Work in another part of the world with Scania Personnel Enhancement Programme

The fact that Scania is a global company is demonstrated by the purchasing organisation. Many are located in Södertälje and Brazil, but there are also a large number of local purchasers across the globe.

What does a typical day look like for them? What can they teach us? One way to find out is to participate in a PEP (Personnel Enhancement Programme). A short-term assignment to strengthen competences and gain experience of working in a new environment.

Sanaz Davari is one of the purchasers who participated in a PEP. After her parental leave she moved to Australia for six months to work within Customised Solutions at Scania in Melbourne and to gather knowledge for future positions. Her family accompanied her and it was the turn of her husband to stay at home with the kids. In addition to landing in a hot climate, there is also much to learn. The office is small and Sanaz Davari was involved in most things. Something that suits her ambitions.

“I wanted to learn how purchasing works outside the main office”.

Not everyone does as Sanaz Davari has done and travels to the other side of the world. It is also quite common to go on a PEP within Södertälje. This enables the employee to apply to go to another part of the organisation, in order to broaden their skills.

The aim of a PEP is always development, and the assignment can be between three and six months. It can be about learning something that the person can benefit from in their existing position. Or to learn new skills to be able to take a new role.

“There are opportunities to work all over the world for those who have the desire and drive”, says Annette Persson at Purchasing’s HR department.

Positive adjustment

Regardless of where the PEP takes place, both the employer and employee have to benefit. From Scania’s point of view, it can be about getting an employee back with a broader skills set who adds new knowledge to the group. The employee can, in addition to language skills, get an understanding of how the culture affects the working methods in another part of the world.

For Sanaz Davari the service in Melbourne is completely different to that she dealt with previously. From having worked for four years at Material, she is now at Commercial Operations and works directly with a business unit that has not yet come as far in its processes and other purchasing work as in Södertälje.

“Much of what I take for granted isn’t in place”, says Sanaz Davari.

This has meant that most of the tasks have been about laying the foundation for a functioning purchasing operation, in line with current policies. She has created a purchasing website and guidelines. The next step is to establish information material for dealerships, so that they can understand how the purchasing organisation can support them. Moving to another country to work always takes adjustment. For Sanaz Davari it has been positive to work on completely different tasks from those at home.

“One learns a lot when one tries things outside one’s comfort zone”.

She has not really experienced any clashes in culture, except for that people are more straightforward. A more relaxed lifestyle, combined with the heat and not too many dangerous animals, made the months she was spending in the southern hemisphere both memorable and exceptionally educational.

Sanaz Davari is pleased she took the opportunity to partake in a PEP. She recommends that others take the leap as well.

“I have grown as a person and learnt so much in such a short amount of time, at the same time as being able to work with my passion!“