BT

The overview

BT Group is the UK’s biggest communications company, providing phone, broadband and cable TV services to households and businesses across the country. It operates in over 170 countries and has more than 92,000 employees worldwide.

Sometimes referred to as British Telecommunications (which is actually its subsidiary), it also claims to be the oldest communications company in the world, having links to the Electric Telegraph Company, which was launched in 1846.

Areas of business

The company has four main units:

• BT Retail – this is undoubtedly the best known unit, serving consumers and small businesses.
• BT Wholesale - provides network services to businesses, handling over 300m calls per day.
• BT Global Services - specialises in managed network IT services, and serves around 7,000 large public sector and corporate customers worldwide.
• Openreach - the company’s ‘last mile’ business, meaning that it provides the actual wires and fibres used to connect residences and business premises to local telephone exchanges. This division serves around 490 communications companies such as internet service providers and network operators, and is the official instruction partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Strong customer base

BT’s main strengths as a business are its strong customer base, its broad range of products and services, and its substantial network infrastructure; its communications network is the most expansive in the UK, giving it a major competitive advantage. It also has a significant global presence, and aims to boost its operations in the Asia Pacific region to further consolidate this.

Corporate and public-sector clients

As well as consumers, its clients include major companies and public sector organisations such as:

• Deutsche Post DHL
• Fiat
• H J Heinz
• Mothercare
• NHS
• Procter & Gamble

Among the most recent additions to its client list is the European Parliament, with which it signed a £100m, 5-year networked IT services contract in late 2011, and NATO, which hired BT for a five-year network services contract in March 2012.

Business strategy

Under its current strategy, the company is focused on three key initiatives: improving customer service, investing in new network infrastructure, and lowering operational costs. It has also identified six priority areas to work on over the coming years:

1. Expanding its range of broadband-based services.
2. Moving into new European wholesale markets.
3. Targeting UK small and medium-sized businesses.
4. Improving the global services unit’s financial performance.
5. Extending its fibre network to 40% of the UK by 2012.
6. Increasing its focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Latest developments

Recent service developments include: the introduction of its fastest fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband service to date, the 100-megabits-per-second (Mbps) BT Infinity Option 3; and an accelerated programme to roll out super-fast fibre-optic broadband to 66% of premises across the UK by year-end 2014.

The company also recently announced plans to offer on-demand access to fibre-optic broadband connections of up to 300-Mbps in 2013, after successfully trailling its fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology.

Rankings and awards

• Listed in the FTSE 100 stock index.
• Ranked 102 in the 2011 BrandFinance list of valuable brands.
• Ranked 26 in the 2011 Centre for Brand Analysis Business Superbrands Official Top 50.
• Awarded third place in the 2011 International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Business Equality Index.
• Won four top honours at the 2010 World Communications Awards, including best global operator, best technology foresight, best wholesale carrier and the green award.
• Its banking and financial markets division was awarded the Financial Sector Technology magazine cloud computing innovation of the year award in 2010.

Salary and benefits

Starting salaries for graduates vary by scheme:

• Procurement & supply chain: £27,000.
• HR or marketing: £27,250
• Business management, contact centre management or sales: £27,750
• Legal or technology: £30,000

Other benefits

• 27.5 days’ holiday per annum.
• Annual performance-related bonus of up to 10%.
• Long-term incentives for managers.
• Contributory pension.
• Flexible working hours.
• Profit-sharing and sharesave schemes.
• Discounts on BT products, as well as free broadband and BT Vision (the internet-based TV service) for £1.
• Special rates on some products and services like computer equipment, dental care, holidays, life assurance and financial services.
• Interest-free loans.
• Study leave for professional exams.

Culture and values

BT has five core brand values, which it says are the basis of its corporate identity. These are:

• Heart – a belief in its actions.
• Helpful – working as a team to serve customers.
• Inspiring – fostering innovation and creativity.
• Straightforward – ensuring clarity and avoiding confusion.
• Trustworthy – being reliable and following through on promises.

Relaxed atmosphere

There is a fairly relaxed atmosphere within the company, despite its large size and busy offices. Being a large business, it inevitably has a corporate culture to some extent, but there is no sense of strict hierarchy, and senior managers (though frequently busy) are approachable and make an effort to speak to graduates. There are also formalised 'lunch and learn' meetings between graduates and senior managers, so there is plenty of opportunity to get advice and support (see 'training and development' in the careers and training tab).

Working conditions

The company is big on flexible working, and many employees take advantage of opportunities such as homeworking – particularly on a Friday. Graduates are also able to benefit from this as they are employed at management level; however, this is only if they prove they can be trusted to actually work rather than watch TV.

The company is big on flexible working.

Working hours tend to vary by business area, and can also change depending on what projects are going on at any given time. At any rate, overtime is a possibility, but not an everyday occurrence. While employees are expected to put in the extra work when needed, there is no long-hours culture, and some overtime can be balanced out by leaving early now and then, if managers agree.

Voluntary work

There is a strong emphasis on volunteering at BT, and a number of initiatives are in place to encourage employees to join in. In 2009/10, employees contributed more than 28,000 volunteering days (worth an estimated £9.4m).

It has various volunteering partners, including

• Business in the Community
• Career Academies UK
• One Foundation
• Relay for Life
• Young Enterprise

As well as allowing workers to use up to three working days for charity or community work each year, the company allows employees with specialist skills to take long-term secondments at charitable organisations, and also has a database service to help match people with suitable voluntary positions.

Out-of-hours activities

Social activities are also an important part of the experience, particularly for graduates; in addition to company events, socials are frequently arranged via the graduate and undergraduate network, Gradnet. These include overseas travel like the annual skiing trip to France. Other opportunities include unusual fundraising and volunteering activities such as mountain climbing to raise money for charity.

Diversity

As well as being a two ticks employer (demonstrating its positive attitude towards employing disabled people), BT is a gold member of the Employers Forum on Disability. It also scored 97% (joint first place) in the most recent Disability Standard Benchmark, well above the average industry score of 57%.

There are numerous networks within the company for employees with similar circumstances or interests, including:

• Able2 (for employees with disabilities).
• BT Carer’s Network.
• BT Ethnic Minority Network.
• BT Christian Network.
• BT Muslim Network.
• BT Kaleidoscope (for LGBT employees).
• BT Women’s Network.

Women account for 21.28% of the employees, and 24.06% of management positions. In the spirit of fairness, BT also supports fathers (both biological and non-biological, be they straight or gay) with young children, having convened the Employers 4 Fathers Forum. It is also a diversity champion for gay rights group Stonewall, and supports the UK LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) history month.