The working world has been changing increasingly in recent years, and it is not just ever since the extreme challenges of the pandemic that a new understanding of work has surfaced. ‘Work-life balance’, ’employee experience’, ‘new work’ are more than just buzzwords. They are expressions of an attitude that combines more and more demanding work with individual strengths. Putting the human being at the center of attention has long been a deep-rooted value at PROMATIS, which is put into action each and every day.
Togetherness/cooperation in the company
At PROMATIS, an appreciative, trusting and respectful interaction is the foundation for a harmonious atmosphere. Regardless of the hierarchy level, we communicate at eye level, live an open-door policy and communicate regularly within all teams. Feeling a sense of belonging is especially important to us. It is only when we function as a team that we achieve great results, experience personal success and have fun at our work. This means that everyone can and should contribute their own skills and can rely on others. This mutual trust creates a stable basis for a positive corporate culture. Because every employee is seen as an important part of the whole, which manifests in the long-term relationship between our employees and PROMATIS, as well as in the low turnover rate in comparison with the industry as a whole.
Communication/praise/criticism
We are a company with flat hierarchies, a friendly, first-name based culture and short communication channels. We do not take detours and instead communicate in a direct, straightforward, open and honest way. To ensure a successful cooperation, we have regular feedback talks at PROMATIS, in which both criticism and feedback are addressed. Criticism is always given in a constructive and factual manner, because those who know their weaknesses can work on them and contribute to better success. Praise is communicated both directly and internally, for example by publishing positive customer feedback, remarkable employee achievements, or a simple ‘thank you to the team’ in our monthly online newsletter. In addition, we annually award colleagues with outstanding personal dedication and commitment. The award winners can always look forward to an exciting and harmonious employee event.
Onboarding and orientation
There is no second chance for a first impression. That is why we have made it a matter close to our hearts to optimally guide all new employees from day one. Dependability and competence in all personnel matters are a given to us – and the only way we can maintain our ground and offer our colleagues and future employees a secure working relationship.
As early as on the first day of work, our new colleagues receive an appropriate amount of information from the HR department and technical departments. If possible, newcomers are invited to team events on day one so they can find their way around the new atmosphere without any pressure. Our onboarding program takes place on the first working day itself. At this event, the new employees are greeted and welcomed by a member of the management board. Then, various departments give interesting insights into the world of PROMATIS. New employees additionally receive work safety instructions. The tour through the office rooms allows for direct introductions to all colleagues on site. This makes it easier to get in touch and lowers any inhibitions you might have with future questions or uncertainties. Because every new beginning is hard, every ‘newcomer’ receives an onboarding folder that contains the essential information in a compact summary, as well as the one or other goodie from the company.
In the following days, new employees participate in different training and learning units to optimally perform their new occupation. Every new employee is also assigned a mentor right from the start, who guides the new colleague safely and quickly through the new tasks and always provides the right answer to all questions.
But what is the point of the best onboarding if there is no feedback on the work done together after the first few days and weeks? That is why it is important for us to interview new colleagues after a certain period of time, as well as to repeat this process on a regular basis. Only then can we evaluate the new employee’s behavior and work, and receive feedback on their first impression of our company.
Sticking together in times of crisis – our way through the pandemic
By communicating transparently, proactively and constantly with our employees and customers throughout the corona pandemic, we were able to prevent existential fears and concerns from developing in the first place. But above all, involving the entire workforce in search of new ideas and perspectives created a high level of trust and unleashed an unexpected and invaluable dynamic. To reinforce team spirit, we held weekly all-hands online meetings, in which the management communicates important developments and motivates the employees during this difficult time. Spontaneous surveys showed an honest picture of the atmosphere among the workforce, which was then analyzed and used as a basis for developing direct solutions. Especially in times of crisis, employees need managers who take visible responsibility and radiate determination, confidence and trust. Our supervisors lived up to this premise and exhibited considerable presence and humanity in these difficult times.
Training/further education
The further training of our employees is a central topic at PROMATIS, because each individual employee as well as the company as a whole benefit from investing in knowledge and competence. As such, we regularly hold in-house training courses, our so-called ‘Lernfabrik’ (= ‘learning factory’), in which our specialists share their expertise. In addition to traditional courses, our in-house training also includes visits to external seminars, trade fairs and conferences. Professional further training and qualifications are a must for our recognized experts, and manifest in numerous certifications on a variety of topics.
Of course, training our own employees equally benefits our customers and business partners. The more efficiently our workforce functions, the more effectively we can assist our customers, which results in an improved service quality and more responsive customer support. In addition, the exchange of expertise and skills allows for a better knowledge transfer throughout the company.
Personal development
Personal development fulfills an employee’s need for continuous professional development. In order to be able to classify and develop the potential, talent, but also the performance of each individual, we have drawn up target agreements that primarily focus on personal skills. Along with the supervisor, clearly measurable and achievable goals are set, openly communicated and documented. Regular feedback meetings also allow to communicate activities and progress, which are then addressed and reinforced at the annual evaluation meeting.
In an agile environment of the VUCA world (VUCA = volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), we become increasingly interested in gathering and uniting employees for their personal development in temporary assignments and tasks. This requires finding the right match of employees for projects, knowledge exchange or even mentoring and coaching. So, an overview is needed of the skills, interests and motivations of each employee in the company. For this reason, we have collected this information and, among other things, created candidate profiles for our consultants. These candidate profiles can be accessed by customers and managers.
The PROMATIS company consists of people and lives for the people that work together day in and day out. Whether in the office, home office or in projects, we stand as a team that sticks together. This has only been proven by the last few months. And we are happy to continue growing with our tasks – as a modern company.
Author: Nadine Wagner