SYNERGIE is among the best employers in Germany due to its high attractiveness.

SYNERGIE has been recognised by the newspaper DIE WELT as one of Germany’s best employers.

As HR specialists, SYNERGIE focuses not only on employer attractiveness for its own organisation, but also, of course, on the wider job market. We therefore spoke to Managing Director Nicole Munk: what, in her view, makes a good employer, and why is this so important?

Congratulations, Nicole Munk, on receiving this award as one of Germany’s best employers. How did this come about?

Nicole Munk: To be honest, the award came as quite a surprise to us. Of course, we do a lot to make ourselves an attractive employer, but we didn’t apply for any certification. The award is actually based on an independent survey carried out by a research institute, which naturally makes it all the more valuable to us.

What makes SYNERGIE stand out as an employer? Why is the company particularly attractive?

Nicole Munk: We’d really have to ask our colleagues in the SYNERGIE team about that (laughs). I can only tell you what we place particular emphasis on, what’s important to us. Of course, I don’t know whether that was ultimately the reason for the positive feedback from the survey participants. I do think, however, that our corporate culture is the key to our success: by that I mean the values that are actually put into practice within the company – rather than just the values displayed on nice posters on the wall. We have an „open-door“ culture, both literally and, of course, in a figurative sense: communication lines are short, and we make a point of ensuring that everyone can have their say. Furthermore, a transparent corporate culture and open communication across all levels of the hierarchy are very important to me personally.

Valuing each and every colleague is also a top priority. It is particularly important that this appreciation extends not only to our in-house team across all 30+ sites, but also, to a large extent, to our project staff. After all, they are the ones who give their all every day on projects at our client companies!

In your view, why is it important to be an attractive employer?

Nicole Munk: There’s a lovely saying that goes: ‘Employees are a company’s greatest asset.’ What sounds like a hackneyed cliché actually hits the nail on the head: what would become of a mechanical engineering firm that fails to attract innovative engineers? How is a retail company supposed to sell its goods if the sales staff in the team aren’t highly motivated and don’t identify with the products? How is a logistics company supposed to deliver parcels on time if the Order picker aren’t reliable and fully focused on the task at hand?

Added to this, of course, is demographic change – meaning that, due to birth rate trends, significantly more employees will be retiring in Germany over the next few years than there will be new entrants to the labour market. This means there won’t automatically be enough potential employees to go round: companies must make themselves attractive as employers and develop HR and recruitment strategies to meet their labour needs. This is what is meant when people talk about „competing for the best staff“ or the „candidate-led market“ – and this will remain the case for a long time to come, despite all the digitalisation, automation in Industry 4.0 and so on.

So, are the criteria for being an attractive employer changing?

Nicole Munk: A wide variety of studies are published on this topic every year. It is clear that the expectations placed on employers tend to vary between generations – younger applicants and employees often have different ideas and aspirations to their older counterparts. But what makes an employer attractive to each individual is, ultimately, always a highly personal matter.

There are a few recurring themes, such as proximity to home, which regularly ranks highly in surveys. But even issues such as job security or salary are changing: Whilst, for example, job security was by no means as important to today’s 30- to 35-year-olds when they were starting their careers as it was to previous generations, it has once again risen in the rankings for the generation currently entering the labour market: it is no coincidence that the status of civil servants is enjoying a „revival“.

The question of the meaning of work has also become increasingly important over the last decade. Fortunately, here at SYNERGIE, our corporate purpose means we are already at the forefront of this: after all, what could be more meaningful than supporting people on their career paths and giving them prospects for the future?.

About the study: For the „Germany’s Best Employers“ list, more than 600,000 citizens were surveyed in nationwide surveys conducted by the analysis and consultancy firm ServiceValue. They assessed a total of 1,333 companies. The survey explicitly asked about the image and attractiveness of the companies as employers. This resulted in a comprehensive list of companies that Germans consider to be the most attractive employers. The assessment covered companies that operate nationwide, or at least at more than one regional location, and offer jobs. SYNERGIE Personal Deutschland GmbH is listed as a highly attractive employer.