A leading online retailer in the UK commissioned the interim manager shortly before the start of the coronavirus pandemic to introduce modern HR structures at the company's German branch.
Rapid introduction of home office driven by coronavirus
The coronavirus situation worsened shortly after the start of the assignment. In the meantime, one of the most urgent tasks was to create the conditions for mobile working from home during the lockdowns. In cooperation with the responsible departments, the interim manager made a major organizational and communicative contribution to ensuring that the processes in the entire office area could be converted to mobile work and home office within a very short time. The interim manager introduced measures in his area that were also adopted by the other members of the management team. These included, above all, extensive virtual team meetings to clarify any tasks that arose and to create good team cohesion despite the virtual environment. He also ensured regular catch-up meetings with stakeholders and team members.
Increased demands on the HR organization due to the online boom
The onset of the pandemic and the lockdown were not the only challenges in this mandate as Interim Head of People Germany. The Chief People Officer of the British group criticized inefficient HR processes in Germany, which were also not congruent with the processes at headquarters. Due to the previous restructuring and the closure of activities in a neighboring country, the mood and motivation in the German team were at rock bottom. At the same time, however, there were increased demands on the HR organization, as the online retailer's business was growing rapidly and had almost doubled within a short period of time due to the pandemic.
Reducing labour law risks and qualifying employees in the short term
After being able to turn his attention back to the reorganization, the interim manager gained an overview of the existing processes and expectations of the various stakeholders. In intensive discussions with HR employees, he gained a clear picture of processes, qualifications and opportunities for optimization. It became apparent, for example, that there were clear gaps in the qualifications of several employees. Documents and processes were sometimes designed in such a way that they posed employment law risks for the employer.
In order to mitigate the employment law risks, the interim manager worked with a lawyer from his network to revise a large number of documents such as sample contracts from an employment law perspective.
In order to close the qualification gaps, the interim manager worked with the external lawyer to train the HR team. Key topics included how to deal with employees in the event of poor performance and illness.
Human resources department restructured according to the 3-pillar model
For the organizational restructuring of the department, the interim manager worked closely with the group to follow the 3-pillar model of HR work. The tasks and processes were divided into:
- Center of Excellence at group level in the UK
- HR business partners for assigned areas in Germany with additional focus topics (e.g. recruiting)
- HR administrators and consultants to support and process operational HR topics
The interim manager selected the employees for the new areas of responsibility - and trained them for the new requirements. This also meant that employees had to be replaced by people better suited to the new roles. The interim manager also searched for and found a qualified successor for the permanent management of the HR department in the German branch. He also established communication structures with the various stakeholders to ensure regular exchanges.
Closing logistics locations and outsourcing without transferring operations
In another sub-project, the interim manager supported the closure of two smaller logistics locations of the German subsidiary. According to the management's specifications, the focus here was on organizing the closures and the outsourcing of activities in such a way that there was no transfer of operations in accordance with Section 613a of the German Civil Code (BGB). Together with the external lawyer, the interim manager developed a closure concept and ensured that it was implemented in accordance with labor law. He also developed a concept for communicating the business decision to the company's employees. Socially acceptable solutions were developed and implemented for those affected by the closure in order to quickly create legal certainty for all parties involved.
HR department successfully handed over to the new HR manager
After 10 months, the interim manager was able to hand over the reorganized HR department to the new HR manager he had selected. The new distribution of tasks in the teams, the training measures and the clear processes increased the satisfaction and motivation of the HR employees.
