“Our purpose is to empower an intelligent, sustainable and connected world. For more than a century, we have been putting smart tools in the hands of people in every sector of our society, creating intelligent technologies that drive positive change. We remain committed to this effort, leaving no one behind.”
-Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson
The Impact of COVID-19
Ericsson is a global 5G technology leader, powering 111 commercial 5G agreements and 65 live 5G networks worldwide. As an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) leader, Ericsson’s mission is to enable the full value of connectivity for both consumers and businesses, creating a positive impact for societies.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of connectivity in our societies: offering performance, reliability and versatility. Today, the resilience of mobile networks has become a critical source of support to keep us connected.
As we are now spending more time studying and working from home, there has been a wave of data explosion, as well as a geographical shift of data traffic from downtown and public areas to suburban residential areas, as employees started working from home instead of the office. In addition, there is an increase in voice traffic with people making more and longer voice calls.
Going Virtual
From a business practice perspective, the Covid-19 pandemic has made it imperative for businesses to connect virtually with customers and employees via digital platforms. These experiences have also shone further light on the important role business leaders play in leading the communities through times of uncertainty and crisis.
At Ericsson, the key priority is to protect the health and safety of customers, partners and employees. A variety of precautionary measures were put in place proactively at the beginning of this global crisis. This included temperature checking and additional sanitation at all local offices in the region, a work from home model for around 85,000 employees globally; as well as restricting travel and withdrawing from events as early as February 2020.
During these challenging times, Ericsson is proud to have dedicated teams as well as a diverse and inclusive culture. The focus is now on ensuring the ongoing physical and mental health of the workforce. All internal interactions at Ericson are currently taking place through virtual employee meetings, pulse surveys and e-newsletters, at a regular and constant pace, in order to focus on the well-being of the teams, both locally and regionally.
Understanding that the current situation brings a sense of anxiety amongst employees, Ericsson encourages an open culture where the employees can reach out to their respective leaders for support on a variety of topics. An Employee Assistance Program has also been established to provide employees with external resources for professional counselling services.
At the same time, the regional leadership team is actively celebrating foundational values such as Inclusion, Empathy and Humanness, to encourage acts of inclusion, compassion, empathy, caring and kindness amongst employees in daily activities.
Additionally, internal Task Force teams have been organized at both on global and local levels to prepare response plans in case of emergencies. Dedicated webpages were set up to provide relevant information around Covid-19 from the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as updates from local government authorities for country-specific developments.
Recruitment
While many companies have halted their recruitment, Ericsson has continued to recruit roles as required by their business and has found creative ways to bring new employees onboard.
The ICT leader’s talent acquisition campaigns include the following statement “Ericsson is continuing to hire for all open roles with all interviewing and on-boarding done virtually due to COVID-19. Everyone new to the team, along with our current staff, will temporarily work from home until it is safe to return to our offices.”
The entire end to end recruitment process is facilitated online using video interviewing tools such as MS Teams, Skype and their custom video interviewing tool – Modern Hire. To further assist hiring managers, the teams even created video guides on how to how to connect with candidates. Laptops and materials are then couriered to new employees and virtual sessions organized with line managers and the IT team to help navigate the onboarding process.
Hearing from Team Ericsson
Despite the pandemic turning the world into a state of uncertainty, Ericsson sees it as an opportunity to come together and prepare for the future. Recent conversations have started with teams reflecting around the theme of “the workplace of the future”- where technology and digital transformation is the new norm.
With all these initiatives in place, it is not surprising why Ericsson members agree that they are a Great Place to Work. Here are a few of their testimonials:
For over 23 years, I have been working at Ericsson, achieving my dreams and reaching my career goals. I have visited places and countries I only dreamt of going before. I meet people, CEOs, Presidents, Country Managers, from all walks of life, of different nationalities and cultures. It’s a company which respects you as a person, regardless of your origins. It is a place where truth, honesty and integrity are valued at the highest degree. It has made me who I am today.
– Priscilo Mendoza – Head of Sourcing – Ericsson PhilippinesWorking from home is the reality now. We are still getting our work done as effectively as before when we were still working from the office. This is thanks to the strong digital platform Ericsson has laid out for the employees. Transitioning from face-to-face meetings to virtual meetings was seamless. Ericsson has supported us in every way during this pandemic, from ensuring that we have the right tools up to our mental well-being. I’m glad Ericsson is supporting us in this new set-up.
– Alen Bea Ducao – Integration Engineer – Ericsson Philippines
Article Co-Authors:
Pek Kee Sum
Senior Manager News and Public Relations, Ericsson Singapore
Rachel Domingo
HR Business Partner, Ericsson Philippines
Xyris Tapia
Associate, Marketing & Communications, Great Place to Work® Singapore & Philippines
