Case TietoEvry

Introduction

TietoEvry is a Nordic heritage IT company providing leading digital and software services, creating a digital advantage for businesses and societies. With around 24,000 employees specializing in cloud, data, and software, Tietoevry serves thousands of enterprises and public-sector customers in more than 90 countries. 

Tietoevry is capturing market opportunity and driving customer value through specialization by being structured into five distinct business units: Care, Industry, Banking, Create, and Tech Services. These units aid client businesses in the era of digital engineering, data, cloud, and automation. 

Challenge

TietoEvry’s Talent Acquisition team was flooded with tasks, leading to a situation where everyone was overloaded with work, impacting the level of service provided for hiring managers. 

Ideally, incorporating a new team member would have been an effective solution. However, Tietoevry was undergoing a significant organizational restructuring, delaying the possibility of hiring new recruiters. 

Therefore, the Talent Acquisition team sought out alternative methods to mitigate the substantial workload. Their solution was to hire an in-house consultant from Northstar Talent, a company they had previously collaborated with successfully. 

Linda Holmström, the Talent Acquisition Lead at Tietoevry, noted, “It was a logical step for us since subcontracting and consultant usage is part of our DNA. Moreover, I had a positive experience with in-house consultants earlier in my career.” 

Solution

To begin with, Tietoevry got a full-time In-house Talent Acquisition consultant from Northstar Talent who performed the same duties as their existing Talent Acquisition consultants, handling comprehensive end-to-end recruitment tasks. 

As Tietoevry’s requirements expanded, they requested more consultants for similar roles. Soon, a need for sourcing support emerged within Tietoevry’s Talent Acquisition team, prompting some of Northstar’s consultants to source candidates exclusively. 

Over the subsequent months, Northstar’s consultants adapted to Tietoevry’s evolving needs, taking on various roles. They did not only source candidates and handle comprehensive recruitment but also contributed to developing Tietoevry’s Talent Acquisition operations and their Employer Brand. 

Results

Northstar consultants have experienced numerous successes at Tietoevry and have received positive feedback from hiring managers. 

Initially, Tietoevry closely tracked the hiring numbers for consultants but gradually switched to collecting feedback from hiring managers. They believe feedback is a more significant measure of in-house consultants’ work than recruitment numbers, as recruiters cannot control the recruitment outcome or hiring decision. Therefore, it is crucial to gather frequent feedback from frontline hiring staff on the consultants’ performance and regularly monitor it. 

While results have been promising, the in-house team from Northstar at Tietoevry has slightly reduced size. Business units have begun recruiting their own recruiters, leading to a slight decrease in the need for in-house consultants. This adaptability is a major advantage of the in-house model for clients, as it can scale according to current needs. 

Learnings

For Tietoevry, a key aspect of the collaboration has been the partnership’s collaborative nature. Tietoevry has been actively involved in building an in-house team at Northstar to suit their needs best. They have even participated in recruiting individuals for Northstar’s in-house team to ensure the best possible fit for both companies. 

“This partnership has evolved because we have paid attention to people’s ideas and suggestions. At Tietoevry, the consultants are part of the team, even if a different company pays their salaries. We have been mentoring them and aiding their professional development, as it also benefits us,” states Linda. 

The team spirit on both Tietoevry’s side and Northstar’s in-house team has been great because social skills and cultural fit were prioritized when recruiting new team members. The objective was not to recruit a high performer who might not follow the team spirit but rather someone who had a good attitude and could develop.  

Linda recommends the in-house model to others, emphasizing that a company should understand its own needs and what problems it wants the consultant to address. “A Northstar salesperson alone cannot choose the right consultant for a company; the hiring company must be clear about the type of consultant they need and be involved in the selection process.”