Joining Us Through Outsourcing

For us, outsourcing is part of our daily vocabulary - it’s the lifeblood of what we do! But for some people this is their first encounter with it.

In an outsourcing agreement - a supplier company provides services that the client previously did themselves internally. There may be partial or complete transfer of the employees and resources involved

Capgemini offers a full range of Outsourcing Services, including Business Process Outsourcing, IT Outsourcing and Transformational Outsourcing.

Business Process Outsourcing, using Our BPO proprietary technology, BPOpen™, Capgemini’s innovative methods and use of the latest technologies deliver real efficiencies and reliability for business processes. Our services span the full range of procedure-driven enterprise processes in the back, middle and front offices.

IT outsourcing can either cover discrete services - like managing an application, supporting desktop computers or providing a secure and resilient network. Or it can encompass a range of services, right through to a total outsource of a clients’ IT operations.

Transformational outsourcing uses the different skills and expertise available through an outsourcing relationship to achieve ongoing innovation and significant business change.

Outsourcing is the growth market in the IT services sector. More than 88 per cent of companies currently outsource a business or IT function.

In the UK we began life as Hoskyns - an early pioneer in the UK outsourcing market place in the early 1970s. Predominantly we set out in the Datacentre and Networks arena, expanding our services to meet the growing demand. In the late 1980’s as Hoskyns we were the first company to add applications management to our outsourcing portfolio. Today we’re still leading the way in the UK with transformational outsourcing. Taking outsourcing a step further to allow clients to change their business as well as outsource a key business process.

TUPE stands for the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.

When people do transfer to a new employer as a result of an outsourcing contract, their rights are protected by TUPE legislation. This legislation obliges the supplier to offer employment to all those ‘wholly and substantially engaged’ in carrying out the work which is to be transferred, on terms and conditions which do not disadvantage them when compared with those offered by their current employer. The legislation also requires that the supplier should honour existing collective agreements and fully consult with the transferring employees. TUPE is the UK implementation of the EU wide Acquired Rights Directive.

As a caring employer with many years of experience in outsourcing, we will of course always work within the TUPE legislation which is designed to protect the individual transferring to us. More than this however we believe that it is the spirit of TUPE which is important, which means that we do our best to ensure that individuals are not disadvantaged by any transfer. This means that we allow people to retain their existing terms and conditions indefinitely should they wish to, and where we cannot exactly replicate existing benefits will offer a package of equivalent value. We will usually offer transferred people our standard terms and conditions after a suitable time, which they are completely free to accept or reject. In practice we find that the vast majority of people find our offer acceptable - in fact some 85% of people who transfer to us transfer to our standard terms and conditions within six months of transfer.

The company’s approach to employee involvement and participation is inclusive and provides an approach to representation which includes both union and non union members. In the UK, the company has three consultative bodies (Forum’s) which represent its three main organisational areas, Technology and Consulting in the UK and Ireland, Outsourcing in the UK and Ireland, and the Aspire (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs). The Outsourcing and Aspire Forum’s have reserved places for union representatives from PCS and Amicus. All members of the Forum’s work collaboratively to ensure that the issues of the employees they represent are fully discussed and acted upon. The Forum’s meet regularly with their Chief Executive Officer and, as appropriate, other board members and senior management to discuss issues of corporate importance. Each Forum has a governance agreement which defines the matters which must be consulted upon; these typically include business performance, reorganisation, local policy and pay issues etc. 

The Forum’s also each elect three members to attend the National Works Council (NWC). The NWC meets bi-monthly to consider issues of cross company importance such as employment policy, pay strategy, systems, health and safety etc. The NWC currently has representation from PCS and Amicus. The NWC also elects one representative and a deputy to represent the UK and Ireland at the Group International Works Council which meets regularly with employee and management delegates to consider issues of group importance.  

All consultation meetings are well attended and our senior management teams understand the value of meaningful consultation. We have an intranet site with further information on our consultation model as well as the minutes of all previous meetings and the dates of forthcoming events. You can also find out will represent you and contact them to discuss any issues or ideas. Consultation works best when employees engage in the process and want their views to be heard, we encourage you to get involved by communicating with your representative or perhaps considering standing for election as an employee representative in the future!

Normal practice is that people retain their current working arrangements when they transfer, certainly as long as they remain on their transferred terms and conditions. Capgemini is sympathetic to people’s needs to work flexibly, and will respond wherever possible to meet those needs whether by part time arrangements or different working patterns. We encourage you to discuss this topic and any other issues in 1-2-1’s with your manager.

People retain their existing holiday entitlement for as long as they remain on their transferred terms and conditions. If they choose to transfer to Capgemini standard terms and conditions, they would normally adopt the appropriate level of holidays that go with those terms and conditions. Sometimes this may mean an increase in holiday allowance, sometimes a decrease. If there is a decrease, financial compensation is usually provided to offset this.

Whilst we cannot predict what will happen in every case, being outsourced does not necessarily increase the likelihood of redundancy - in fact by moving to a company where your skills are core and in which there are likely to be many more opportunities than in your current organisation, you may be reducing the risk. If a change of contract leads to the service being delivered in a different way, we will do all we can to find suitable roles for all the people affected by the change, with redundancy very much the last resort. In the spirit of TUPE, we will consult fully with the representatives of those affected by the change to ensure that should redundancy be unavoidable, people are treated fairly.

If you transfer to Capgemini you will retain your existing benefits whilst you remain on your existing terms and conditions, except those which we are not able to replicate, in which case financial recompense will usually be made. If you decide to transfer to Capgemini standard terms and conditions, you will be eligible to join our flexible benefits scheme. Capgemini offers a competitive package, incorporating all the usual benefits that you would expect, including company pension schemes, a company car scheme, private medical insurance, life assurance, ill health cover and bonus.

If you transfer to us as part of an outsourcing deal and you are in a pension scheme with your current employer, you will not be able to stay in that scheme after the transfer. Capgemini understand the importance of pensions and offer people who transfer our own pension scheme from day 1. If appropriate, we will talk to your previous employer about transferring the value of your previous pension into our scheme for you. The final decision of whether to transfer it is up to you.

As an organisation that achieves success by the quality and flexibility of our people, we have grown by offering variety and making it as easy as possible for our people to take opportunities that match their personal aspirations. We do not ‘ring fence’ people who join us in outsourcing deals - as soon as is practicable in order to protect the service that has been transferred, people are able to apply for and move to new roles if they are suitable and meet their aspirations.

To support this we use our internal communication channels such as our Intranet to make sure that people are aware of opportunities and we have developed sophisticated management and mentor processes to help people position themselves to take them.

As a truly global company, we have offices in many locations from New York to Hong Kong

In the UK and Ireland we have 18 main locations distributed across the country from Inverness to Swansea, as well as many other locations where we work on customer premises

Decisions as to the working location of the people who transfer depend on the nature of the outsourcing deal. Sometimes the service continues to be provided from its existing location and sometimes the people are relocated to a Capgemini office. In these cases, because we have so many locations, it is usually possible to find a convenient alternative to the existing location. Any additional travelling expenses incurred by individuals are recompensed, with each person’s circumstances addressed on an individual basis.

No - it will get better! Our experience in outsourcing over the years has shown that people usually need time to get used to the idea of working for a new employer. So we adopt a gradual approach to change and indeed seek to learn from the good things that the people who join us bring with them. However we do bring a new approach to things, and this will have a positive impact whether you stay in the same job or move to a new role.

That is up to you! As IT specialists we can offer a much wider range of roles than are normally available in even the largest organisations where IT is a non core function - and these roles are equally available to people who join us through outsourcing as to anyone else in our company. So if you want change things the opportunities are there to do it. Our managers and systems are there to help you identify your career aspirations, identify and implement development activities and make you aware of the opportunities that exist - not just in the UK but globally as well. Our policy is to make opportunities available and assist you to take them should you wish to - but equally we appreciate that you may wish to stick with what you are doing - and that is ok too.

Capgemini practice a ‘High Performance culture’. This means rewarding good performance and encouraging our people to develop and constantly improve their skills. We operate an annual Performance review process, which has a number of components. Every individual has a nominated reviewer, usually their manager. Each year, every person in the organisation has their performance for that year appraised by this reviewer, who also sets business objectives for the following year. Each individual gathers feedback on their performance to be considered by their reviewer, and 360 degree feedback is encouraged. Each person’s performance is rated, and these ratings have a direct input into the reward received by the individual in terms of salary increase and bonus. Several levels of analyses are employed to ensure that the ratings received are fair and objective. The performance appraisal is discussed at a face-to-face meeting between reviewer and employee.

However the process is not just about measurement. Everyone has a job title and access to a competency model associated with the job that they do which allows individuals to see where they fit within the organisation and what they need to concentrate on to progress. They also develop their personal development plan with input from their reviewer and mentor, and set themselves personal development objectives

For the person transferring this process means that they will have a clear set of business and personal objectives to work towards, a transparent and fair means of measurement, a clear link between performance and reward and the means to develop and progress.

Our programme is based on our people working in their local communities. The programme is grass roots based - encouraging employees to pick the causes they feel most passionately about in their local area.

We have been quoted as an example of good community investment and employee volunteering practice, an example to other companies. We also won the Whitbread Company Award 2000 for Volunteer Action, for “outstanding service to the community” - the first time it has ever been awarded to a company.

Some of our successes are:

Time to Read/Count

We have over 230 people volunteering for the Time to Read scheme across 12 schools nationally.

Partners in Leadership

With over 200 volunteers we have the most volunteers for this Head Teacher Mentoring scheme in the UK

Gifts in Kind

Many of our sites collect toiletries and distribute to a local homeless shelter. At Christmas we donate gifts for the elderly, children and those less fortunate than ourselves in food and presents.

Payroll Giving

Over 600 employees use our employee salary donation scheme to donate some of their salary every month a number of charities, the most frequent being Cancer Research UK, NSPCC and Save the Children.

Tsunami Relief

Capgemini along with their charity partner Plan UK have committed to rebuild a school in Banda Aceh which was devastated by the Tsunami in December 2004. Various events have been arranged to raise funds, including an exclusive black-tie charity Dinner in London and many locally based initiatives.

Employee Sponsorship

We sponsor employees who compete in a range of sports representing their country at National and International level