Bucharest, 7th of February 2019. One of the largest British employers in Romania, which has been for almost 13 years old on the Romanian market, Provident Financial Romania was certified as a Top Employer for 2019 for the first time and it’s the only company in the banking and non-banking financial industry to be certified for 2019. “The labor market may have come to the highest and, at the same time, tense levels so far, and it is more than ever necessary for all companies to exceed their limits to provide their employees with a competitive, relaxing, positive work environment. What does this mean for Provident? That we make all possible effort to make the experience at work natural – we cook and sell food to raise money for social causes and, at the same time, we make complex analyzes and develop credit policies. We have flexible work schedules and the choice to work from home, but also a dedicated employee development department. I think that means to be a top employer – to have employees who excel as professionals as well as people, “said Marius Ciurariu, Human Resources Director, Provident Financial Romania.
Top Employer certification is granted by Top Employer Institute in Holland, the most prestigious institute in its field and is based on a rigorous process which evaluates everything that HR means to a company: processes, policies and how those are applied. The assessment focuses on human resources strategy, learning and development programs, organizational culture, technology used and benefits to employees. Provident is the only NBFI in Romania to be certified as a Top Employer.
“Our employees travel millions of miles a year and make millions of visits to their customers’ homes. Last year, for example, all Provident employees have traveled 7.7 million kilometers and made nearly 6.3 million successful visits. Our business model means engagement, much work and satisfaction as well. We understand that we can only be successful if our people have time for their passions and at the same time take positive energy from the office. That’s what it means to be a top employer, “said Viktor Boczán, Country Manager Provident.
Top Employer certification was a good opportunity to make a profile of the Provident employees. Thus, perhaps contrary to expectations, the average height in the company is about 1.70 m and 75% of the Provident employees are women. In addition, the preferred color is blue, although it is not the eye color of the company. Two-thirds of employees have brown eyes, one fifth have green eyes, and one of them has different eye color. Although the majority of Provident employees are women, the sport that received the most votes from about 25% of employees is football. Of course, there are employees who prefer tennis, gymnastics, artistic skating, or as one of our colleagues said, “adulting”, that is, “an extreme sport in which you try to behave as a responsible adult’’. Musical preferences vary according to area – field employees prefer pop music, while one-third of those at the headquarters listen to rock. When it comes to their favorite film genre, 25% of employees chose comedies, but they are also colleagues who love horror, historical or psychological movies.
Traveling is the favorite hobby for 40% of employees, but there are colleagues with more “niche” passions – stained glass art, origami, fashion design, aero modeling or karaoke. As for zodiac signs, there is some balance. The sign of most natives is Sagittarius, and Virgo, Cancer, Leo or Gemini record the same percentage, around 10%.For many, the holiday destination is the one that makes them feel relaxed, enjoying their time spent with their family – at the mountain, at seaside, at their grandparents or in their native village. The most popular holiday destinations are Greece, Turkey, Spain, Italy or Dubai. Some of Provident’s employees are not employed full-time either because they have had another service before becoming Provident or because they have been hired elsewhere in the meantime. Some of them even have interesting jobs, such as: aquarist, mailman, geographer, chemist, teacher or jeweler. Incidentally, the youngest employee Provident is 19 and joined Provident in October last year, just before she was 19. At the opposite end, the company’s senior is a 75-year-old sales representative from Brasov who joined the company in December 2015. Provident Financial Romania currently has more than 2,300 employees in all regions of the country, serving over 200,000 customers.
About Provident Financial Romania
Provident Financial Romania is part of the UK International Personal Finance Group (IPF), Europe’s leading provider of home loans. The Group has 2.3 million customers in 9 countries across Europe, as well as in Mexico and Australia. IPF is one of the largest British employers in Central and South-East Europe and one of the most powerful international companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.Since 2006, Provident has invested more than 370 million euros in Romania and has contributed to the state budget with taxes amounting to 113 million euros. Provident is certified as Top Employer in Romania for 2019, the only one in the banking and non-banking financial industry, and is one of the largest employers in our country with over 2,300 employees.Provident develops and supports various social responsibility projects – financial education programs, youth talent development, support for underprivileged groups – in which it has invested over 1.1 million euros so far.