Digitalization, services, and diversity in HR management
Christof Baumgart, Head of Global HR & Organization
The products we sell are our services. What is special about this compared to “products you can touch”?
Christof Baumgart: Around 700 customers count on Leadec employees to know what they are doing, and they entrust us with the heart of their production. And rightly so: the Leadec teams’ many years of experience result in routine procedures and processes while the exchange of information and specific training courses keep their knowledge up to date. Leadec is responsible for providing qualified employees at the right place at the right time for every customer order. And as a global HR department, it is our job to actively contribute to this and give impetus.
Do you have any specific examples of this?
Yes, for example the Leadec Campus, our central training and development program. We all have to keep learning, the world around us is changing rapidly. We help our employees to keep their fingers on the pulse of time. We need to build up knowledge of topics that are new to our customers – and therefore to us too. The use of our digital business platform Leadec.os is one example of this.
What does it take for employees to feel at home in a large international company like Leadec and not just like a small cog in a big wheel?
Our corporate culture is decisive. As a service company, we often experience a lot of pressure in our daily work. This is precisely why Leadec wants to stand for respect, team spirit, and variety. There is often a feeling of togetherness in our daily work. Our people can also experience the direct impact of what they do. We want to demonstrate these advantages of our corporate culture even more strongly to help retain our employees. Because we need all three steps: fast recruitment, intelligent training and, above all, long-term retention.
What role does diversity play at Leadec?
Diversity has many dimensions. You can look at diversity in terms of age, length of service, or education. At Leadec, we focus on the dimensions of internationality and gender. We are already doing quite well in terms of internationality, but we want to do even better when it comes to the proportion of women in management positions. We are convinced that diverse teams achieve better results and find more creative solutions. We are therefore actively committed to making our workforce more diverse and creating a place where everyone feels valued and accepted.
You have been responsible for global HR at Leadec since 2017. What was your most difficult moment and what are you proud of?
Professionally, the most difficult moments occurred in the HR digitalization project, the development of HR connect. Finding a common denominator with added value for everyone was a real challenge. But that’s precisely what I’m proud of (almost every day): that we at Leadec often make the impossible possible – for our customers, but also in our internal collaboration.
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