Trust and listening, two keys to maintaining a good team

ACKstorm is a nationwide company founded in Barcelona. By combining different work methodologies, it aims to improve services, adaptability, infrastructure scalability and freedom, depending on the Cloud model chosen by the client. To achieve this, the talent search must be exhaustive, and this is what we have talked about with Cristina Martín, your Talent Manager.

The ACKstorm team is multidisciplinary, proactive and is always looking for new ways to tackle projects. All this, guaranteeing quality service and close technical dialogue. Currently, they have workers of 9 different nationalities, which brings diversity to the company. 

CHALLENGES IN RECRUITMENT FOR THE ICT SECTOR

It is nothing new that, when looking for a job, the main reason for applying is the salary that the company can offer them.  This is one of the biggest difficulties ACKstorm faces in its hiring process. "Most of the time the main difficulty is finding a candidate who has the knowledge, training and experience necessary for our projects and who fits into our salary ranges", Cristina clarifies. 

Another drawback that they can sometimes find is that employees do not want to be in constant training. In the ICT field, this is non-negotiable since technology advances by leaps and bounds. If you do not recycle quickly or learn to introduce the changes that affect your sector, you will be left behind. Cristina told us the case of a collaborator who did not want to train due to lack of time and preferred to go to another company where it was not required, in addition to offering him a higher salary. “In the market there are people with very high salaries who do not have the level required at ACKstorm, this is due to the high supply and low demand there is. This forces us to change our hiring policy and hire more juniors to train them and retain them..”, Martin agreed.

“This forces us to change our hiring policy and hire more juniors to train them and retain them” 

In this sense, it is worth highlighting that another problem is that competition has gone from being local to global. Now, talents can apply for a job anywhere in the world thanks to the remote work model and, sometimes, with a salary offer much higher than what would be obtained in Spain.

THE LOYALTY OF WORKERS

“To the extent possible, we give the worker what they need. In the end, that's it, it's having 100% open communication and seeing each case and each need of all people.”. For ACKstorm, work-life balance is essential when it comes to build loyalty among talents within the company. They offer the team the possibility of working remotely, a flexible remuneration application to save on childcare, food... Likewise, they facilitate English classes within the company itself and try to adapt the schedules and conditions to the personal needs of the employees, whenever possible. 

“The turnover in 2022 was 35% and this year we have practically reduced it to 11%”says Cristina. And, he adds that it has been thanks to the company's flexibility and talent management.

“Our secret weapon is to listen and trust”. To build employee loyalty, it is also essential to put your trust in them and listen to them. This is one of ACKstorm's secret weapons. But, this does not mean that it should not be controlled whether the assigned tasks have been completed correctly or not. Therefore, in this company, they have an open feedback system to discuss the work done with the teams themselves. Both staff and company results are transparent to anyone who wants to discuss them. 

“Our secret weapon is to listen and trust”

Another of the company's tools, this time to get the person hired right, is to “internalize” the selection processes. Previously, they had hired a consulting firm to do that work for them, however, “consultants do not know or do not understand what your company needs”, clarifies Cristina. 

FUTURE

Trends change, new technologies advance fast and, in a sector dedicated to them such as digital clouds, renewal must be constant. “I believe in continuous learning as a fundamental pillar in companies in the ICT sector. You have to retrain yourself all the time because technologies change, new things emerge and you have to stay up to date. ”

“In order not to be outdated, you have to be very involved in everything and be in constant training”. And this is one of the main values ​​of ACKstorm, continuous learning.

When looking to the future, Cristina is optimistic about the supply of technological talent. She maintains that, each time, there will be more prepared people, thus matching supply and demand, and adjusting salaries. 

“Continuous learning must be a fundamental pillar in a company in our sector.” 

Everything has changed a lot, and will continue to do so. Now, worker welfare has gained ground. Flexibility prevails over rigid schedules and presence, which helps employees balance and be more comfortable in their work. “I would die of shame if I had to sit from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in an office, since I would miss out on my children's daily life." , Cristina concludes.