This article is part of in the January issue (No. 169) of Human Resources, within the Employer Branding Conference 2025, promoted by Talent Portugal.
When it began its transformation process, MC, which will complete four decades in 2025, felt the need to position oneself for the future, but simultaneously affirming pride in their past.
As a group, we are the largest private employer in Portugal and our legacy is as strong as our brand. This brings the advantage of being well-known and recognised in the market, but also the responsibility of our leadership and of continuing to be pioneering and agile.
Mafalda Lobo Xavier – Area Leader Employer Brand
Another question also arose: how could we get around 40 thousand employees from such different areas and belonging to different brands to see themselves reflected in the same brand?
Social media has been crucial in conveying MC’s identity and paradigm shift, altering its perception as an employer. “Our LinkedIn is a reference in corporate topics and value communication, maintaining an institutional tone. Attentive to the new generations, we missed a closer channel. We invested in Instagram e TikTok to promote MC's culture and our people, proudly showing our day-to-day lives. We are a dynamic company, RESERCH and our team of Employer Branding has done a great job, reflected in the increase in interactions, applications and positive feedback”, continues Mafalda Lobo Xavier.
“Being big and well-known brings us advantages, but also some prejudices, since some perceptions or ideas from the past may persist. At MC we believe in building a work environment where people feel good and can grow personally and professionally. I am very proud to share that our work environment is what our employees highlight most internally”, explains Mafalda Lobo Xavier. “The strategy was precisely this: show outside what we are inside, there is nothing more credible. We have placed the employee at the center of our communication and image, thus managing to have real people telling real stories.»
MC has also developed awareness campaigns that highlight its organizational culture and values: they collaborate with universities and educational institutions to identify and attract young people through interships, trainee programs and recruitment events; they participate in job fairs and industry events; and in addition to social networks, they also use online recruitment platforms to reach a more diverse audience.
inner strength
A culture is a very important pillar of MC's strategy and is therefore always on the agenda, due to its relevance to employees. It makes a difference in ensuring that employees feel comfortable working at the company, and is therefore also a determining factor in the success of its objectives. "The way we worked a few years ago is no longer the most appropriate in this new context and it is important to adapt and be flexible", reveals Mafalda Lobo Xavier.
There is currently a cultural transformation process in the organization, a joint construction that began two years ago, by the leaders, who play a fundamental role in the organization's culture. A new model was designed, preparing the company for the future with an even more agile, human and close leadership.
Today, they are much more prepared to call on the entire organization to transform itself, making the company more focused, even more collaborative and with great agility in decision-making. “Change depends on everyone’s involvement, because our culture is our people. And at MC, everything we achieve, we achieve together, as our motto Better Together!», concludes Mafalda Lobo Xavier.
MC also has initiatives and projects to help its people grow personally and professionally, believing that investing in development contributes to growth and sustainability. “We provide training for 40 people from 13 different businesses and are implementing an upskilling and reskilling plan (I Choose to Learn) focused on cognitive, social, emotional, digital and technological skills, making the organization more fit for the future. The strategy includes self learning, on-the-job training, peer-to-peer learning and new technologies such as mixed reality and (adaptive learning). We have 15 academies that promote specific skills and we have partnerships with business schools, universities and a Qualifica Center, which has already certified more than 530 employees", says Mafalda Lobo Xavier.
A internal mobility is equally fundamental for the growth of employees, providing new areas of interest, skills and challenges, strengthening the team and increasing the capacity for innovation. «We offer an environment where everyone feels valued e part of a cohesive team, common comprehensive benefits package and a continuous feedback culture. "
Working for the future
«A big novelty is our new careers website, launched at the end of last year, more modern and interactive. We will move forward with the introduction of assessments digital tools based on artificial intelligence, facilitating the candidate experience and adjusting profiles to available vacancies”, says Mafalda Lobo Xavier.
MC considers itself a company of everyone and for everyone, always with the purpose of improving the lives of more and more people, with a focus on the customer and respecting the community and the planet. «We care about successful and challenged teams, inserted in a culture of well-being, and in the continuous improvement of the way we work and develop those who are with us, impacting the community around us. Our responsibility as an employer brand is to continue to guarantee the best experience for our employees and to ensure that this is passed on to the outside world.»
