In 2023 alone, our business in North America received more than 100,000 applications from people seeking to have an impact through meaningful and vital work.
In connection to our organisation-wide commitment that everyone matters and everyone belongs, our Serco North America colleagues prioritize the intentional welcome of all new joiners and a framework for consistency and success at all levels.
Making continuous improvements to the colleague experience throughout the Serco employee lifecycle is critical to attracting, engaging and retaining the talented employees who deliver important services to our customers. In this, Serco works to ensure that every colleague feels excited, confident and connected to do their best work and that everyone has the guidance and support they need to find their place in the organisation.
In 2023, Serco North America launched two new colleague programmes, both with the intentional design to strengthen the colleague experience and connection to Serco and to provide strong support for a promising career: ‘SercoSpark’ and ‘SercoRising’.
SercoSpark
SercoSpark is a programme supporting new colleagues at all levels throughout their first 12 months in Serco.
"SercoSpark is designed to set new team members up for success and put them on the path to achieving their development goals alongside the growth priorities of the organization. It is a critical component in sharing the wonderful things Serco has to offer with every new employee who joins our team," says Julie Van Leunen, Chief Human Resources Officer for Serco North America.
Built around key milestones and convenient access to streamlined resources and tools, the programme is helping our colleagues feel excited, confident and connected as they discover their place at Serco.
"Although I have not yet officially started," said Charlie Trilles, SME CAD Expert, Defense Services, "the onboarding process has left a profound impression on me. It reaffirms my belief that I have made the right choice in embarking on this journey with you."
For Colleen Reynolds, Director of Employee Experience, designing and delivering SercoSpark has been important work:
"SercoSpark specifically addresses that critical period in which a colleague forms a bond with Serco that can make a lasting impact on their decision to stay with the organization or leave," explains Colleen. "We spent a lot of time engaging with key stakeholder groups, researching and analyzing – across the business and beyond – to craft the whole first-year experience, from before Day One through the first year.
"Our legacy approach was solid, but we wanted to take it all to the next level: looking at impacts on the individual; focusing on key milestones – 'the moments that matter' – and how people feel along the way; tailoring the local experience in different parts of the business; and recalibrating the rhythm and flow of information and engagement throughout."
Alongside a wealth of newly curated resources – including a suite of orientation and touchpoint videos and colleague surveys to inform continuous improvement – the experience is delivered through a 'SercoSpark Ambassador' who personally provides a supportive, engaging and anchoring presence throughout the first-year journey.
“Adjusting to a new team and culture can be quite challenging but my onboarding experience was seamless," said Svetlana Simonyan, Executive Assistant, Employment Services, Serco Canada. "Throughout this journey, constant colleague support made me feel welcomed and appreciated, while guidance and mentorship from my manager was pivotal in boosting my confidence."
As managers have the most important role in the experience of their employees, SercoSpark has placed fresh emphasis on hiring manager responsibilities for driving optimal first-year outcomes. Designed to make it easier for managers to fulfil their role in delivering the best possible new colleague experience, new manager guidance and resources have been introduced, and hundreds of managers have completed associated training.
SercoRising
"The opportunity to be involved and engaged with the SercoRising group has been a tremendous source of socialization, community, and positive culture building as I began my tenure with Serco during the global remote-work transition. While I understand the important impact of my individual work, my sense of purpose is force-multiplied when I team with the other members of SercoRising."
Ellie Klein, Proposal Specialist II, Growth
SercoRising is Serco's new network designed for early career colleagues. The new official Serco community joins our established ranks of colleague networks and Employee Resource Groups, including SercoEmbrace, In@Serco, SercoUnlimited, SercoWomen (also known as SercoInspire) and SercoVets – all in place to provide networking, development and support for diverse colleague communities.
"I'm committed to fostering a sense of belonging among all our colleagues," said Gordon Foster, Chief Finance Office for Serco North America and Executive Sponsor for SercoRising, "including early career colleagues who want to see where they fit and how they can grow within a large organization like Serco."
SercoRising is open to all and designed specifically to support early career colleagues and their managers.
"SercoRising is our fastest growing ERG to date," says Colleen Reynolds. "Building on our popular and successful intern program, we wanted to do more for a dynamic, future-focused talent community.
By formally organizing a dedicated leadership team and putting in place the right networking, development and support infrastructure, we have made our commitment clear: our early career colleagues are the future of Serco."
SercoRising focuses on fostering meaningful relationships and curating targeted resources to elevate the knowledge, experience and insight of early career colleagues while helping them grow, thrive and have an impact.
Rich Huynh, Cyber Security Intern, said: "From the Member Spotlight series to the insightful virtual discussions, SercoRising is enabling me to learn from wonderful people and develop the skills I need to tackle career challenges with confidence. I truly feel better prepared for my journey at Serco, thanks to SercoRising.”