For this week’s edition of MD Culture Club, we spoke to managed cloud and security services provider iomart, 采访他们团队的三位成员，深入了解那里的生活以及他们公司文化的特点.
人才引领……
Jane Middleton，首席人事官
Can you tell us a little bit about the company, before describing the culture at the organisation?
iomart is a managed cloud and security services provider. We partner with organisations to help design and manage their IT environments. 成立于1998年, 我们于2000年在伦敦证券交易所上市, 继续在技能上成长和投资, 技术, 网络和数据中心基础设施，帮助我们的客户高效、安全地提供服务.
我们有大约400名员工，他们通常在英国各地的办公室和数据中心工作，但由于疫情，大多数人目前都在家里工作. A significant number live and work in Manchester and North West England.
我们是一个相对‘年轻’的组织, in terms of how long we’ve been in business and have been very acquisitive over the years – as such, 我们的文化在不断发展壮大. 尤其是在过去的12个月, 我们非常重视发展和利用正确的文化，以使我们在未来取得今天的成功.
We are a managed service provider and that means we need a customer centric culture and in turn, 这意味着我们都是全球最大的博彩平台人的. 在一个以技术为中心的组织中，这可能是一个挑战，但我们试图像强调技术诀窍一样重视价值观和行为——这真的很重要.
This has played out through our company values, which we defined and communicated during lockdown. 当然, 推出价值观不会改变你的文化，但传达你的期望和谈论支撑这些价值观的各种行为是很重要的——坚持不懈! We’ve spent considerable time on this and whilst doing this remotely was a challenge, 我们真的开始看到好处了. 我们的价值观集中在积极的人际关系和团队合作，以及每个人都对自己所扮演的角色负责——核心是以客户为中心——所以如果我们都以我们应该的方式做这些事情, 我们确实把客户放在第一位.
最大的挑战是封锁，做所有这些远程的人际联系对于我们正在发展的文化是必不可少的. 因此，我们已经适应并尝试在员工参与方面做更多的工作，以评估反馈——我认为，由于远程工作，这是最难做到的事情，所以我们与员工和经理一起做了很多工作. Some of this feedback has led to other things being implemented 例如, we now have a mindfulness and well-being programme in place covering the next 12 months and beyond; and we recently launched a new flexible working arrangement providing far greater flexibility to our people on start and finish times. 重要的是，员工能够提供反馈，更重要的是，他们可以看到反馈后发生的变化——这鼓励了imart更加开放和创新的文化.
How does the company go above and beyond to attract and retain tech talent?
As part of the work I’ve described above on culture and values, it was essential that this was hard wired into our recruitment processes and hiring decisions. We’re doing what I would call ‘values’ led recruitment. 这并不意味着我们不认可技术技能, 显然，这对我们的许多角色都是至关重要的, but it means we focus on behaviours and values just as much as we do on someone’s technical ability. 让员工在十大正规博彩网站评级我们之前了解我们的价值观，让我们相信他们会在我们的组织中取得成功和进步，这一点非常重要.
我们还改变了我们的绩效管理框架，我们已经放弃了年度评估和评估评级, it was a huge administrative task with very little value. 我们开发了MAP——管理敏捷性能. MAP encourages regular ‘check-ins’ throughout the year that talk about progress. 这是全球最大的博彩平台人们分享他们的成就, 讨论他们的挑战，更重要的是, 在行为和输出之间建立联系.
我们也非常注重多样性和包容性. The sector overall has its challenges on this subject but that’s no excuse not to focus on it. 我们希望我们的文化真正具有抱负，为了实现这一目标，我们必须培养一种多元化和包容性的文化. One of the main areas we’ll be looking at to address this is a Leadership Framework. 这将包括为我们的人事经理制定一个全面的发展计划，旨在推动一个更加多元化和包容性的文化. At a more tactical level we’re looking at some of our people policies, 例如, 我们目前正在审查招聘广告中使用的一些语言，以确保我们能够吸引到我们需要的人才.
这一切都与敏捷有关, open and innovative with our thinking when it comes to our people strategy.
What does the future look like for the company and its employees?
We have ambitious growth plans and this will create challenge and opportunity for our people.
我们的文化将继续发展，我认为在过去的12个月里，随着我们适应新的工作方式，这一进程无疑加快了.
未来我们很可能会转向混合工作模式——这是留住和吸引优秀人才的绝佳机会!
新的启动器…
Sharon Mars Leach，首席营销官
你能描述一下你在公司的角色吗?
我最近十大正规博彩网站评级iomart，担任首席营销官, which means I’ll be responsible for how we are positioned in the market: how we look, 我们说的话, 以及我们怎么说.
A major part of my role is focussed on our customers – listening to what they want and need, and working with our business to meet those expectations. 我们所经营的行业可能是相当技术性的，对于我们这个行业的一些企业来说，在与客户交谈时，很容易使用缩写词和产品术语. 我的工作是弥合我们高技能的技术专家和市场上潜在客户之间的差距——将我们提供的服务与客户面临的日常挑战联系起来，使他们的生活更轻松.
What was it about the organisation that attracted you to the role?
iomart是一个了不起的英国成功故事, having grown from early stage tech start-up to a publicly listed company in the past 20 years. 这项业务充满了潜力，今天仍像刚开始时一样雄心勃勃, 这使它成为一个非常令人兴奋的地方.
具体地说, 从营销的角度来看, 我认为我们只是触及了这个品牌的表面，我的工作重点将是继续发展品牌形象，最大限度地提高iomart在英国市场的知名度.
看看这个空间……
Can you describe the onboarding process you’ve experienced?
It’s been unusual as we were in full national lockdown when I joined, therefore my entire introduction to the company has been done virtually. 然而, despite it feeling a bit strange being sat in the same room as I was while carrying out my previous role, 我不得不说这太棒了.
我所做的每一次虚拟介绍和我所打的每一个电话，我都真的被每个人的谦逊和接地气所震惊. 在我的世界里没有自我的空间, 结果是, there is a real sense of teamwork and being in it together. Something that will set us in good stead as we begin to execute the next phase of our strategy and, 就我个人而言, a group of people I am very much looking forward to working with in the coming years.
长期雇员……
韦恩·惠特林，数据中心服务经理
你能描述一下你在公司的角色吗?
我负责监督iomart在英格兰北部和中部地区拥有的多个数据中心的日常运营效率, to ensure our customers’ services are up and running 24 hours a day. 我在全球最大的博彩平台工作, 我们有几个dc, and travel to all the sites across the regions I’m responsible for regularly. 我的工作是管理工程团队，并与第三方专家合作，确保任何计划和反应性的机械和电气维护都正确成功地完成.
数据中心是非常技术性的环境, 包含各种形式的IT托管设备, 例如网络交换机, 处理系统和存储设备. 停机时间是一个禁忌, 他们必须一周七天都在工作, 365 days a year to deliver the high quality service our customers expect and deserve. 这意味着适应力至关重要, 所以我一直在监控我们的主电源, 备用发电, 电气协调和整流, 设备和配电的冷却.
我还帮助我们的技术销售团队满足客户的特定要求，并支持我们的合规经理，以确保我们的数据中心符合iomart的许多ISO认证.
你已经在这家公司工作好几年了, can you tell me what has kept you at the company for so long?
Diversity in the working environment is what keeps me at iomart. With so much equipment in use, every day brings a new challenge. 我可以为客户的项目提供建议, 在紧迫的时间内修复故障, 或者管理一个复杂的维护过程.
支持业务和影响我们为客户服务的发展给了我很大的满足感. When you are continually building your knowledge around different parts of the business, 没有比这更好的了.
What would you say to a person considering joining the company?
This is a fast paced, constantly changing environment that will be challenging. 如果你拥抱它，你就会享受它.
iomart is a great company to work for with big ambitions and there is plenty of opportunity to progress.
为了了解更多全球最大的博彩平台imart和他们所做的工作， 点击这里.
If you’re a member and would like to take part in a future edition of our Culture Club series, 请联系 thom@dharashiv.net.
