It’s the people that count in Sii – IT experts are the value in outsourcing
„What we stand for, is our people” – business leaders often repeat this phrase, since this is what the success of their firm is based on. However, it’s far easier to talk than to put this philosophy into practice in the everyday life of an organisation. One firm which consciously manages human resources and stands for the betterment of its workers is Sii – a provider of information technology services, which has eight branches in the largest Polish cities and offers its clients a wide range of IT solutions, supplied by a team of as many as 3,200 technology experts. Sii’s mission is its motto – Power People, which means the identification and promotion of the best workers. Sii recruits engineers mainly on the basis of their competence, but also for their personality and potential, and then looks after the growth of their technical skill, their comfort and their satisfaction, at all stages.
„In Sii, people are what count, as we are aware that it is they who create the working environment.” – explains Krzysztof Krężel, Chief Operating Officer in Sii – „We create opportunities for specialists to develop their technical skills and build a professional career. When recruiting we choose both the best experts and those with less experience, but with great potential, who will take advantage of opportunities to develop. The newly employed power the teams founded by engineers with many years experience in the firm, thanks to which they rapidly acquire new skills. Then, we train them in our working practices, the specifications of projects and also expand their knowledge in terms of concrete, advanced technologies. What’s more, whenever we open a new division of the business, those with the greatest chance of promotion are our experienced specialists – it gives them a chance to push themselves up to the top. In accordance with our motto: Power People, we promote our best workers. In the case of filling the position of manager – we always look for a suitable candidate from within the firm.”
The company Sii was founded in 2006. At first, it was involved in basic forms of outsourcing – staffing and team leasing in the IT sector. In the space of 12 years, the firm has expanded considerably, and built its own range of services. Sii has also created management services, as well as delivering and implementing IT systems, and realising projects in the field of IT and industrial engineering.
The firm is remarkably flexible and focused on delivering a professional service. The highest quality is achieved, not only thanks to the expert knowledge of workers. Results also come through the structure of the organisation. Two years ago, Sii underwent a transformation in its structure, in order to create a matrix organisation. As well as operating eight Branches in the biggest cities in Poland, Sii has focused on its technical competencies through its Competency Centers. Here, you will find highly specialised divisions dedicated to specialised technologies, such as: Tests, Digital, Office365, Dynamics365, Legacy Systems, Business Intelligence, SAP, Salesforce, IT Operations, Engineering, Trainings, BPO and in April 2018 Embedded. Every Center specialises in one field of technology or service – we also support appropriate sales teams. These, in turn, are divided into business and geographical sectors.
Today, Sii services over 200 international clients across the whole world, representing many sectors such as: finance, insurance, telecommunications, logistics, retail, airports, high-tech, media and so on. Sii’s business partners may be divided into three groups: Polish firms, international corporations with shared services in Poland and clients who do not operate on Polish soil. Krzysztof Krężel attributes the fast growth of Sii to a unique combination of the following factors: a system of values which form the basis of the company culture, mature processes and the engagement of workers.
„We have always concentrated on those we employ, and their well-being is our priority. We have won the award Great Place to Work three years in a row. This distinction was gained based on the results of an anonymous survey of workers. We are also currently on the list of the 500 fastest growing firms in Europe” – the Chief Operating Officer of Sii emphasised with pride. „We operate on the basis of 15 basic values: ambition, fighting spirit, flexibility, quality, loyalty, courage, passion, a positive attitude, team spirit, transparency, respect, modesty, honesty, engagement and trust. That’s a long list, but every one of these values is fundamental to our activity. We also pay close attention to the dividing and implementation of processes. There is a saying: a shoemaker still walks without shoes – but this simply isn’t true in the case of Sii. We have invested heavily in our own solutions in our own information systems, which give us a competitive advantage in the market, which we can then implement in the workplace of the client.”
Sii is incredibly proud of its own growth. The firm’s next target is to break the billion PLN barrier in sales. „In order to grow steadily, we are starting off with new services, such as consulting in the SAP (Systems, Applications, Product) field, and also outsourcing business processes, namely BPO (Business Process Outsourcing)” – Krzysztof Krężel adds. „Our previous growth has been entirely organic, however, nowadays we don’t rule out acqusitions. We would also like to strengthen our position as an attractive partner for foreign companies, by offering them services provided by talented Polish workers”.
Article written by: Dominika Arendt
