A German company, a global leader in laser material processing, was acquired by a US company. This was accompanied by an enormous cultural change: the medium-sized company founded by German engineers became an American-German company driven by tough key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting.
Employees not prepared for cultural change and new US-driven processes
Both companies had failed to prepare employees for this cultural change and the new US-driven processes when they were acquired. Added to this was the prompt conversion from German to the American corporate language. As a result, around 60 percent of the management team, including the production manager and the HR manager, handed in their resignations within a very short space of time. Many of the experienced production employees followed suit.
As a result, production came to a standstill and customers could no longer be supplied. Customer complaints and threats of legal action increased. The German managing director was increasingly criticized by the workforce and also by his management team - and ended up in a burnout. At the same time, filling the ever-increasing number of vacancies was proving cumbersome.
Recruitment processes and decision-making designed to be agile and efficient
In this situation, the interim manager was tasked with filling the vacancies as quickly as possible. As a first step, the interim manager streamlined the recruitment process and made the operational steps and decision-making processes more agile and efficient. She accelerated the formal approval processes and, among other things, introduced "speed interview dating" and a performance evaluation process in the production area that was tailored to this. It also set up a weekly committee for the termination of fixed-term employment contracts. As employee retention measures, it introduced a health management system, an improvement suggestion scheme and a training academy. She also set up an HR KPI reporting and performance system.
Stand-up meetings with employees ensure more transparency
In order to create more transparency and restore trust in the management, the interim manager arranged weekly stand-up meetings with the management and employees, in which new hires, the order situation and the latest developments in the company were reported on and new employees were personally introduced.
75 vacancies successfully filled, including management positions
During the 3 months of the mandate, the interim manager successfully filled 75 vacancies. These included management positions for purchasing, logistics, plant management, HR and controlling. The vacancy rate increased by 400 percent during this time. The reduced workload for employees, the improved information policy, in particular the introduction of a health management system and the investment in further training led to a significant improvement in the mood within the company and a marked reduction in employee turnover.
