Data Center Skills

Challenges

Our business is changing rapidly, and new technology is introduced continuously. Globally, there is a debate on how to tackle a data center skill shortage or competence gap in the industry. Especially considering the growth rate many companies are experiencing. This is also a concern for Green Mountain. Our main challenge is therefore to make sure we:

• find the right people to the right job
• support and motivate employees
• facilitate training and education to keep their skills and knowledge relevant
• retain them in the company for a long time
• develop young talent and data center skills
• create a working culture for everyone to thrive and be healthy and satisfied

Recruitment & Attraction

To attract and recruit a well-suited new employee, we must know what qualifications and competence we need. Firstly, before any new recruitment process in Green Mountain, we specifically agree on competence requirements and key qualifications. However, we know that formal qualification does not constitute a candidate’s total competence. Therefore, we also put emphasis on essential personal characteristics as well as talent and motivation to develop further. Moreover, our experience is that multidisciplinary backgrounds foster positive diversity. So, we tend to look for candidates with varied experiences and skills. In other words, we look for the best combination of qualifications, talent, and personality – without any form of age-, political- gender- or race discrimination.

Read interview with HR manager Irene Vikingstad who explains the recruitment process in more detail.

Talent & Competence Development Strategy

To develop talent and competence you must have a strategy. In 2020, Green Mountain updated this strategy by introducing a new competence development process. This tool is used to secure Green Mountain as a professional and performance-focused data center operator. The building blocks of this process consists of:

• The Competence matrix
• Identification of training needs
• Competence documentation and review
• Measures to close competence gap
• Talent development

The process is used for every type of employee in Green Mountain. In addition, we have a special program for young talent. Furthermore, Green Mountain is an approved apprentice host company, which means that we take in new apprentices every year for a 2,5-year period. During this period, the school and Green Mountain cooperate to give the apprentice both theoretical knowledge and practical data center skills leading up to their exam. So far, all of our apprentices have been given regular employment in Green Mountain after their apprentice period.

The Green Academy

To make sure all employees get the opportunity and support to develop we have established “The Green Academy”. This initiative incorporates all the different training- and education opportunities that Green Mountain supports. Most importantly, the main idea behind this initiative is that we are all on a “continuous learning journey”. We take small steps every day and some giant leaps occasionally. The main contents of the Green Mountain Academy are listed below:

We would like to highlight a specific program that was implemented recently. The “Operation Training Program” for all new operation employees was started in the beginning of 2019. This program gives the new employee a comprehensive onboarding as well as an annual training plan. As a result, we see that this measure secures a solid introduction. Both to the team, the tasks and the company culture. It lays the foundation for further development.

We interviewed Bjarne Sørbø, DC Design & Operation Specialist, about this specific program. Read interview here. 

High Employee Satisfaction Score

To sum up, we see that our approach to competence development has created an environment for our employees to grow and thrive. Nevertheless, it is important to make sure these programs are working in the long run. Otherwise, they must be adjusted. We therefore measure and evaluate several key performance indicators within this area. The most important one being Employee Satisfaction. In the 2020 survey, the employees rated Green Mountain at 5.8 on a 6-point scale on overall satisfaction.

Stine Bakka, the newly-hired service management coordinator in Green Mountain, described her introduction phase like this: “Despite the Covid-19 situation and home office, the on-boarding in Green Mountain has been anything but lonely, monotonous, or boring. No two days are alike and there are plenty of new and exciting areas to get familiarized with. Moreover, my new colleagues are always helpful. They truly prioritize to answers my questions and teach me the new systems. Above all, it is nice to be a part of an inclusive culture in Green Mountain.”