SOCIETY

BUSINESS: 468 PRACTICES


TOPIC:

Initiative

you.grow Internal Talent Program: Internal Talent Promotion Program for Young Employees of OTE Group

you.grow Internal Talent Program: Internal Talent Promotion Program for Young Employees of OTE Group
SUBMITTED FROM:

OTE GROUP

OTE Group is the largest technology company in Greece. It is one of the top three listed companies with respect to capitalization, in the Athens Stock Exchange and is also listed in the London Stock Exchange. In 2021, OTE Group employed approximately 10,500 people in Greece.

Sustainable growth is an integral part of OTE Group's business strategy, as the sustainable growth principles are integrated into its operation. Key priorities include improvement of the Group’s environmental and social footprint, as well as equal access for all citizens to the digital opportunities of the future.

COSMOTE is the unified commercial brand for all the products and services of the Group and its key message is ‘a better world for all’. Its mission is to bring technological capabilities to all, so that everyone can make full use of all the opportunities of today, while also building a better tomorrow.

Read more: www.ote.grwww.cosmote.gr.


Contact

Objective Action

An important priority for OTE Group is the systematic attraction, recognition and development of our people with talent, abilities and high potential. At the same time, we provide the right means and tools so that our people can continuously develop their skills, so that they develop an integrated professional profile and are able to successfully respond to the demands of today, but also of tomorrow. For this purpose, the you.grow program was designed and implemented, the internal program for highlighting and exploiting our young people, from all over the OTE Group, who stand out respectively for their talent, their achievements, high performance and their high potential and passion for continuous personal and professional development. The program gives participants the opportunity to take their career development into their own hands, gain new experiences, develop further partnerships and shape a comprehensive professional profile. The ultimate goal of the program is for the participants, upon completion of the program, to take on challenging roles/positions of strategic importance for the company, compatible with their skills, satisfying their desires and professional ambitions.

 

Target Audience

The you.grow program is aimed at young employees in all OTE Group companies up to the age of 30, who stand out for their talent, skills, high performance and high potential and have a passion for continuous personal and professional development (“ growth mindset”).

 

Duration

The development journey of the you.grow program lasts 18 months.


Description

The "you.grow - Internal Talent Program" program of the OTE Group, which is implemented in Cycles every ~3 years, is an innovative, dynamic program, designed entirely in-house, whose participants have the opportunity to work in all the core functions of the company, through a personalized and experiential, on-the-job development path, with a total duration of 18 months. Strong and innovative pillars of the program are the mentoring and coaching of the participants by Senior and Top Management executives, as well as the regular 360o feedback they receive for each project assigned to them.

A total of 9 participants of the 1st Cycle successfully completed their development journey in 2017, assuming positions of strategic importance for the Group, such as Senior Product Manager in new services (e.g. COSMOTE Insurance, Smart Home), Digital Transformation Analyst, ICT Solutions Presales Engineer, CRM Campaign Manager, etc.

For example, in the 1st cycle, more than 750 hours of specialized training in soft & business skills were implemented, more than 70 strategically important projects were assigned, more than 90 hours of mentoring & coaching and more than 2,000 hours of job shadowing were implemented.

In the 2nd cycle of the you.grow program, and through a demanding selection process that started in 2020, 11 employees stood out, coming from different functional units (indicative: Technology, Sales, IT, Customer Service, HR, Finance) with different educational and cognitive backgrounds, thus creating a unique and diverse "talent pool".

Participants in the program have the opportunity to further develop their skills and abilities, through a specially designed on-the-job individual development path in all the core functions of the company. This path consists of changing roles in front-line functions (store, call center, technology field), in our main functional units, Commercial and Technology, but also in supporting functions of the OTE Group, e.g. HR, Strategy, Finance, IT. During the development journey, they undertake specific and challenging projects, the progress of which is presented by them to the Management Team, at regular intervals. Throughout the program, the participants are supported by an individual mentor, a member of the Senior Management, and a different coach per project, depending on the unit in which they are at each stage of their journey, while at the same time they participate in individual sessions with a certified coach.

Key innovations of the program include:

  • Successful Onboarding Sessions & Functional Inductions, with inspirational participation of executives from Top Management, where the participants have the opportunity to delve deeper into our Group's strategy and better understand how it is connected to the objectives of the individual business units, simultaneously discussing the issues that concern them occupy.
  • Personalized and flexible development path for each participant, which is designed and constantly readjusted by the specialized Talent Management team, depending on the individual development needs of each participant and the company's strategic projects.
  • One-2-one mentoring from Senior Executives to each participant.
  • One-2-one coaching sessions by a certified coach for each participant.
  • Frequent feedback, at each stage of their journey and per project assigned to them, regarding their abilities.
  • Overall development path in key functions of the company, lasting 18 months, with the support of a member of the Senior Management in the role of coach, per project.
  • 100% on-the-job experience through work in demanding projects (individual and group), of strategic importance in topics such as digitalization, new business development, etc., effectively contributing with their innovative ideas and their "fresh" approach. Communication of the participants with the Top Management through periodic presentations of the projects and their development path.
  • Continuous on-the-job, but also digital and classroom trainings in the required soft & job know-how skills of the future, in collaboration with leading agencies.
  • Ensuring participation in conferences of global interest related to exhibition technologies.
  • Ensuring participation in monthly meetings (Young Talents Circle) with executives/talents from other companies in Greece, in order to expand their network of contacts and exchange opinions related to the political, regulatory, social and communication environment of the country.
  • Speeches by inspirational guest speakers (e.g. from the field of sports, journalism)
  • Co-financing from our postgraduate company, for those of the participants who wish to continue their postgraduate studies.

In this challenging and demanding internal (in-house) talent identification and development program, major challenges are included, such as:

  • Ensuring the objective selection, through a demanding and transparent process, of the strongest and most suitable candidates for the program. More specifically, the demanding process of evaluation and selection of participants, which started at the end of 2019 and ended in 2020, consisted of 4 stages:

         -Stage 1: Submission of applications

         -Stage 2: After the eligibility checks of the applications, based on the prerequisites, the candidates participated in demanding online tests (certifying good knowledge of English, gamification, numerical, linguistic reasoning, personality)

        -Stage 3: the candidates took part in a group exercise (escape room), and career aspirations interview with the participation of Executives in the panels

       -Stage 4o: the candidates participated in Individual Assessment Centers and in a deep dive Competency Based interview with the participation of Managers in the panels

      -Stage 5: the candidates reached the final stage of the process, where, after having a brief meeting with the CEO of the OTE Group, they participated in Competency Based Interviews with the Group's Senior Executives, where the 11 participants in the program were selected.

  • The retention and reward of candidates who made it to the final stage of the evaluation process but were ultimately not selected. These employees were given detailed, constructive feedback and, in the context of recognizing their potential and their profile, they were offered new or expanded tasks, thus combining their personal desires with the company's needs.
  • The preparation of executives in all operational units, in order to:

          -To welcome and integrate directly and successfully into their teams and for a short period, the participants of the you.grow program, and assign them specific, challenging and strategic projects, trusting in their capabilities and innovative ideas.

         -Provide regular and constructive feedback to participants.

         -To evaluate the result of their work in the individual projects objectively and based on strict criteria, while recognizing the increased demands from the participants, but also their high potential.

  • The continuous readjustment of the individual development paths of the participants during the program, based on both their individual needs and the needs arising from the company's strategic projects.
  • Ensuring the smooth implementation of the program in the midst of the Covid pandemic, taking all the necessary measures for the hygiene and safety of all employees (providing the appropriate equipment for teleworking, implementation of digital trainings and digital meetings, frequent covid tests by the company before the implementation of physical meetings)

In the program so far they have:

  • Actively participate:

         -212 candidates,

         -over 160 executives with team management responsibility at all hierarchical levels,

         -over 60 business units

  • Assigned and completed:

        -More than 35 projects

  • Conducted:

        -Over 75 feedback sessions

        -Over 90 mentoring sessions

        -Over 140 coaching sessions with a certified coach

  • Happen:

         -Over 220 hours of training

         -16 Functional Inductions

The weight of the "you.grow Internal Talent Program", both for the OTE Group of companies as an employer, and for the employees themselves is great.

This is the first program aimed at all new employees of the OTE Group, giving everyone the opportunity to claim an opportunity for structured development and professional development.

The employees selected, per Cycle, in the program have a unique opportunity to gain experience of all the key functions of the company, in a very short period of time, and develop into future leaders.

Finally, the you.grow Internal Talent Program contributed to the establishment of Mentoring and Coaching in our company, a necessary basis for the dissemination of knowledge and experience.


more...

Impact on Society

According to the Satisfaction Survey for the you.grow program, which was conducted among the 11 participants of the 2nd cycle of the program, their overall satisfaction result, regarding the value they consider they have gained so far from the program, is at 100%.

More broadly, the program enhances the satisfaction of our Group's employees regarding the opportunities, means and tools available from the employer for the development and recognition of our employees, thus positively influencing the loyalty indicators.



Initiative Location

The 18-month development journey of the you.grow program requires participants to settle in Athens.

However, during the first stage of candidate evaluation/selection, evaluation centers were implemented in addition to Athens, Patras, Xanthi and Thessaloniki.


More...…

Working with Organization

The program is designed, organized and implemented in-house.


Workers Participation

he program is planned, organized and coordinated by the Talent Management team, of the HR Business Partner Operations of the OTE Group, with the necessary participation and excellent cooperation and support from a multitude of employees of all levels from the different business units of the Group who collaborate with particular joy with participants/you.growers passing on their knowledge and experience and getting value from their 'fresh' innovative ideas and enthusiasm.


More...…

Benefits for Οrganization

The benefits of the you.grow program for OTE Group are:

  • The further development of high potentials, giving them the resources to potentially become future leaders in the Group
  • Strengthening employee loyalty
  • Enhancing employee performance
  • The strengthening of the feeling of recognition
  • The retention of talent
  • Strengthening employer branding
  • The coverage of critical positions of strategic importance for the company internally by the employees of the Group
  • Enhancing innovation and creativity
  • Strengthening the growth mindset
  • The strengthening of succession management
  • The establishment of the institution of Mentoring and Coaching



Connection with Global Goals







More Initiatives from Organization


















#ZEROPLASTIC

A better world without discrimination for all

Ambitious Goals and Actions to Address Climate Change

Collaboration with the "Mediterranean SOS" Network for the initiative #zeroplastic

COSMOTE e-value Kerameikos Office Building,

COSMOTE TV Building

COSMOTE UFixit (Mobile Application, Android/iOS)

Digitization of the child sexual abuse prevention program "Safe Touch" of the ELIZA association

Educational programs for everyone from the OTE Group Telecommunications Museum

Employee Volunteering and Social Contribution

Free broadband services in the top archaeological sites in Greece

GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Missing Alert App

Products and Services Aiming at Sustainable Development

Products and Services for Sustainable Development

Single Sustainable Development Report

Sustainable Development Team of OTE Group

The Management of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the OTE Group

Waste Management

Zero Tolerance to Corruption We make our employees aware of anti- corruption and we select business partners who respect our values

“Our world, a better world.”, www.abetterworld.gr, microsite of 2015 OTE Group Sustainability Report.



Send us your feedback Print
The Sustainable Greece Ιnitiative launched by QualityNet Foundation