Sofico, global automotive finance, leasing, fleet and mobility management software provider, has been awarded Investors in People (IIP) Silver level accreditation, thanks to initiatives rolled out as part of the company’s ‘Learning Organization’ philosophy.
Only 15% of businesses that apply gain IIP’s Silver accreditation, and Sofico has now achieved the standard for its offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK, plus its office at Puebla, southeast of Mexico City.
Sofico sees the IIP standard as an independent measurement to help improve the ongoing development of its HR processes and its people management approach.
Sofico’s HR manager, Corinne Martens, said: “We are very proud to achieve IIP Silver accreditation which provides us with guidelines for the continuous improvement of our HR processes. The idea behind the learning organization is to encourage people to grow in their job role through continuous learning and to put people in control of their career by focusing them on future goals through their personal development plan.
“The underlying reasoning is that we would rather have people switch to a new role or job within Sofico than leaving the company for a new challenge,” she added.
A key tool in this approach is the company’s Learning Management System, which maintains a focus on continuous learning for all employees, creating a culture of learning and development.
New employees at the company spend their first six months under the wing of a job coach – a senior employee in the business who takes on the role as an additional responsibility – who helps them to complete a personalized curriculum for their development.
This is differentiated by job role and previous experience, and helps new employees to get up to speed with working practices, policies and tools at Sofico. It also provides an insight into the fleet and mobility industries and provides an understanding of the company’s Miles solution.
Existing staff are encouraged to take control of their career by creating a personal development plan that defines career goals, and outlines any required training and learning to attain those goals. Within the personal development plan, staff can opt to gain either a broader knowledge of different job aspects or a deeper knowledge of one aspect of their job.
Staff are supported in this process by a career coach – again a senior employee taking on additional responsibility – who supports and monitors their progress towards attaining their personal development goals. Training can be provided in-house or through an external trainer either via classroom teaching, online learning or self-study.
Sofico has just announced a five-year strategy for success based on its ongoing investment in people and innovation, following a year of record sales in 2019.
The Ghent, Belgium-based business, whose systems help manage around 1.5m vehicles around the world, presented its Vision 2020-2025 to Sofico staff, outlining plans aimed at maintaining a healthy growth through ongoing investment and product development.
