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Hewlett-Packard (more commonly known as HP) is an international IT and business services company, with one of the largest market shares for PC manufacturing. It was founded in 1939 by William (Bill) Hewlett and Dave Packard, who famously started the company in Packard’s garage with little more than $500 in capital. Its turnover for its most recent financial year was $127.2 billion.
As well as PCs, it has a number of different business lines such as printing and imaging, for which it is world renowned. It was announced in March 2012 that the two units will be merged to become the 'Printing and Personal Systems Group'.
Software is another key area; the $5b software business was recently boosted by the acquisition of UK-based Autonomy, and chief executive Meg Whitman has announced her intention to double or triple software revenues in the coming years.
As with any technology company, research and development is a significant part of the business; HP’s patent list stood at over 37,000 as of 31st October 2010. It also rivals companies like Cisco Systems in the business services market, with technology outsourcing a particular strength.
As well as marketing products and services to direct to individual consumers, HP serves a wide range of organisations including:
A number of current and former HP employees have gone on to become big names in the technology sector, not least:
HP is based in Palo Alto, California, but operates in over 170 different countries; more than 65% of its revenues are generated outside of the US. Some of its most recent expansion efforts have included the announcement of a new research and development centre to be opened in Beijing.
The UK business is based in Bracknell and Newcastle upon Tyne, with other offices in locations around the country. The HP Labs Bristol site, which is home to its cloud computing research, is one of seven research and development centres that HP runs internationally.
There have been recent moves to offshore low-skilled jobs but the future seems fairly secure in the UK, particularly in research and development. With governments and businesses voicing their interest in pursuing cloud technologies, it seems likely that HP will continue to employ significant numbers of highly-skilled graduates.
The basic trainee salary package is £25,000 plus per annum, with a discretionary £3,000 joining bonus.
Other benefits include:
There has been a shakeup of HP’s top management in recent years, with 3 different chief executives serving at the helm between mid-2010 and late 2011. Despite this executive reshuffle, the company has insisted that it will retain its set of corporate values under latest head Meg Whitman - who, incidentally, recently moved all of the company's top executives (including herself) out of their offices and in amongst the less senior members of staff.
Its corporate philosophy includes 7 key values, which are fairly typical of the sector and which all employees are expected to adopt:
HP conducts a global survey each year, called ‘voice of the workforce’ (or VoW). This is used to get feedback on broad issues such as management styles, and is supplemented by smaller surveys based around specific topics.
New employees are also asked to complete a survey after they have been in their role for 6 months; the aim is to gauge how they are finding their new job and to make sure that they have been properly inducted. This is repeated after they complete their first year, to monitor any changes in perception.
According to the 2010 workforce survey, employees rated flexible working arrangements as one of the key benefits of working for the company. Flexible arrangements include:
The survey showed that 80% of employees used flexi time, 2% worked part time, and 15% worked full-time from home in 2010.
As well as the informal sports and social teams organised by employees at different sites, there are a number of company-sponsored groups and networks available to staff. These include:
Employee resource groups for people with common backgrounds and interests, eg women’s networks, groups for ethnic minorities, and networks for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people.
The HP sustainability network, which allows employees to learn about environmental issues and share tips and practices.
The wellness ambassador network, a group of over 100 people who plan events based around health and stress management at different HP sites, with a view to introducing new health and well-being practices.
The company is also reported to have its own internal social network dubbed me@hp, which encourages staff to connect with colleagues that have similar hobbies and interests, whether they are work-related or not.
As part of its efforts to increase diversity in its workforce, HP runs several internal initiatives. These include a programme called ‘leadership on the go’, where employees from minority backgrounds can meet senior managers and hold informal discussions with them.
While the company does not provide ethnicity information for its workforce in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the proportion of female employees in the region showed a small increase in 2010, to 30.5% from 30.0% the previous year.
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