimating anyone.

Leadership is a combination of example and inspiration. Has recent experience changed your views on what makes a good manager and if so, what do you need from your senior leadership team now?

Being a positive leader means caring for your team, engaging with them openly, finding different ways of communicating and listening to what they need.  This can mean you have to stretch yourself to demonstrate effective leadership skills - and that isn’t always easy. It is vital that those on the leadership team adapt quickly to new technologies and lead on this efficiently to best communicate with teams in the right way. Building and maintaining trust is essential. Finally, never underestimate the importance of a ‘thank you’ - and meaning it. Many people are understandably concerned about their observable performance; they are worried about their perceived contribution to the success of the business. Employee recognition has never been so vital and recognition platforms drive positive culture and best practice.

Friisberg & Partners International is proud to be a preferred supplier of executive search to Sodexo in the UK.

Over the past six months Friisberg & Partners International has interviewed many candidates remotely.

With coronavirus infections rising again, working from home looks likely to continue for a while longer - and so will online interviews.

Recently Mary Keane and Lorri Lowe, both Partners in Friisberg, spoke about this shift.

They discussed the advice we now offer to candidates:

Mary Keane, Partner Friisberg Czech Republic:

• Even if we are by now used to virtual meetings, interviewing is very different from any other professional conversation, so make sure you prepare. By mitigating technical, camera and body-language-related factors, you improve the odds that the interviewers will focus on the substance of your answers and what you could do for the company.
• Body language and eye contact is very important during a in-person interview and to convey similar connection during a video, it is important to avoid the instinct to look directly at the image on the screen, instead you should look directly to the webcam when speaking.
• With prompt start and end times to online meetings, there is less opportunity for small-talk, so make every question and answer insightful and relevant, be clear and concise but friendly and optimistic. Smiling is contagious and can relax the mood of the interview.
• In addition to the usual research you’d do about the company investigate what the firm has done / is doing in response to Covid-19 and ask about the onboarding and induction processes in a WFH world – it really matters now.

Lorri Lowe, Partner Friisberg UK:

• I am often asked about the dress code for video interviews. Dress as you would for an in-person interview – most people feel most authoritative, credible, and competent when wearing formal business attire. However, I would suggest choosing a neutral background for your interview – amusing virtual backgrounds are rarely appropriate!
• It is worth remembering that during the interview, you won’t be getting the same level of non-verbal information from the interviewer and there’s lots of research that shows when we don’t have feedback, we tend toward a more negative bias. So for the same reason, you want to practice being relaxed during the interview. Your goal is to appear natural and entirely at ease with the circumstances.
• The crisis has made people more eager to connect with colleagues on an emotional level and your interviewer may have a higher expectation about how much warmth you convey during the interview. It’s more difficult for the interviewer to understand your enthusiasm through the screen, so make sure you’re expressive when answering questions.
• Ultimately, preparation is vital - from ensuring the technology works, to conducting adequate research before the meeting, sitting down at your computer poised and ready for any and all questions  - these are the basics to help set you apart from others.

By Silvano Joly, Sales Country Manager, Centric Software Italia.

What do you think could be the combination of success and good functioning of an organization?

When one accepts a job and decides to work for a company it is for several interconnected reasons. We can call them Personal Success Factors (‘PSF’). As a person and a manager, I summarize them as the ‘4 C cluster’: C-ash, C-areer, C-ompany, C-ontext. Both when I am evaluating or proposing a job, I try to use this scheme. Every organisation, with a genuine strategy or not, proposes its own mix of PSF, which in turn is successful or not depending on the people who do it and are part of it. It can be applied both for attracting talent or for retaining the best people in your team.

Let's develop, as an example, some concepts around the ‘4 C’ and about why a someone enters and remains in an organization:

C-ash

i.e. the Salary - Everyone has a salary and expectation of what they are worth. The minimum threshold is variable, whereas the maximum one might not exist. Satisfaction with one's salary level is based on a delicate balance between your salary when compared to the external and internal market. Salary is the foundation of the contractual relationship between employer and employee, and it is also the foundation of trust. Remuneration is directly related to performance and mainly related to your quantitative and measurable results.

C-areer

i.e. the organisation and development - This factor combines several elements:

• Positioning within the organization - i.e. status (Director, Executive, Supervisor);

• Job title and description;

• Growth potential plus learning opportunities, visibility in the community, prestige of the company;

• Skills needed and recognized to perform the role

Where your role is not clear or where you have no possibility of development, learning and/or your professionalism is not well identified and recognized the salary may therefore need to be variable.

C-ompany

i.e. Work environment - This factor is divided into three parts:

• Acting values and reputation of the organisation;

• Relations with the management;

• the work environment in general - in fact a safe and big company can be considered the best and safest place where to stay.

No money can compensate for having a bad manager, bad relationships with colleagues, an unhealthy work environment or the bad reputation of an employer.

C-ontext

i.e. Work-Life Balance – This is a very important factor and it can be vital. It includes the type of contract and actual behaviour encouraged by the company in terms of minimising stress; physical security; and location - i.e. not monetary benefits.  More and more people consider this balance before taking a job – especially millennials and younger people.

We have seen how important smart working has become and how strategic a company must be in organizing it for its workforce. This can be measured both by tangible benefits, like health insurance, yoga coaching or a nursery in the company and intangible ones like a low levels of stress, frustration; reduced commuting time, clear working hours and a high level of general organisation.

So, my balance in the old and our new normal follows the PSFs and my 4 Cs:

• Within an organization, there may be different mixes of Personal Success Factors, depending on of departments or offices - don’t assume the candidate in front of you is the same as you.

• Ask your HR department to do more than to pay salaries. Have them work with you and discuss together your PSF and those of the team;

• The mix of PSF constitutes your Value Proposition as an Employer, so give one to your candidates and employees as you give one to your sales prospects.

In the last 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with Guglielmo, splendidly, I have always had quality results thanks to his work and commitment. His return to Friisberg as a Partner will increase many projects, especially at an international level.

Göran Björkman, CEO Sandvik Materials Technology & Chair Swedish Association of  Industrial Employers

Talks with: Peter Strandberg, Partner, Friisberg & Partners Sweden & President Friisberg & Partners International

Since the Covid-19 Crisis began, what steps have you taken?

When the Covid-19 Crisis began and ever since we have focused primarily on our employees’ health taking our cooperate responsibilities seriously.

Sandvik’s moto is always “Safety first” and we have tried now, as always, to live by that moto. We have tried to follow all restrictions and regulations as stated by the different Governments around the world to minimize the risk of viral transmission such as restrictions when traveling, quarantining people if they came from “at risk” areas, allowing people to work from home, conducting most meetings virtually and limiting the numbers of people in one place at meetings.

Business-wise we immediately recognised that this was an event that would affect us very much. With that in mind we devised various scenarios enabling us to plan accordingly and be ready for anything.

Of course everything we anticipated didn’t turn out exactly the way that we imagined, but it definitely made it easier for us to understand what we had to deal with and then make the necessary adjustments.

What lessons have cities learned from this crisis so far?

Irrespective of the crisis, it is good to be agile and act as soon as you possibly can - even if you do not have all facts to hand. You have to take control of the situation and even if you can’t control it, you have to try to be proactive. Try to create realistic scenarios and start to execute accordingly, but also have an open and flexible mind and be willing to change your decisions and guidelines when needed.

When will the situation change?

This is impossible to say of course, but in the short term, for our business, we must continue to de-leverage and by having effective cost control navigate through the next few months. Hopefully we have now reached the bottom, however when and how fast we will see a rise depends on many things. Perhaps if we are lucky we might see some recovery by the end of this year, but how big and how fast still remains to be seen and will rely on many unknowns such as if there might be a second wave, or if a vaccine is shown to be effective.

The things that were important before will remain just as and more important afterwards.

What will be the biggest lessons learned?

We have a short memory so I think a lot of things will at least, for a while, go back to more of how it was before - at least in the short term.

Taking a longer perspective, the situation has forced all organizations to rethink policies, for example travel to and from where people can effectively work. Working from different locations means of course that the logistics must be in place, but also the way organizations are structured, set up and managed might need to change.

In terms of the efficacy of the leaders and the way their performance is measured some managers will adapt, but some will not. Those aspects of business we took for granted all over the world before the pandemic, such as face to face meetings, might be replaced in the long-term with virtual tools.

Companies have amended the way they go to market using all sorts of new technology and have to be organized to facilitate that. People are now learning quickly because right now they have to - they are learning by ‘doing’ and not from ‘education’. This methodology will inevitably elicit a much better uptake and sustain these behaviours better than any training.

To our surprise we have discovered that looking again at the way we conduct our own business might just make our own impact and contributions even better. Hopefully this also means that we will have even more flexibility in our organisations, and that we will be better at measuring our performance.

Performance management will be even more important!

This new way of working and behaving will also put bigger demands on governance, and the capability of managers will be even more important. They have to be able to balance between good performance and not making people work too much. In a flexible organisation, where you can work from wherever, there is a risk that the good people never stop working and that brings its own problems such as health issues.

Are you optimistic about after Covid-19?

Yes, absolutely! I am always optimistic there will be a good future out there … I think!

It’s just a matter of getting there and as I said before, what was important before will also be important afterwards. There is no doubt that we will all be affected one way or another and might have to prioritise a little differently, both as professionals and as individuals.

Sergio Scornavacca, Director Industrial Markets & Northern Italy Lead, Indra Italia

Talks with: Guglielmo Sallustio, Partner, Friisberg & Partners Italy

Since the Covid-19 Crisis began, what steps have you taken?

Nobody can say today that they were ready for this pandemic. Fortunately in Minsait, an Indra Group Company, we faced this health emergency with unity, calm and commitment, trying to maintain professionalism and constant effort.

Today we can definitely say that due to our actions, the impact has been limited.

We are a global technology and consulting company and we firmly believe in flexibility at work, focusing on trust, autonomy and the responsibility of our professionals. From the very beginning, we tried to work with our colleagues demonstrating that their safety was our first priority.

We focused on:

• Transparency, giving a daily update of all news related to Covid-19
• Creating a specific Steering Committee that is still monitoring the situation
• Making our Doctor and Psychotherapist available
• Donating to Civil Defence and coordinating an internal network of social solidarity
• Constantly communicating directly with our Country Manager via specific virtual meetings with every single working group

Personally I decided to extend my relationship with my international colleagues in South America, USA and Europe, and it was great to share with them every single experience we were each facing. With my team, I changed from our traditional to “speed-date” meetings to have each team member share the good and bad moments of their week during lockdown.

What lessons have cities learned from this crisis so far?

This emergency can be an opportunity to accelerate the evolution towards new and more collaborative working models. I believe that we have the opportunity to build what we called in Minsait “new bridges”, a metaphor that I particularly love.

Our “Bridges to the Interior” has resulted in innovative tools and methodologies which are even more collaborative and our “Bridges to the Exterior” improves our relationship with our customers, sharing their needs and growth prospects.

Now more than ever, I feel close to my colleagues, customers, partners and providers.

When will the situation change?

Nobody can say exactly. In the meantime we have a civic and professional obligation to protect our colleagues, to never leave them alone. Change is hard and, in a crisis like Covid-19, it gets very complex. Leaders are faced with keeping their workforce engaged and productive, while keeping the business running and building for the future.

In the meantime, we have to invest in a transparent, purposeful messaging, trying to ensure communications which are clear, consistent and easily accessible to all.

What will be the biggest Impact on future cities’ organization?

We must limit the social, organizational, and economic impact of this emergency. We have amazing technological tools, and we have the opportunity to leverage them with internal and external experts who are able to support us all in this phase of rebirth, always putting people at the centre of our consideration.

For example, today more than ever, it’s necessary to focus on training as continuous improvement. It is a time for discussion and confrontation, otherwise we risk organisational chaos which could be difficult to control and could lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction - with important impacts on performance and corporate image.

Are you optimistic about after Covid-19?

Yes, absolutely! I’m always optimistic that what's to come is better.

My sector is the Industry and Consumer Goods Market, so it’s probably one of the most affected industries of this crisis. I know that each and one of us have to think about the “needs” of our people, as employees, fathers and mothers of families.

This is the time to accelerate our transformation in order to come out of the crisis even stronger, to become better people working in better companies.

Sergio Scornavacca, Director Industrial Markets & Northern Italy Lead, Indra Italia

Talks with: Guglielmo Sallustio, Partner, Friisberg & Partners Italy

Since the Covid-19 Crisis began, what steps have you taken?

Nobody can say today that they were ready for this pandemic. Fortunately in Minsait, an Indra Group Company, we faced this health emergency with unity, calm and commitment, trying to maintain professionalism and constant effort.

Today we can definitely say that due to our actions, the impact has been limited.

We are a global technology and consulting company and we firmly believe in flexibility at work, focusing on trust, autonomy and the responsibility of our professionals. From the very beginning, we tried to work with our colleagues demonstrating that their safety was our first priority.

We focused on:

• Transparency, giving a daily update of all news related to Covid-19
• Creating a specific Steering Committee that is still monitoring the situation
• Making our Doctor and Psychotherapist available
• Donating to Civil Defence and coordinating an internal network of social solidarity
• Constantly communicating directly with our Country Manager via specific virtual meetings with every single working group

Personally I decided to extend my relationship with my international colleagues in South America, USA and Europe, and it was great to share with them every single experience we were each facing. With my team, I changed from our traditional to “speed-date” meetings to have each team member share the good and bad moments of their week during lockdown.

What lessons have cities learned from this crisis so far?

This emergency can be an opportunity to accelerate the evolution towards new and more collaborative working models. I believe that we have the opportunity to build what we called in Minsait “new bridges”, a metaphor that I particularly love.

Our “Bridges to the Interior” has resulted in innovative tools and methodologies which are even more collaborative and our “Bridges to the Exterior” improves our relationship with our customers, sharing their needs and growth prospects.

Now more than ever, I feel close to my colleagues, customers, partners and providers.

When will the situation change?

Nobody can say exactly. In the meantime we have a civic and professional obligation to protect our colleagues, to never leave them alone. Change is hard and, in a crisis like Covid-19, it gets very complex. Leaders are faced with keeping their workforce engaged and productive, while keeping the business running and building for the future.

In the meantime, we have to invest in a transparent, purposeful messaging, trying to ensure communications which are clear, consistent and easily accessible to all.

What will be the biggest Impact on future cities’ organization?

We must limit the social, organizational, and economic impact of this emergency. We have amazing technological tools, and we have the opportunity to leverage them with internal and external experts who are able to support us all in this phase of rebirth, always putting people at the centre of our consideration.

For example, today more than ever, it’s necessary to focus on training as continuous improvement. It is a time for discussion and confrontation, otherwise we risk organisational chaos which could be difficult to control and could lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction - with important impacts on performance and corporate image.

Are you optimistic about after Covid-19?

Yes, absolutely! I’m always optimistic that what's to come is better.

My sector is the Industry and Consumer Goods Market, so it’s probably one of the most affected industries of this crisis. I know that each and one of us have to think about the “needs” of our people, as employees, fathers and mothers of families.

This is the time to accelerate our transformation in order to come out of the crisis even stronger, to become better people working in better companies.