Capgemini and Smart DCC: Working flexibly together

Capgemini and our client Smart DCC discuss the impact of flexible working

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Launched in 2017, Capgemini’s work life harmony policy recognises that employees have different responsibilities and priorities outside of work and therefore need varying levels of flexibility. Today, 78% of our people agree they are given the flexibility they need to balance work and their personal life. We are proud of this achievement but also recognise we have more work to do.

The majority of our people work on client site: our customers play a key role in the way they work. With flexible working practices varying from account to account, we have begun collaborating with customers across the UK to understand how we can increase flexibility together for the benefit of all.

Working together with Smart DCC

One such like-minded client is Smart DCC.

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Since 2018, we have worked in close collaboration with Smart DCC to build and maintain a complex, highly secured and high availability Cloud platform that is at the core of delivering the UK’s energy transition to a low carbon economy. From the outset, finding a collaborative, outcome-focussed delivery approach was a high priority.

Cliff Morton, Director of People and Organisational Development at Smart DCC, explains: “It is essential to provide an environment where you can support people to have a better work life balance.[Our approach is] based around trust and outputs, rather than presenteeism; enabling people to get a really good balance so they enjoy work, they’re more productive and they’re more loyal as well.” 

Cliff lives this ethos himself and promotes it in his team – with flexibility around location, hours and even work equipment: “I don’t have a work phone – which is revolutionary for a HR Director! People know they can get hold of me if it’s really important – but it means I’m not sending emails at night and encouraging them to respond. I try to promote that across the team.” 

It’s not just Smart DCC employees that reap the benefits: the organisation is also committed to working flexibly with suppliers.

Capgemini colleagues Kim Parker and Alex Soady have first-hand experience of this approach; both have client-facing roles at Smart DCC and work three days a week. Smart DCC is very supportive of their flexible working patterns, planning meetings around availability and using technologies such as Skype to keep in touch.

It’s a working culture founded on trust, two-way flexibility and forward planning.

Alex explains: “It’s very much give and take – [the client] is really happy, as long as you set the right expectations.”

Kim adds: “After a go-live, one of the other suppliers commented she didn’t realise I was part-time, which proved to me that I was able to deliver everything I needed in the hours I was available with the help of my team.”

There are many other examples of Capgemini employees working with Smart DCC on full time flexible working patterns and periods of remote working too.

For Capgemini, it’s ultimately about delivering the best possible service to our client. Amit Ghosh, Capgemini’s Group Account Executive for Smart DCC, comments: “I encourage a business outcomes-focused approach. What that means is that we, as a team, are focused on delivering what the client needs. The key ingredients are trust in the people around you, creating a support structure that supports flexible working, and most importantly, planning ahead.”

It seems, through a relationship built on trust and a business-outcomes focused approach, the Smart DCC and Capgemini partnership has become a shining example of delivering excellent results in a people-focused and flexible manner.

It’s a win-win for everyone – as Alex summarises: “Flexible working opens up the marketplace; everybody knows that diverse teams make better decisions, they’re more productive, and by having the ability to work at a time and place that suits you, you’re much more likely to attract better people and have better people around you to deliver to our clients”.

*Flexible working is defined as “a working arrangement which allows employees to vary the timing and location of their work to suit their needs”.

[1] https://timewise.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Flexible_working_Talent_Imperative.pdf