After the takeover by a financial investor, the interim manager was commissioned by an established German pharmaceutical company to manage a reorganization project. He was tasked with identifying the HR implications of outsourcing administrative functions in order to develop and implement the necessary personnel adjustment measures.
The financial investor had determined that the administrative costs were significantly higher than the industry average. Reducing these costs was necessary to ensure long-term competitiveness. The rapidly growing company therefore wanted to bundle administrative processes and hand them over to a business process owner (BPO). The associated job cuts particularly affected accounting, purchasing and supply chain management.
Training for HR staff and managers developed and implemented
In a first step, the interim manager examined the feasibility of implementation. It quickly became apparent that the managers concerned could not identify with the outsourcing. To make matters worse, the position of CHRO in the company was newly filled at the start of the project. After intensive discussions with the management, the interim manager initiated training sessions for HR staff and managers in order to develop a common understanding of the necessary measures. At the same time, the training sessions prepared the respective individuals for their role in the project.
Plan for staff reduction developed and negotiated with the co-determination bodies
In parallel, the interim manager identified specific staff reduction measures and, together with external employment lawyers, drew up the necessary documents for the co-determination bodies. In addition, processes were agreed that enabled the HR department to prepare and implement personnel measures quickly and competently.
Social selection avoided - project completed on time and on budget
In order to avoid social selection in the course of the necessary reduction in personnel capacities, the interim manager developed a program based on bilateral voluntary redundancy, which he negotiated with the employee side. As a result, the reduction targets were achieved on time and within budget. In addition to these substantive goals, it was also possible to avoid a negative external impact.
