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Initiative

Quest Group’s commitment to promoting Transparency, Accountability, Development and Preservation of Healthy Competition

Quest Group’s commitment to promoting Transparency, Accountability, Development and Preservation of Healthy Competition
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QUEST GROUP

The Quest Group is one of the largest, dynamically growing on a solid financial basis, Greek Group of Companies.

Quest Holdings S.A., parent company of the Group, was founded in 1981 as Info-Quest Ltd. and has been listed on the Athens Stock Exchange since 1998. A pioneer in the field of Technology, the Group has associated its name with the development of the Information Technology market but also with the introduction and development of new technologies in Greece.

The company is included in the Greek listed companies of the new index of the Athens Exchange ATHEX ESG INDEX, which monitors the stock market performance of listed companies of the ATHEX that adopt and promote their practices on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues.

Today the Group is active in the sectors of Trade (Retail and Wholesale) of Information Technology Products, Telecommunications, Air Conditioning and e-commerce, Information Technology Services, Courier and Postal Services and Green Energy, with presence in Greece and Europe.

The Group's companies employ more than 3,000 specialized executives and professionals and cooperate with the largest companies internationally, creating added value. They serve the entire range of the market, from large private and public sector companies to the final consumer, while they have a strong financial base, high expertise and positive prospects, each in its field.

Having in its assets a series of successful business moves, the Quest Group is constantly expanding its activities in new areas, including in its business scheme, companies that define the market in which they operate.

For more information visit www.quest.gr/en


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Objective Action

The Group’s consistent pursuit and commitment to business ethics – A system of Principles and Values at the heart of Quest Group for the Development of Human Resources.

 

Target Audience

All employees at Quest Group companies.

 

Duration

2014 until today.


Description

All Quest Group companies share a Code of Conduct, a Privacy Policy, and a declaration of the Group’s Principles and Values; this is the basis for the Group’s commitment to respecting the principles of corporate governance and business ethics. Our companies operate under the system of Principles of Values; among others, our employees’ development and training are cultivated based on this system.

Our Group places great emphasis on education; that’s why we have developed a Special Human Resources Development Department, which operates at Group level to implement specialized Education, Development and Training programs, through Human Resources Development Centers operating in each company. Considering that our employees’ common values define an operational framework, as well as relationships and behaviors that lead to common perceptions and common attitudes which enable better cooperation, development and mutual benefits for Group Companies, we have developed the “Living our Values” project, in order to communicate and cultivate our Principles and Values among employees. This project is the core of individual chain educational/training programs that our companies implement

“Living our Values” Human Resources Development Project
This project was implemented in the following stages and it targeted all employees up to Directors:

  • The Group’s CEOs formed a focus group to discuss and express their opinions on the Organization’s Values and Principles, considering what defines the organization today and what is crucial for the future.
  • Afterwards, a sample of the Group’s employees, around 10% of the total personnel, participated in focus groups, and discussed, identified and fully understood the Values that are widely accepted by all Group Companies.
  • Based on the above procedures, the six most important Group Values were determined as follows: Customer Satisfaction, Ethos and Integrity, Teamwork, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Foundation of Performance
  • To enable the diffusion of values to all employees, and their consolidation and conscious application, we organized workshops where we assigned a verbal attribution to each one of them, relevant to the Group, by using the word “Quest”, which accompanied them in every description.
  • Some employees volunteered to diffuse those values (facilitators) to all Group employee teams that were created, in order to inform and raise awareness among all employees; facilitators communicated to their teams all values and their features and behaviors that represent each value, including game elements in the process.

To help cultivate those values, we also presented and analyzed changes that have occurred at international level, their economic, social and environmental impact, as well as their impact on Greece, businesses and the Greek society.   We also focused on the concepts of Corporate Responsibility, Social Responsibility and employee responsibility.

Living our Values was first implemented in 2014 and will be repeated on a regular basis over the next years after its completion. To this day, participation rates per company were as follows: 6 employees from Quest Holdings, 157 from Info Quest Technologies, 350 from Uni Systems, 19 from iSquare, 25 from iStorm, 10 from Quest Online, 3 from Quest Energy and 292 from ACS, 862 employees in total, with staff from Thessaloniki still pending. 

“Leadership Excellence”.  Parallel Leadership Program
This program seeks to promote the values, principles and behaviors that regulate the Group’s function, as well as strengthen leadership and human resources development, and is addressed to Group company Supervisors, Managers and Directors. It is an experiential approach to values, based on theatrical play for adults and active role-playing elements, which enable communication between teams and speed up the decision-making process.  The program engaged 182 people in total, namely 74 Supervisors, 83 Managers, 25 Directors. 
It is also noteworthy that the Group communicates its Values and Principles, focusing on a different value each time, through HereWeAre, the Group’s Portal for Human Resources, and through elegant posters located at central points of the companies.


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Impact on Society

  • Developing a common perception on the way companies work and creating a common attitude and behavior among employees; 
  • Developing and cultivating personal skills;  
  • Developing a common culture across Group;

 



Initiative Location

Quest Group company offices in Kalithea, Agios Ioannis Rentis, Menidi, Tavros, Kryoneri, and Thessaloniki.


Working with Organization

Mr Manolis Kalogerakis was the rapporteur and facilitator of Living our Values for the ACS staff.


Workers Participation

Positive response from all employees, with participation and engagement in all projects.  


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