How do you attract in-demand young talents in a highly competitive sector? Cegeka has the answer: The European IT service provider offers an inspiring environment – and a CUPRA Born to help the career entrants get their new working life up and running.
Ms Stalmans, Cegeka is an IT service provider whose product you might say is the knowledge of its bright minds. You offer the in-demand young talents starting out with Cegeka in Belgium a CUPRA Born. How did that come about?
A company car is actually quite the norm in our industry in Belgium. For young people, in particular, the car means greater autonomy and is therefore an effective recruitment tool. What is less common is the choice of car: We deliberately opted for the all-electric CUPRA Born because sustainability is not only especially important to us but also to the young people themselves.
What were the main reasons for choosing the model?
In the price segment for electric cars that we operate in for junior staff, the CUPRA Born promised the most from our point of view. On the one hand, it offers a good range compared with other models in its class. In addition, it is simply an attractive car with a look and feel that appeals to young people. But we were also impressed by the variety of options such as safety and assistance systems, for instance the optional park assist.
“We try to globalise as far as possible, but we need local implementation.”
Anik Stalmans
Chief Human Resource and ESG Officer, Cegeka
Personally, what impresses you in particular about the CUPRA Born?
I especially like the details such as the charging options for mobile devices. This is well thought out – and is also sure to go down well with our young talents.
What has been your experience of the younger generation of company car drivers? Do they have different requirements for a car?
Yes, we really do notice a change in this respect. As already mentioned, the topic of sustainability is very important to young people.
Is the company car essentially a fixed part of salary at Cegeka?
We follow a mobility budget approach: Our remuneration model allows employees to choose between different mobility options within a certain budget, which varies according to the salary range. The company car is one of these options and is very popular. If someone wants a vehicle model that exceeds the designated budget, they can still get it by paying the corresponding additional amount.
Your company group is active throughout Europe. Is the approach the same everywhere?
Up until recently, the issue of fleets was handled at a local level at Cegeka – this naturally also has to do with the legal constraints in the different countries. Since we started down the electrification route, some topics are now dealt with in a more centralised way. We take a more mobility-based approach, so for example define mobility policies, rather than focus on car policies. For instance, we designate budgets for the particular employee category, rather than specific models.
This allows the companies in our group to maintain a certain level of freedom – we are pragmatic in this respect. Ultimately, different laws, subsidies, tax regulations and service networks apply in each country. And geographical circumstances play an important role, too: Here in Belgium and in the Netherlands, our customer service representatives generally travel shorter distances and the charging infrastructure is excellent. In Italy, on the other hand, the distance to the customer can be significantly longer and the charging network is still patchy. Here in Flanders we began electrification of the fleet about a year and a half ago and employees have been able to order only e-vehicles since this summer. As fleet managers within the company group, we share our experiences throughout Europe and look for synergies.
Speaking of electrification: In Flanders, Cegeka has just switched completely to electric mobility. What tips do you have for other companies that are planning to do likewise?
What’s really important is to prepare properly before starting. Good planning is really essential; the technology must be ready and the context can be different in other regions. Clarify all questions about charging, think ahead and finetune processes. Engage with suppliers, think everything through properly and prepare Q&As for the employees.
We have taken our time with electrification and have occasionally been asked why we didn’t make the switch sooner. We are very open to new technologies at Cegeka and adapt them early on. But such a change needs the support of the majority of those in the company and has to come from within – this would not yet have been the case three years ago.
There’s one more thing I can recommend: We organised a kind of in-house exhibition before making the switch. Various carmakers presented their electric models on our company premises. The workforce was able to get detailed information, sit in the cars, do test drives, make comparisons … This contributed enormously to acceptance and provided impetus for the switch.
About half of the vehicles in your fleet in Flanders come from the Volkswagen Group. What are the most important criteria for you when choosing the models?
Economic considerations, in other words the total cost of ownership (TCO), naturally play a role. Taxes, in particular, but also fuel and electricity costs are a key factor. But the brand image is also critical: Employees are in high demand in the IT sector and it’s important to offer them something. Only top brands are therefore considered. The Volkswagen Group has a wide range of vehicles and therefore also reflects the range of our fleet. Plus, the vehicles are reliable and are highly regarded by the employees.
Cegeka is one of Europe’s leading IT service providers with headquarters in the Belgian city of Hasselt and offers end-to-end solutions in the areas of data, applications and infrastructure. The group of companies includes the connectivity specialist Citymesh, the healthcare sector specialist nexuzhealth as well as the partner for Microsoft D365 solutions, Cegeka Business Solutions. The family business currently has a workforce of more than 6,000 employees throughout Europe. The company fleet comprises more than 3,400 vehicles.
Vehicle images show special equipment.
The specified fuel consumption and emission data has been determined according to the measurement procedures prescribed by law. On 1 January 2022, the WLTP test cycle replaced the NEDC test cycle fully. This means that NEDC values will not be provided for new type-approved vehicles after this date. The information does not refer to an individual vehicle and is not an integral part of the offer. It is provided solely for the purpose of comparison between the different vehicle types. Additional equipment and accessories (add-on parts, different tyre formats etc.) may change relevant vehicle parameters, such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics; this equipment and accessories as well as weather and traffic conditions and vehicle handling affect fuel consumption, power consumption, CO₂ emissions and the driving performance values of a vehicle.
Because it involves more realistic testing conditions, the fuel consumption and CO₂ emission values calculated in accordance with the WLTP are in many cases higher than those calculated in accordance with the NEDC. As a result, there may be corresponding changes to vehicle taxation starting on 1 September 2018. Further information about the differences between WLTP and NEDC can be found at www.seat.de/wltp.
Further information on official fuel consumption figures and the official, specific CO₂ emissions of new passenger cars can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO₂ emissions and power consumption of new passenger car models”, which is available free of charge at all sales dealerships and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen or at www.dat.de/co2.
Status: 17.07.2023
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