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Ferdi Claes (CTG)

Acerta − your sparring partner

“Many vendors claim to be comprehensive HR services providers”, says Ferdi Claes, CTG HR manager for Belgium and Europe. “However, the providers that listen carefully to your story and respond proactively, without expecting anything in return, are scarce.” After a rather strenuous relationship with another HR vendor, Claes found a new sparring partner in Acerta. “Acerta puts people first and that’s what I was often missing when dealing with other vendors.”

As for most ICT consultants, CTG needs to tackle new challenges on an almost daily basis. Finding the right people to join the business, retaining and motivating employees and keeping up to speed with the demands of international growth are only a few factors that need to be addressed continuously. Despite the rigorous competition in the ICT market, CTG received numerous awards and certificates such as Investors In People and Best Employer (Beste Werkgever) while staying true to its principles and values.

Ferdi Claes: “Today, we have about 450 people working for our company and have branches in England, Luxembourg and Germany. Lately, our workforce seems to have stagnated. The high staff turnover in the ICT industry is increasingly a huge challenge to our business, much more so than finding qualified staff. During their exit interviews, many employees indicate that they enjoyed working for CTG, but that they are keen on exploring the opportunities of other key players in the ICT business. Often, employees tell us that they may return to our company at a later stage.

International projects can also be challenging. Although the idea of living and working abroad for a while may seem appealing to many, it is not self-evident to find candidates who are prepared to pack up and leave to start a career elsewhere. Recruiting abroad seems to be increasingly successful: most recently, we have employed 6 Hungarian nationals.

Considering the fast-moving ICT industry, we continually have to re-invent ourselves. For an organisation, it is important that the HR department is as diverse as the workforce it represents. That is one of the reasons why we decided not to confine administrative tasks such as payroll and fleet management to our financial department.”

Expertise

Because putting people first is more than a slogan for CTG, it was crucial to find the right HR services partner. Claes: “Many vendors made us believe they were the right match, but as it turns out, many focus merely on personnel management as such, without considering the dynamics of an organisation. Two years ago, we were in a total deadlock with our HR vendor. Questions were not answered – things were just not followed up. Today, it is a completely different picture. Every time I talk to Acerta, they act on it; invariably, they will contact me within a few days to offer solutions or advice. Even if I didn’t put a specific question to them. They take our concerns seriously, are proactive and think strategically. Their approach is completely consistent with our business ethics and priorities. The dynamics are unique, as are Acerta’s expertise and their knowledge of our organisation.

Acerta is managing CTG’s payroll administration and appointed a dedicated in-house HR professional for this account. But there’s more to it than that. Claes: “We use the services of the HR consultants and of Kern Selection. The interaction between the various services is very successful and has had positive effects for many aspects of our business. I also thoroughly believe that Acerta takes its role as sparring partner very seriously. Not only do they listen carefully to what I say but also react in a timely matter and use new insights to support other customers. They truly use valuable information to its best. They are committed to their jobs and are extremely approachable.”