Full of enthusiasm, Angela Palermo talks about what new colleagues experience in the Experience Centre. Apart from being a Learning and Development Consultant, she hosts the HR onboarding programme for office staff. ‘Every month, dozens of people start their career at VodafoneZiggo. They come to us from a wide range of departments: marketing, finance, HR, and so on. We show them right away what a great company they’ve chosen. One day is not enough for this, so they start with an online programme on Monday, followed by two training days in their own team, and finish up with the grand finale on Thursday: a live event in Utrecht.’
Informal info shopping
‘Thomas Mulder, our HR director, kicks off the programme. Each month, he welcomes the latest batch of newcomers in a sort of college-tour setting, telling them how we all work together here. And about how unlimited learning means there’s no limit to what you can learn, and why we invest so much in your development. The Experience Centre then transforms itself into a sort of marketplace where you can ‘shop’ in a fun and informal way for the information you need. Our brand specialist tells you about the history of the Vodafone and Ziggo brands, with our Culture Crew presenting our purpose and values. In a nearby room, you will learn more about our sustainability goals. And a specialist from Compliance will teach you the importance of ethical conduct when dealing with data, customers and suppliers.’
Meaningful technology
‘Apart from the various rooms that host inspirational sessions, there’s a great deal more to explore in the Experience Centre of course. After all, it’s where VodafoneZiggo’s goals and vision are brought to life, and where you can see for yourself how essential our products and services are for our society. To show this, we start with a film clip where all kinds of colleagues speak about what telephony and Internet mean to them. And of course we want to know what our attendees think too. This often leads to wonderful personal insights, such as someone speaking about how thanks to videocalling, he can see his family overseas for a while each day; or a company that was able to keep going during the COVID crisis, or a relationship that blossomed after starting online. It soon becomes clear: our technology brings people together.’
Always overwhelming
‘Then we enter a large round isolated room where a show is underway, where you experience the impact of our current and future technological landscape. You will see the city with its thousands of residents, its infrastructure and its business world. Everything in it is becoming increasingly interconnected. People always feel overwhelmed by all they see here - hushed, even. You can see them thinking: there’s a lot more to this than just looking at a smartphone or TV.
A hologram shows you how our technologies are interwoven throughout our entire society in order to make our lives a lot easier. We increasingly work together online and we participate in many virtual meetings. And in the cloud, we can even work in the same document at the same time.’ We can now do more with our mobile phones than just call - we can also e-mail, play games, pay, make videocalls, and even download and watch series.
In a later section, visitors place a 3D printed object on a wall. This shows the possibilities that arise when physical objects and the virtual world come together, something we call the Internet of Things (IoT). Example: an e-health armband that is directly linked to the hospital’s specialist. When you realise that someone can carry on living at home longer thanks to the options we provide, you realise how important our company is. We have become a necessity of life. And as an employee: whatever your job, you are an important part of this.’
Leaving with a spring in your step
‘All the technology you are shown here, the positive impact that we as VodafoneZiggo have on society, and the open and united workplace where you can really develop yourself - it always impresses people. And the playful way in which people are told about all these different topics really energises them. This is why people always leave here with a spring in their step.’