When navigating the dynamic landscape of the IT industry, the significance of company culture, employee growth, and continuous learning cannot be overstated. At NaviPartner, these elements form the bedrock of a thriving environment where individuals not only excel but also contribute meaningfully to the organization’s success.
Meet Anna Garver Pedersen, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at NaviPartner. In this interview, Anna sheds light on the unique aspects of NaviPartner’s company culture, its commitment to employee development, and the strategies used to stay at the forefront of the ever-evolving technology landscape. Learn about the recruitment process at NaviPartner, the qualities sought in potential candidates, and the company’s dedication to a work-life balance.
1. How would you describe the company culture at NaviPartner, and how does it contribute to our success in the IT industry?
The company culture at NaviPartner is deeply rooted in genuine human interaction and clear communication, as well as being based on the understanding that every employee plays a significant role in the company’s success. Furthermore, our culture is a living, breathing entity shaped by the company’s history, its growth, and the people who are a part of it.
One of the key aspects of NaviPartner’s culture is the importance of explaining the “why” behind tasks and projects. By elucidating the reasons behind certain actions and decisions, employees gain a deeper understanding of company objectives and how their individual efforts contribute to these goals. Understanding the significance of the work assignments instills a sense of purpose and pride, leading to increased job satisfaction and a healthy company culture.
The fact that every employee knows their purpose contributes significantly to NaviPartner’s success in the competitive IT landscape.
2. Can you share some examples of how NaviPartner supports employee growth and development within the organization?
NaviPartner supports employee growth and development through various initiatives and programs aimed at enhancing skills, fostering personal and professional growth, and encouraging continuous learning. To give some examples of how NaviPartner invests in its employees’ development is the offering of training sessions and workshops to help employees enhance their technical skills, to stay updated with the latest industry trends, and improve their overall competency. Employees are encouraged to identify their career goals and aspirations and are helped to map out their career paths within the organization. We, in NaviPartner, further find that our employees’ mentoring of newer or less experienced colleagues is a valuable guidance and a way of knowledge sharing and support, as it helps staff navigate their career paths effectively. Internal mobility is another growth option. We allow employees to explore different roles and departments within NaviPartner. Our employees receive regular feedback to help them understand their progress and the areas where they can focus their effort for development.
3. In the rapidly evolving IT world, what skills and competencies do you believe candidates should possess to excel in their careers at NaviPartner?
Candidates should possess a combination of technical expertise, soft skills, and adaptability to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by NaviPartner’s position in the field of the international retail market. Possessing smooth cross-cultural understanding and language skills is absolutely a plus.
4. How does NaviPartner foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation to keep up with the ever-changing technology landscape?
At NaviPartner, we encourage our employees to lifelong learning and support their curiosity by giving access to online courses, workshops, and seminars. Further, our philosophy is that failure is seen as an opportunity to learn and we also have open channels for communication where employees can share their ideas, concerns, and suggestions.
5. Can you provide an overview of the recruitment process at NaviPartner? What are the key stages that candidates should expect?
The first stage is the candidates submitting their applications through NaviPartner’s ATS. What ensues is the process of CV screening, leading to a shortlist of candidates based on their qualifications and experiences. After that, the shortlisted candidates are invited for an initial interview with me to evaluate their skills, experience, and cultural fit. After that, and depending on the role, candidates might be required to take a technical test to assess their abilities. If the test and the second interview prove that the candidate is a good match, a formal job offer is presented to the chosen candidate, specifying details such as role, compensation, benefits, and the start date. After acceptance, and up to the start date and after starting in the position, the new employee goes through an onboarding process, which includes orientation, paperwork, and training in order to integrate the new employee into the company culture and their new role.
6. What qualities and attributes do you look for in candidates when assessing their fit for NaviPartner? Are there any specific traits or experiences that set successful candidates apart?
Let me start out by stating that finding a well fitting candidate is a complicated process, as we deal with so many aspects of human interaction and sets of skills which need, hopefully, to fall into place. However, at the core of things, I always look for a combination of technical skills, relevant work experience, and soft skills matching the culture in NaviPartner when assessing the candidates’ fit for a position with NaviPartner.
7. What are some of the unique employee benefits or perks that NaviPartner offer to its team members to enhance their work-life balance and well-being?
The benefits offered to employees are flexible work hours, remote work options, paid parental leave, a pension plan, health insurance, a paid vacation, free lunch and snacks and team-building activities to create a positive work environment. So, all in all, quite a competitive set of benefits.
8. How does NaviPartner help employees map out their career paths and encourage their professional development, especially in a technology-driven industry like IT?
At NaviPartner, we find it important for our employees to be in a continued process of development, and we encourage this by offering training and workshops, as well as facilitating peer mentorship arrangements, offering certifications, continuous feedback, internal knowledge-sharing and an acknowledgment of employee contributions, and last but not least, NaviPartner supports a healthy work-life balance.
9. In the IT industry, the work-life balance can be a concern. How does NaviPartner support a healthy balance, and what’s the company’s stance on remote work?
NaviPartner prioritizes to ensure that our employees have a healthy work-life balance. This we do by means of a number of different initiatives, such as offering flexible work hours, encouraging employees to take regular breaks, and providing opportunities for professional development and growth. Also, working remote is another option, allowing our staff a sound work-life balance.
10. Collaboration is crucial in the IT industry. How does NaviPartner foster a collaborative environment among cross-functional teams and departments?
This is a very pivotal point and important aspect of running a company with cross-functional teams and departments. Among our strategies are establishing open and transparent communication channels to ensure that information flows freely between teams and departments. Also, aligning teams and departments with common goals and objectives are a high priority. Further, we find that venturing into shared team-building activities allowing our employees and leads to interact in a non-work setting can be extremely beneficial. Similarly, we encourage regular feedback from team members about their collaboration experiences and we help them use this feedback to make necessary adjustments and improvements in the collaborative processes. So, altogether, we take collaboration between cross-functional teams seriously.