Baden-Baden, Germany – Machinery manufacturers have come to regard the shortage of skilled employees as a major risk. According to the latest VDMA (Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association) survey, 98 percent of the companies stated that they lacked staff. That is why this is also a focal issue at ARKU. This challenge has to be tackled with the necessary attention.
“Considering that everyone is talking about the shortage of skilled workers, we still manage to fill the vacancies quite well,” explains Natalie Schmid, Head of Human Resources at ARKU. Doing so demands care and diligence: Finding the right people is essential for ensuring that we maintain the high standard of our services for customers. Mainly, because ARKU intends to continue its growth. In addition, the company is also facing a generational change to a certain extent: A number of employees have reached or will soon reach retirement age. Young professionals are moving up the ranks. To find these qualified employees, the HR team relies on two channels, in particular, „Word-of-mouth and recruiting via social media platforms. Both work well.“ Schmid reports.
Employee recruiting & further qualification
Work at ARKU demands a wide range of qualifications and some positions can be filled more quickly than others. “Some qualifications are rare on the market such as software development or automation. However, we can find new staff for the commercial fields fast and efficiently,“ says Schmid.
Every year, skilled workers also move up from ARKU’s own training and dual study programs. The company from Baden-Baden actively promotes its employees to fill vacant positions through further qualification. “By doing this, we are counteracting the shortage of skilled workers to some extent,” Schmid explains. The employees have confirmed the company’s efforts: In an internal survey with the “Great Place To Work“ consultancy, the vast majority stated that they are offered training and support for their professional development. 80% of the workforce participated in the survey.
ARKU has pursued this approach for some time: “We think about what will be in five years. This enables us to prepare the employees specifically for the tasks that the future holds,” explains the Head of Human Resources. At the same time, this visionary thinking also attracts creative minds. “This enables us to attract new employees and retain the existing workforce over the long term,” says Schmid. She has observed that corporate culture is at least as important as salary for the young generation, starting with apprentices and students. The internal survey confirms the HR director´s viewpoint: 98% of employees value fairness at ARKU regardless of gender, sexual orientation or origin. This outstanding result is significantly above the average for comparable companies. 89% of the workforce regards both the work equipment as well as the good working environment (building and furnishings) as positive. Precisely this positive corporate culture also influences the applicants. In addition, the customers benefit from this dynamic: A clear majority of employees are willing to put in extra effort to get the job done.
Reconciling work requirements with your own preferences
It is also very important for them to reconcile corporate and their own interest under one roof. Especially for the young generation. ARKU offers numerous working models to meet this need. “The culture of our organization as a family business helps us to react more flexibly than large corporations,” says Schmid.
Sustainability and health also play an important role. This is reflected in ARKU’s attractive options such as the Health Day 2023. Since healthy employees are the key to fulfilling our customers’ wishes.
More about careers at ARKU: www.arku.com/careers
