The client for the interim manager was a leading global manufacturer of analytical measuring instruments based in Baden-Württemberg. The company was planning to align three competing development and production sites in Germany, France and Switzerland into mutually complementary locations. A transnational project group drew up an implementation plan for this. The client had opted for external HR staffing as there was insufficient capacity available in local HR management.
Comparing and critically analyzing local HR aspects across countries
The interim manager was tasked with incorporating the relevant HR aspects of the three countries into the project group's problem analysis and solution design. He was always in close contact with the local HR managers in Germany, France and Switzerland. The main aim was to compare and critically analyze the local particularities and regulations with the planned changes, for example with regard to legal and financial regulations on departures.
The interim manager's focus in the project was specifically on the following problems:
- Analysis of the consequences of structural changes such as outsourcing or merging parts of the business, e.g. with regard to transfer of operations or joint operations or with regard to the transfer of operations or joint operations or the creation of new functions and their appointment in the context of a social selection
- Development of the urgency and necessity of the planned changes in order to derive suitable lines of argumentation for internal communication, in particular for negotiations with the co-determination committees
- Exact delimitation of the affected employees as well as the preparation of a social selection as part of the change process
- The project group was able to develop a solution that was implemented across all countries.
Closure negotiations with reconciliation of interests and redundancy plan
The interim manager was then given the additional task of providing operational support and assistance to local management and the local HR organization in Germany during the implementation of the measures. In Germany, one of two production facilities at the site had to be closed. The tasks previously performed there were either eliminated or transferred to a second production facility at the site as well as locations in France and Switzerland.
Change and termination notices as well as transfer offers
The focus of the closure negotiations was on reconciliation of interests and a social plan. The interim manager supported and coached the local negotiating team and the local HR organization. Topics included calculating the costs of the packages of measures discussed in the negotiations, preparing and implementing the social selection and the change and termination notices through to the discussions with the affected employees. Another focus was the structuring of transfer offers for employees from Germany to France and Switzerland.
The mandate ended after a total of 16 months with the completion of the site closure and the associated individual personnel measures.
