Extraordinary Anniversary: 40 Years as a Project Employee

17.35. The SYNERGIE team is ready. The Sekt is too.
Reinhard Jäger arrives at the company headquarters in Karlsruhe with his wife. He laughs. He has every reason to do so: today marks his 40th anniversary with SYNERGIE.

In Reinhardt Jäger's case, what has become fundamentally rare nowadays is even more extraordinary. The likeable 2-metre man has been employed by SYNERGIE as a project employee since 1978. Hired by the company founder, just under a year after the company launched on the market in Karlsruhe. Since the „senior boss“ retired, Reinhardt Jäger has been the longest-serving employee of the company. This completely contradicts the image of supposedly short-lived temporary work.

Building services technician, fitter, facility manager – the anniversary celebrant is a doer.

With a deep voice, the trained toolmaker talks about his current daily work. He speaks of „we“, enthusiastically talks about the products of the company he is assigned to, prototypes which he helps build, just as he does about the recent public viewing of the Germany match with his colleagues. There is no sign that there could be a separation between permanent staff and project employees in his project assignment. He feels he belongs to the team there. He enthusiastically talks about a recent business trip to Essen, where he set up an award-winning product in an exhibition.

Facility Manager, electrician, building services engineer, exhibition stand builder, fitter: there's no single correct title for the job the 59-year-old from Karlsruhe currently does. He lends a hand everywhere, and his colleagues at the company know and appreciate him.

Wouldn't he like to take over?

Ultimately, this is what many employees appreciate about temporary work. The possibility of using it as a stepping stone to get into a company and then aim for permanent employment there.

In Reinhard Jäger's 40 years of service at SYNERGIE, only one offer came close to being right for him. Shortly before his 25th anniversary, he received an acquisition offer that was attractive enough to potentially give up the overall package at SYNERGIE, which included permanent employment, good pay, overtime arrangements, and more. „But then I thought: I'll see this 25 years out. That's something special,“ he smiles slyly – and remained loyal to SYNERGIE for many more years.

We experience this quite often with colleagues, even though the conversion rate is currently higher than ever. “Skilled workers in particular feel well looked after with us: they have the security of a permanent employment contract and at the same time the opportunity to move to different companies, as well as a certain amount of variety, even after many years of service. If a project becomes boring, a task too monotonous, or the company and the employee simply aren't a good fit, we, as recruitment consultants, can most easily find a new position for the employee. Without the employee having to apply, search themselves, or terminate a permanent contract, possibly just for temporary work.„

Reinhard Jäger has had plenty of variety in his 40 years. SYNERGIE has brought him to various companies in the region, to different projects, activities and, due to his profession, to Assembly beyond national borders.

Dear Mr Reinhard Jäger, the entire SYNERGY team would like to offer you our warmest congratulations on this special anniversary! We are delighted that you have been our colleague for so long and thank you for your tremendous commitment over all these years!

It's a shame we probably won't be celebrating another anniversary, but we look forward to seeing you off into a well-deserved retirement when the time comes!

From left to right in the photo: HR Manager Michael Haitz, long-serving employee Reinhard Jäger, Managing Director Nicole Munk