The changing world of recruitment and the importance of company culture

Leila Goelz, Chief People and Transformation Officer at Games Global

The iGaming industry is currently enjoying a period of growth as innovation powers full steam ahead. The fast pace of the sector is both exhilarating and demanding to those involved. It’s incredible to be a part of a growing industry, and business, where there is no shortage of opportunity for great talent.

The competition for talent is not without its challenges, but this ensures that our strategy becomes even more people-centric, helping us to build a culture that inspires innovation and nurtures our talent. It is hugely important to me to be part of a company that is committed to developing people, building high-performing teams, and fostering an inclusive culture that enables everyone to be the best they want to be. This is how we strive to operate at Games Global. This to me is what ‘making everyone a winner’ is about.

There are many fantastic companies in our space, and with increased digitalisation, we all have a growing need to fill similar roles —for DevOps Engineers, Developers, etc. – which are increasingly integral to business operations on an industry-wide basis. Attracting top talent is competitive; candidates can have multiple offers at any given time and the pace of recruitment has changed drastically. Some companies are turning around offers within days, so it’s vital we keep up.

The contraction of the talent market means we have to take a more proactive approach to attracting talent. Games Global has risen to this challenge and we continue to recruit at an incredible rate. Our focus is to proactively engage with our candidates on a personal level, build talent and constantly evolve our methods of attracting talent. It’s key that the selection process is focused on not only us as a business assessing the candidates, but also on presenting an accurate picture of our company and culture, the role, and helping our candidates determine whether or not we are the right fit for them. We believe that people join people, not a company.

Propelled by the pandemic, over the last three years we have seen a global change in attitudes towards remote and hybrid working. Companies are adapting to accommodate the paradigm change by permitting more flexible working arrangements. There are naturally differing opinions about the best approach, but we do find that there is still a desire among [our] employees to be in an office with their teams again, have in-person meetings, or even just to enjoy a quick chat over a coffee. We are social beings after all.

When it comes to retaining talent, nurturing equality, diversity, and inclusion is extremely important to Games Global in order to ensure that everyone has a strong sense of belonging. Staying true to our values of Authenticity, Boldness and Togetherness, Creativity and Innovation is encouraged, and is ultimately fundamental to the success of our product offering. How can we expect to evolve and keep pace if we are not multifaceted? We place a huge focus on ‘culture add’ rather than ‘culture fit’. When you’re a global company with a global audience, diversity in teams ensures we can understand the needs and wants of different cultures. Constantly adding to an already diverse workforce helps keep us open minded and alert to the positive differences each person can contribute to their respective teams and to our business as a whole.

Despite the ongoing challenges, iGaming has proven itself resilient and adaptable many times over and it’s no different when it comes to recruitment. We must not lose sight of the fact that companies are made of people and it’s important that those people feel valued and feel a connection to the vision of the business.

Games Global officially launched in May 2022 and we are on an exciting journey to achieve our vision of becoming ‘The One’. With dedicated focus on and commitment to one of our three key foundations – People – we pledge to support, develop, and promote our employees. I, for one, am looking towards the future with utter excitement in anticipation of what we will achieve, together.