HR professionals about Worldline’s certification as European Top Employer 2021

Contributors: Evelyne Mathot, Joanna Ladzińska-Nowak, Jos van der Steen, Tina Berger and Tonja Leydecker

Worldline has been awarded the “European Top Employer 2021” prestigious certification by the Top Employers Institute, a global authority that recognises excellence in people management. 

As a top industry leader and #1 digital payment player in Europe, Worldline is proud to now also be recognised as a European employer of choice, rewarding its long-term commitment and efforts in settling exemplary managerial and people practices within the company. 

In 2020, Worldline already received local certifications from the Top Employers Institute in Belgium and in Poland. Today, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands are joining the league of Worldline top employers’ countries. 

We have asked some questions to fellow HR colleagues from these 5 countries, who have been closely involved in the audits that ultimately resulted in the country and European certification as Top Employer. 

How did you become recognised as a Top Employer in your country?

Evelyne Mathot, Head of HR Belgium: "This is the second year that we participated in the HR audit organized by the TEI (Top Employers Institute), an external audit which evaluates our HR practices and processes. I am convinced that one of our HR best practices today is the career opportunities we offer to our employees in terms of internal mobility and L&D. We aim for continuous innovation and excellence by constantly progressing to continue realising our purpose."

Jos van der Steen, Head of HRM in The Netherlands: "Working at Worldline means working for the leading and most innovative payment service provider in Europe. We process billions of payments, point-of-sale and ATM transactions per year for numerous banks, merchants, companies and consumers across Europe. Obviously, all those transactions must be processed seamlessly, securely and efficiently. And that is made possible thanks to our skilled and highly committed employees. Within our company we encourage new ways of working, intensively using new technologies while always aiming to match the social expectations of our employees. In addition, our employees enjoy excellent employment conditions which foster a good work-life balance. This way we’ve created an environment where people are motivated to work together, also internationally, in order to achieve the best results."

Joanna Ladzińska-Nowak, HR Business Partner in Poland: "As a team we work very hard each day to provide the best HR service and make the best workplace. Being awarded as a Top Employer and obtaining GPTW certificate is a real honour. Top Employer is not a title that easily came to us. It was earned by working constantly on improvements, listening to our employees and business needs. Passing the HR audit organised by Top Employers Institute, consisting of 400 questions, was a very challenging and difficult task. At this point, I would like to thank the HR community for our great team collaboration and emphasise that our mutual work made it all possible. We have been recognised for having very good standards and that’s why we are Top Employer."

If you had to name only one HR best practice, which one is likely to have made the difference?

Tina Berger, HR Business Partner in Austria: "We have a lot of HR best practices at Worldline. Since 'Everybody needs some Buddy', we initiated our buddy program in 2020, which is my personal favourite best practice. As a new employee you get assigned a buddy, who will help you start your journey at Worldline. Additionally, the program improves collaborative work and communication as well as the whole onboarding process."

Tonja Leydecker, Senior Legal Counsel Labour Law in Germany: "We have been recognized thanks to our flexible working time models and our international diversity."

Now that we got certified, how will you further build and solidify Worldline's position as an employer of choice?

Evelyne Mathot, Head of HR Belgium: "This certification will definitely strengthen and be integrated to our employer branding strategy, which focuses on three pillars: welcoming junior talents as part of our trainees and young graduates programs, nurturing our community of experts in order to develop innovative solutions using the latest technologies, and finally encourage diversity by working together across many different pathways and countries."

Tina Berger, HR Business Partner in Austria: "Do good and talk about it! We will support and empower our employees in their personal development to strengthen Worldline’s position as a Top Employer. Our focus will be on creating leaner processes, improving our communication, and expanding engagement initiatives, all in alignment with our core values: Innovation – Excellence – Cooperation – Empowerment."

Tonja Leydecker, Senior Legal Counsel Labour Law in Germany: "Providing flexible working models – especially using our experience during the Covid crisis on working from home - in combination with working times in the office. Taking care of our internal communication towards employees – during the Covid crisis we strongly improved that and found a better way to communicate with all employees on a regular basis."

Do you think that this certification will attract new talents? Why?

Evelyne Mathot, Head of HR Belgium: "Recognition as a Top Employer in Belgium will help Worldline to continue to attract top talents. When it comes to innovation in the payments and transaction services industry, being an employer of choice for top talent is key to maintaining our leadership position in the market and our competitive edge."

However, it’s about more than just winning the war for talent. We recognise and appreciate the value that each and every one of our employees brings to our business. That’s why we want both new and existing team members to feel good about working for Worldline and to be proud of our company over the long-term. 

Jos van der Steen, Head of HRM in The Netherlands: "Yes, for sure. Since we are mainly a business-to-business organisation, candidates don’t always know us. As a European and global market leader, it is of strategic importance for us to retain our highly skilled employees and also to attract new talents. Being part of the community of European Top Employers will significantly enhance our visibility as an attractive company to work for, and this certification could be a trigger to choose for us."

Joanna Ladzińska-Nowak, HR Business Partner in Poland: "Top Employer is a prestigious and recognisable award - for sure it attracts new talents. We’ve already learnt that multiple times during interviews, when candidates confirmed they saw Top Employers logo next to Worldline’s, it drew their attention. It distinguishes us from the competitors and proves that we are a solid employer with high standards."

Can you explain the complementary of GPTW and Top Employers?

Jos van der Steen, Head of HRM in The Netherlands: "GPTW is more or less focusing on employee engagement and is based on an internal assessment. The Top Employers certification has a much broader scope and is based on a strong external audit of our Human Resources practices, such as Learning and Development, Compensation & Benefits and Talent Acquisitions. This audit analysed our documents, policies and processes and compared it to the best practices on the market."

Tina Berger, HR Business Partner in Austria: "GPTW is an employee survey, that focuses on every aspect of the work experience in the company."

The Top Employers Institute distinguishes through a survey and an audit by experts, employers who create optimal conditions for the development of their employees. The focus lies on HR best practices that improve our way of work. 

Joanna Ladzińska-Nowak, HR Business Partner in Poland: "Top Employers and GPTW coexist with each other, that’s why I’m so proud that in Poland we have been awarded with both certifications. Top Employers enable us to look into our processes, assess them and constantly improve. GPTW is the final result of our actions, the voice of Employees that shows us the path which we should follow, the most important thing. High scores from both Top Employers and GPTW mean that together we are heading in a good direction."