"Bodø/Glimt is a club that has undergone enormous development in recent years, both in terms of sports and organization." These are the words of Mette Pedersen Seljenes, Head of Human Resources at FK Bodø/Glimt. She's been there for three years, after 16 years as a manager in the kindergarten sector, so it's clear that she knows her way around people.
"Bodø/Glimt uses Huma, but that's not what we're going to talk about now. We're going to talk about how they do HR in-house, how it has contributed to their development and what ordinary companies can learn from HR and personnel in one of Norway's best football clubs.
"Working at Bodø/Glimt means a fast pace, a focus on performance and chasing improvement to be 1% better every day," says Mette, adding that they are always looking for the right people to create the best culture. It's been one of the key ingredients in their recipe for development and success.
"HR is fundamentally about creating an environment where people can perform."
"HR is fundamentally about creating an environment where people can perform," says Mette, adding that it's important in companies, but perhaps even more important in a football club. She adds that HR's job is to create security, structure and predictability in an industry where things change quickly, the pressure is high and the tasks are many.
She also mentions that there's a lot of talk about systems, formations and analysis, but ultimately football is about people. "Relationships, trust, well-being, security and communication affect performance more than most people think. This applies on the pitch, but just as much in the support team and in the administration."
As mentioned, football is fundamentally about people, and there's someone you might not always think of when you think of football. It's the team around the team. The people you don't see on TV. The support staff and the administration. Without them, it's difficult for the team on the pitch to perform, and performance comes from well-being and a good culture. "When the people around thrive, the players get the best framework," Mette shares.
The key word here is safety. When employees feel safe, they will dare to be honest, take responsibility and contribute more actively. "Security and predictability is not something you create once. It's something you maintain actively, all the time," says Mette.
Taking care of the people who make the club work every single day is an important task. In the background of the performance on the pitch are the people in the "team behind the team", those who ensure that travel, match events, partnerships and salaries etc. are carried out with quality 365 days a year. When performance on the pitch is good, the demands for performance and development increase for employees at all levels of the club.
Before we end our conversation, let's go back to the fact that football is about people. So is HR, but the parallels don't stop there for Bodø/Glimt. Because just like the team, the administration is also chasing a good performance, constantly taking new steps in line with our values and who we are. "We always work to play each other well, whether it's on the pitch or in the office," Mette concludes.
"We're always working to play each other well, whether it's on the pitch or in the office"
We think this was a super inspiring conversation and something many companies can learn a lot from. Thanks for the chat, Mette! We look forward to following along.