Making it to college graduation in time with our parents proudly seated beside us as the Principal delivers an inspiring speech. Listening to the valedictorian deliver their address as your mind wanders to the graduation party you’ll be attending with your friends later that evening. The relief of having a job offer and the promise of friendships that will last a lifetime. All these bittersweet moments mark the last few days at college.
This year though has been quite different. Thanks to the pandemic, college students have been thrown into a tizzy, with the future shrouded by uncertainty. Having spent the last few months at home stressing over connectivity challenges and doubtful over job prospects, many graduates didn’t have the chance to enjoy their last days of college life.
At Societe Generale Global Solution Centre (SG GSC), we were aware of how the new, virtual scenario has made life difficult for students. But thanks to the foresight of the Human Resource team, the different Business Lines and the management, over 300 young graduates who were scheduled to join us between June and August 2020 had a seamless and memorable experience.
Aware of the uncertainty, the teams maintained constant touch with our incoming batch of young graduates and guided them through the entire process. Many of them had interned with us and were already part of the teams prior to being selected for full-time positions. To allay any anxiety, the HR and Business teams held regular, virtual connects over the weekends with them. These conversational sessions helped address concerns and share updates on joining formalities – physical to virtual in a flash! The empathetic approach to welcoming our new employees struck a chord with the college graduates who were making the transition into the corporate world in these uncertain times.
But securing a first job with a renowned organisation is not only a milestone for the graduates, but also an achievement and recognition of the hard work and dedication of their family – parents who have been with the students through all the roadblocks in life.
While there is no fixed solution to managing life in a pandemic, what does matter is the thoughtfulness with which we treat our people. This being the culture at SG GSC even before the pandemic, it was but natural to extend this sentiment to our incoming batch of young graduates.
The HR team devised a creative way of breaking the news of selection for full-time positions to the young graduates. They noticed that while parents play a large part in our successes, they don’t get the recognition they deserve. So they brought the parents into that moment when they shared the news of their ward’s selection. The candidates were surprised and puzzled when the HR team told them to bring their family on to the video call. Then they then made the announcement to the entire family! The parents and graduates were surprised, emotional and ecstatic with this thoughtful gesture, that turned an offer letter into a lifetime memory.
Watching the surprise and happy expressions on the parents’ faces made the teams equally happy. Many of the young graduates selected lauded the effort of the teams on social media too. You can read their comments here and share your personal thank you notes to anyone from the HR team.
Whether it’s by inviting parents of employees to share the success of their efforts or by contributing to larger goals through global initiatives, we always keep people at the heart of our progress. At Societe Generale Global Solution Centre, we believe in creating careers and not jobs. Every employee perfectly represents the four values of the Societe Generale Group – Team Spirit, Commitment, Innovation and Responsibility and from this story alone, it’s evident that it’s making a difference! #TheFutureIsYou
If you’d like to explore open positions visit this link or apply to roles on LinkedIn.
