This interim mandate led the lawyer and HR manager to a European market leader in the manufacture of cotton-based care and hygiene products. The French family-owned company with a strong commitment to sustainable product development wanted to cut around 30 percent of the workforce at its German production site (approx. 110 employees).
Managed redundancy management from selection to certificate preparation
The client mandate covered the human resources spectrum from zdf (zahlen+daten+fakten) analysis, reconciliation of interests/social plan and mass redundancy notification. Other components of the assignment included handling the termination of contracts for operational reasons in line with the individual employee situation, status reporting and issuing employment references.
The interim manager was caught between the frustration, fears and motivation of the employees and the client's desire to retain experienced specialists. There is no universal formula for success in meeting these requirements. The interim manager relied on a high level of appreciation, reliability, predictability in her behavior and individuality in dealing with the employees concerned.
Quickly established a good basis for discussion with the works council
The fact that the interim manager was able to quickly establish a good basis for discussion with the works council with this communication contributed significantly to the success of the project. This was crucial as a reconciliation of interests with a list of names was negotiated. The headcount reduction itself was implemented based on the individual employee situation, with the majority of redundancies being for operational reasons. The responsible employment agency was able to convince the interim manager to actively support affected employees with advice and offers of alternative employment.
Staff reduction creates space for investment and realignment
The time frame for the project was tight. It began in September and was completed by the end of January. This would not have been possible without the good cooperation with the works council and the interim manager's in-depth experience in employment law. The French owners were also very personally involved. The common business language was English.
In the meantime, the company has realigned its product range and invested in new facilities at the German site. This forms the basis for new jobs in the future. There is currently no longer any question of closing the site.
