F E AT U RE SABINE HARTMANN, CEO OF HARTMANN INTERNATIONAL Some great ideas come along and the young people love to show how they can be implemented in practice stay at home for three years after giving birth, secure in the knowledge their job will be kept open for their return. Stefanie Huter, service delivery manager for Sterling Lexicon, has been in removals for 19 years with firms employing women chiefly in customer service. In her experience, women havent been held back. Chances to grow and be offered senior roles were always equal to that of male colleagues, she told FIDI Focus. Companies focused on personalities rather than you being female or male. Hartmanns niece, Carolin Frey, has been with the family firm for three years and is thriving. She has seen a lot of departments within the company group, Hartmann says. No client is alike Carolin loves the challenge. Shes a member of the international team and has experienced colleagues alongside her Kristina Ibers, with us since 2002, and Anna Lena Dentzer, for more than 10 years. Theyre well known in the industry. Carolin has attended industry conventions such as Young Movers, IAM and FIDI whats better than meeting face to face with our partners around the world? Even with Skype and new media, a personal meeting makes a difference. For Hartmann, investing in good personnel is crucial. As in all industries, it doesnt get easier. You need to be interested in people, a problem solver for customers and extremely flexible. We do a lot to retain existing staff and keep fluctuation as low as possible. That offer includes a trainee programme; allowing 74 FF295 FebMar20 pp72-79 Regional Focus.indd 74 working from home; a summer party for employees and family; massages in working hours; and even help with private problems. A collaborative approach to tackling business challenges entails running disruptive workshops with employees, or with a mix of staff and customers. Some great ideas come along and the young people love to show how they can be implemented in practice, says Hartmann. APPEALING TO YOUNG MOVERS Yet, attracting youth into the moving industry can be difficult, as Sebastian Sommer, managing director of Arpin International, explains. The expectations of Generation X and Z will be the highest ever, he says. If we look at our crews and drivers, we have challenges finding suitable younger employees. This will become more critical in future years. Its not easy to find educated and experienced staff because of the concentration of moving and logistics companies in our region. We always try to recruit interns (between 16 and 18 years of age, directly from school) wholl combine working in the office and being at school for three years before gaining a diploma in logistics. Most of the best employees and leaders started their career with an internship at a well-run company. These days, young people expect everything they do to have a direct impact on a companys success. The goal is to make sure all employees understand their impact and how important everyone is. Thats of huge value to the company. WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 20/01/2020 15:42