Fujitsu unearths quiet talent and boosts internal hires by 12%

“We’re looking to achieve a minimum of 50% internal recruitment for all roles,” said Vicky Gale, Head of Workforce Management at Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand. “To do that we need to drive a development culture. We want people to see there are no boundaries.”

But pinpointing potential talent is not always straightforward, especially in a complex organisation like Fujitsu which employs over 3,500 people across Australia and New Zealand.

“The difficult thing is getting the right skill set in the right location, especially when it comes to getting women in technology roles,” Vicky explained.

So when Vicky and her team came across WithYouWithMe (WYWM) and their SaaS platform, they were hopeful it could help them uncover latent talent within the organisation.

Fast-tracking talent by training from within

Fujitsu started using WYWM for external recruitment in early 2022. After some initial success, Vicky and her team began to wonder whether WYWM’s SaaS platform, Potential, could help them with internal hires as well.

Potential is a data-driven tool that uses aptitude, psychometric, and cultural assessments to build a picture of your workforce’s skills and uncover hidden potential. It then delivers training programs to upskill selected talent with a view to deploy them into new in-demand roles.

“We’ve recognised that aptitude and cultural fit are way more important than a tick box of skills or experiences people have. WithYouWithMe’s Potential platform is a powerful way to pinpoint the hidden potential within our business.”

Vicky Gale,
Head of Workforce Management, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand  

Dubbed internally as “Unlocking Your Potential”, the tool is offered through Fujitsu’s Skills for Life portal. So far, 216 people have completed an assessment, and the feedback from the business has been overwhelmingly positive.

“From a standing start in April 2022, we’ve had some pretty impressive figures,” Vicky said.

Since using the Potential platform, internal hires and promotions at Fujitsu have risen from 24% to 36%, an increase of 12% in just seven months.

“Although it was a slow start, we’re getting to the point where the mechanism is kicking in and we’re making headway.”

Finding passion, purpose and potential

As well as helping to solve the digital skills crisis, Potential is supporting Fujitsu’s broader goal of becoming a learning organisation and a more fulfilling place to work.

“We talk a lot about ikigai at Fujitsu, the sweet spot between work, skills, passion and purpose,” Vicky said.

“We want to help people find their ikigai. We want to help them unlock their potential, find their next role, and guide them along that pathway. And that’s what WithYouWithMe is helping us do.”

Uncover your hidden talent with Potential

Fujitsu is well on its way to achieving its goal of 50% internal hires, but that’s not the only benefit to the business.

By using Potential, Fujitsu has also enjoyed:

• Faster deployment: individuals can be job-ready across a broad range of key digital roles in around 150 hours.
• Reduced attrition: creating a culture of continuous learning and giving the ability to move and progress is one of the most important aspects of workforce retention today.
• Minimal workload interruptions: Training works with employees' workloads. Choose from full-time, boot camp, self-paced and power-hour models.

• Better team harmony: The platform doesn’t just match individuals to roles. Our unique assessment also helps you build a balanced team that fits the culture of your organisation.

Plus, they get the satisfying feeling of knowing they’re doing good. For every purchase of a Potential licence, WithYouWithMe is able to train 10 individuals from diverse talent pools for free.