Support that generates genuine value

How does the Signify Shared Services Center in Łódź operate? We reached out to Małgorzata Janiszewska – Financial Services Center Director and Regional Financial Director at Signify Poland – to talk about new headquarters, transformation from Philips Lighting to Signify, as well as their approach focused on comprehensive consulting, sustainable technologies, and care for employees come first.

FOCUS ON Business: The Signify Shared Services Center in Łódź has a brand-new office since February 2023. What convinced you that the Hi Piotrkowska office complex is exactly what you are looking for?

Małgorzata Janiszewska, Signify: Our new Łódź office represents a commitment to our employees, first and foremost. Maximum comfort, safety, and the best working conditions – these principles guided us during the relocation process. Green solutions and environmentally friendly technologies were high on our agenda, too; the new office had to be in line with our corporate strategy.

Our space in the Hi Piotrkowska office complex makes use of state-of- -the-art lighting solutions, including the Interact lighting management system, the NatureConnect luminaires – built according to biophilic design principles – as well as Trulifi, a reliable and secure connectivity solution through light waves. These pioneering technologies and solutions increase and improve work comfort, allowing for a significant reduction in energy consumption (up to 80%) as well as adjusting lighting intensity levels to natural day light rhythm. We also have a UV-C disinfection system that ensures proper air purification, thus ensuring our safety.

Did a move to such a comfortable office space trigger a change to your work model? What model works best for you – onsite, remote or hybrid?

Creating a genuinely brilliant workplace is a source of immense pride for us at Signify. We are firm believers in direct cooperation that generates inspiration, fosters trust, improves performance, and accelerates delivery. Equally, we are aware that employees require flexibility in terms of organizing their work. That’s why we introduced a set of rules prioritizing the occupational health and safety of Signify employees. Our offices – designed to connect, enable cooperation, and provide a safe space for you to focus on individual tasks – are our main place of work.

At the same time, Signify takes employees’ needs and requirements very seriously. In order to cater for various situations, everyone at our office may benefit from remote work. We do not have a top-down number of remote work days per week or month, as it’s all determined by particular team dynamics and business needs. These are company-wide policies. In short, our office space is our main place of work. Based on a flexible approach, it can accommodate different individual employee needs, while delivering on Signify’s business needs.

Let's take another trip down the memory lane. Signify was previously known as Philips Lighting. How did the transformation process go?

This process was divided into several stages. First was the separation of Philips Lighting from Philips Royal and then listing the new entity on Euronext stock exchange in Amsterdam in 2016. The announcement of the new company name took place in May 2018. This change was intended to separate the lighting business from other Philips divisions and enable the new entity to focus entirely on developing innovative lighting solutions.

Then came the rebranding stage where a new logo, visual identification, and brand communication were all un-veiled. New name and logo were designed to reflect the new strategy – focusing on smart lighting technologies and IoT solutions.

Issues related to sustainable development and environmental protection formed the backbone of the transformation process. We have introduced programs aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and increase energy efficiency of our products. Our primary objective is to unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world.

The entire transformation process was a complex endeavor which required both employees and customers to be on our side. However, a consistent and coherent strategy implementation alongside our innovative solutions enabled Signify to lead the way in smart lighting and continue to expand our business around the world.

What’s the story behind the Łódź Shared Services Center?

It was the result of Signify’s strategic decision to centralize and optimize business processes. The Łódź office is not the first Center that supports our business – transaction processes have already been transferred to our partners at Infosys. However, after analyzing non-transactional financial and accounting processes we have decided that centralization was the right step forward in order to maximize business efficiency and effectiveness, as well as increase and streamline knowledge transfer.

Plans to open an SSC-type operation in Poland were announced in 2017. Łódź became the early frontrunner due to favorable business conditions, talent availability, and mature infrastructure.

The center was officially launched in 2018 and currently employs more than 200 people. We deliver finance, accounting, order management, customer service, data management, property management and IT processes internally to organizations within our group. Dealing with comprehensive process management, we deliver non-transactional processes predominantly centered around knowledge and decision-making.

What does the future hold for Signify SSC in Łódź in terms of its operational activities?

First of all, we will continue to provide services and activities to the business thus bringing tangible business benefits. In practical terms, this means that we not only execute routine, operational tasks, but also perform analyzes, process management services, and provide insights that significantly impact business decisions as well as efficiency.

Properly defining the type of value we generate for the organization at large is of crucial import. This can take the form of process optimization, increased operational efficiency, shortened delivery time or savings.

Focus on delivering added value requires us to transform the Shared Services Center into a strategic business partner. We want to focus on understanding the needs and expectations of internal stakeholders, cooperate with different organization departments, and tailor our services to their requirements. Developing analytical competences and data processing skills is extremely important as these will empower us to deliver truly game-changing insights, information, reports, and analyzes that support strategic decisions and growth.

Focus on delivering added value also requires us to develop our advisory and consulting skillset. This may include organizational advice, participation in innovative projects, devising tailor-made solutions, and support in building strategies and business planning.

Finally, focus on delivering added value requires us to continuously monitor service performance and effectiveness. This entails measuring KPIs, collecting feedback from internal stakeholders, identifying areas ripe for improvement, and continuously improving processes. Therefore, our priority lies squarely in maintaining transparent communication with internal customers in order to understand their needs and expectations – particularly in light of challenging market conditions lying ahead.

Thank you for the interview.

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #12 September-October (5/2023)