How long have you been with the company?
I usually tell people that I fell like I’ve become a permanent fixture. I joined MEKRA on December 1,1999.
Did you start in HR right away?
No. MEKRA has been a great place for me in terms of my personal and professional development. I started in mirror production and produced mirrors in a 2-shift cycle. After I had been with the company for about six months, the department head at the time was looking for an assistant and asked me if I might be interested in doing something else. Since I had studied business, I was happy to accept his offer. In August 2000, I started as assistant to the Assembly and Prototyping Department. I had a number of different responsibilities - I was, for instance, the liaison to the HR Department in personnel matters. At the time, I was in charge of our apprentices and trainees and gained my first experiences as they rotated through our Department as part of their business and administrative training. With in-house and external coaching, I was able to advance to training manager and was subsequently put in charge of in-house professional development of industrial employees. We offered training on subjects like “Soft Skills” or “The Basics of Labor Law”. In May 2013, I transferred to the HR Department and was put in charge of training at MEKRA Lang and Lang Technics.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy most being able to support our apprentices during their apprenticeships, to see how they develop, follow their progress and sometimes also observe how they have to overcome hurdles as part of their training. Once they graduate, our former apprentices receive a gold coin, a certificate and an “accolade” during the annual ceremony to honor our apprentices and master craftsmen, and I am so proud that they took such an important step in their professional lives in our company.
Do you benefit from the services offered by our Frieda Lang House?
Absolutely. To me, it has always been important to know that I don’t have to quit work completely when I have kids. I had always wanted to return pretty soon, and that’s why I was extremely happy when our company opened its own child care center and preschool, at the time still on our premises. I used the child care services during my parental leave. At first, I worked just a little and then part-time again. My daughter has been going to our child care center since she was six months old. I always knew that after child care and preschool, she would attend the private elementary school. Apart from the school concept, I appreciate that these services are also offered on holidays. They cover almost all holidays and are closed only between Christmas and New Year.
Do you use the health services offered by MEKRA Lang?
I am using a number of services. I always participate in the weekly fitness program and also in the brief active breaks and encourage my colleagues to join in. I also take advantage of the opportunity to get a massage here at work.