At Inchcape, we recognise that individual contributions are a cornerstone of our culture and a key factor in our success. To that end, a colleague recognition programme was initiated in Lithuania in 2022 with the objective of celebrating the skills, contributions and motivational influences of our team members. We sat down for a chat with Kristina Puzakina, Head of People Lithuania & People Business Partner Regional Team, to learn more about this initiative.

A few things about myself

I studied Arts and English at the University of Vilnius and later spent three years in the UK, gaining real-life experience of living and practicing the language in a native environment. During these years I worked in multinational teams in retail and luxury goods sales, which proved to be a great experience in my later career. My People partnering journey began at Avon Cosmetics, the American direct selling company, where I spent four unforgettable years working with amazing people and great products. I joined Inchcape in 2012 and since then have continued to grow – from managing all functions myself, to developing a team and also taking on regional People partnering responsibilities.

Tell us about your role – how long have you been with the Inchcape team?

I joined Inchcape in 2012. Over the years, the organisation and my role within it have changed so much. Now, I am proud to lead a team of four People and Communication professionals. I also partner with regional teams on people-related activities and projects. As a team, we share the same values and beliefs. We set ourselves goals of professionalism, creativity, curiosity and energy that enable us to overcome any obstacle. We have an ideal of positively embracing change and dynamics within the modern workplace.

Let’s look at the initiative itself – can you take us through the programme’s four core values?

One Inchcape Values & Behaviours are our guiding principles and commonly agreed behaviours that we want to see in ourselves and others.

We Deliver is all about keeping promises and completing agreed actions to deliver on our promises. 

Great Experiences is focused on ensuring that whatever interactions we have with external partners, with our customers, or our colleagues within the organisation, we make it great.

Fresh Thinking is all about raising the bar and looking for new opportunities in terms of process improvements, digitalisation, and ensuring we stay ahead of the game in every area of our activities.

And finally, Better Together emphasises teamwork and team spirit. It teaches us that collective ideas and contributions bring so much more value than working alone!

What inspired you to set up the programme? How did you identify a need for it within your market?

We believe in recognition and celebration, and One Inchcape values give us this great framework to make the initiative meaningful, too. Moreover, shared culture does not happen just because we have some agreed values. To make this work and stick, we need to repeat and relate this to every person and within every team. We want to make it understandable for everyone and, by developing consistency, prove that this trait is important and valued by our team members.

When did the programme start?

We started the programme in 2020. We all remember that as Covid year, so the programme was very timely and much appreciated among colleagues as it made them feel more connected. Since then, One Inchcape Values & Behaviours were launched and we re-launched the program in 2023, continuing it into 2024.

What are the primary aims of the programme?

Our primary goal is to promote behaviours we want to see in every Inchcape colleague. We do this by dedicating time to bring out the best examples from all business areas and departments and recognise outstanding people and the way they live One Inchcape values at work. By doing this, we spotlight some of our colleagues and also create an open and positive culture that identifies us from the rest.

What do the One Inchcape values mean to colleagues, and how do they resonate with them in their everyday work?

Throughout the years, making One Inchcape a part of our performance and organisation culture has imprinted as our shared, mutually acceptable and sought-after way of working. It encourages collaboration and is the way we want our OEMs and customers to experience Inchcape as a partner.

Why do you feel that recognition is important?

Recognition is part of our human nature – it makes us happy, valued and motivated to repeat and continue what we do well. Giving recognition is the same and is just as rewarding as receiving it. I am a great supporter and practitioner of sharing a “thank you” or “well done”, a smile or a hug with a colleague or team member. At an organisational level, recognition is part of a great culture that all teams and companies pursue to create and maintain the best working environment, practices and productivity.

Take us through the process. How is an individual nominated for the award? 

The process starts with department managers nominating colleagues from their teams, role modelling our values in their day-to-day work. Each nomination is accompanied by a story introducing the person and real-life examples of One Inchcape values that a person demonstrates. After the nomination process is complete, all colleagues are invited to vote and select the winners. We have six business units/dealerships, so we chose eight winners from the business with one or two retail representatives and one person representing back office functions.

The award ceremony is organised during winter celebrations in December, allowing each winner to shine and be congratulated by the leadership team. The process is accompanied by regular communications on our local Intranet, and some hard copy promotional materials within aftersales premises. We’re really looking forward to this year’s ceremony!

How is the senior leadership team supporting this initiative?

The programme is sponsored by Country Manager Aurimas Tamašauskas, who fully supports the initiative. It is also aligned with our market leadership team who actively nominate their team members for recognition.

How do you see the programme developing in the future?

I hope this program becomes an eagerly anticipated tradition that colleagues look forward to. One Inchcape values and behaviours are a strong and integral part of our company culture both today and into the future.

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Kristina Puzakina for her insightful and fascinating look at this worthwhile recognition programme, a programme which ably demonstrates what lies at the heart of Inchcape’s success – its people.

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