Sofico has been awarded Investors in People (IIP) Silver level accreditation, thanks to initiatives rolled out as part of the company’s ‘Learning Organization’ philosophy.

Sofico HR manager, Corinne Martens

Only 15% of businesses that apply gain IIP’s Silver accreditation, and Sofico has now achieved the standard for its offices in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK, plus its office at Puebla, southeast of Mexico City.

The global automotive finance, leasing, fleet and mobility management software provider said it sees the IIP standard as an independent measurement to help improve the ongoing development of its HR processes and its people management approach.

HR manager, Corinne Martens commented: “We are very proud to achieve IIP Silver accreditation which provides us with guidelines for the continuous improvement of our HR processes.

“The idea behind the learning organization is to encourage people to grow in their job role through continuous learning and to put people in control of their career by focusing them on future goals through their personal development plan.

“The underlying reasoning is that we would rather have people switch to a new role or job within Sofico than leaving the company for a new challenge,” she added.

The approach is underpinned by the company’s Learning Management System, which maintains a focus on continuous learning for all employees, creating a culture of learning and development.

New starters at the company spend their first six months under the wing of a job coach – a senior employee in the business who takes on the role as an additional responsibility – who helps them to complete a personalised curriculum for their development, including insight into the working practices, policies and tools at Sofico and the wider fleet and mobility industries.

Existing staff are encouraged to take control of their career by creating a personal development plan that defines career goals, and outlines any required training and learning to attain those goals.

Based on its ongoing investment in people and innovation, Sofico has just announced a five-year strategy for success, following a year of record sales in 2019.

The Belgium-based business presented its Vision 2020-2025 to Sofico staff, outlining plans aimed at maintaining a healthy growth through ongoing investment and product development.