ZEITLAUF receives coveted award as one of Germany’s top employers.

Lauf a. d. Pegnitz, 25th January 2008 – Investment in a committed, befitting personnel policy pays off! In the latest comparison of companies, country-wide cross-sector TOP JOB has put gear motor manufacturer ZEITLAUF GmbH antriebstechnik & Co. KG amongst the country’s best 100 small to medium-sized employers. This renowned initiative has been honouring outstanding personnel policy on the part of small to medium-sized businesses for the past six years. Retired Federal Minister of Economics Wolfgang Clement awarded the coveted TOP JOB seal of approval to the Franconian company this Friday evening at a ceremony held in Landscape Park Duisburg-Nord.

Even more attractive to highly qualified employees
To receive this distinction, the company had to successfully undergo a three-stage process of investigation on the part of the University of St. Gallen’s Institut für Führung und Personalmanagement. So ZEITLAUF has every reason to be proud of the position it has achieved in such a competitive environment, as Managing Director, Thomas Horz, confirmed: “We are now one of the best employers in the small to medium-sized business sector in Germany. This will make us even more attractive to highly qualified prospective employees in future, and it confirms the exclusivity of or successful personnel management policy.”

Having one’s say and using one’s brain encouraged
“We are certain”, Horz goes on, “that actively integrated employees who are able to have their say have greater motivation. It’s a win for both parties: the company profits from greater commitment and the employees enjoy their work the more.” Be it the works council which participates in strategic decision-making, regular employee attitude surveys or the so-called VIT teams that see to improving the employment system and to which 95 % of the employees belong. Having one’s say and using one’s brain are not only allowed at the 212 employee-strong family run company, they are expressly encouraged. And then there is another form of motivation: the employees also benefit financially from the company’s success, by way of a participation scheme. And this success is considerable. With an average growth rate of 15 % per year – and this now over the past 15 years – the company is on the right track long-term as well as short-term.

Main focus on training and further training
With a training quota of in excess of seven percent, the objective of the company, which achieved an annual turnover of 26 million Euro in 2007, is training and further training for its employees. In order to keep the best on, when training is complete, ZEITLAUF offers comprehensive further training options. Anyone wishing to opt for technical college or school for master craftspeople or anyone wanting to undertake a course of studies after training can release themselves from work or take holidays, thereby staying with the company.
Commitment goes before routine – this is the company concept. This also applies particularly to employees of many years standing. 22 employees employed as non-skilled workers up to now are currently undergoing in-service skilled worker training leading to a Chamber of Industry and Commerce qualification. “Qualifications in Midlife” is the name of this ambitious venture, in which employees above 50 years old also participate – the only scheme of its kind in the Nuremberg metropolitan area, a coup for ZEITLAUF.

TOP JOB recognises the work of ZEITLAUF GmbH
This and other personnel policy work in the fields of “Management and Vision”, “Motivation and Dynamic”, “Culture and Communication”, “Employee Development and Perspective”, “Family and Social Orientation” and “Internal Entrepreneurship” received praise from the mentor of the small to medium-sized business initiative, Dr. Wolfgang Clement, at the prize-giving ceremony. With the help of a questionnaire, Prof. Dr. Heike Bruch and the other personnel experts from TOP JOB gathered details about the company, first of all. The next stage was a detailed online employee attitude survey. The team from St. Gallen then looked at the company’s personnel management instruments. In the field of “Culture and Communication”, in particular, ZEITLAUF, a provider of drive system solutions for the toolmaking industry, achieved an above average result. This is why the coveted TOP JOB award this time also went to Franconia.

Project management, mentor, cooperation partners
Dr. Heike Bruch, Professor and Director of the University of St. Gallen’s Institut für Führung und Personalmanagement managed the project on the scientific side. The mentor of the project is Retired Federal Minister of Economics Wolfgang Clement. Cooperation partners are AGB – Arbeitsgemeinschaft Partnerschaft in der Wirtschaft e. V., the Akademie für Führungskräfte der Wirtschaft GmbH, Gallup Deutschland GmbH, the GESAMTMETALL Gesamtverband der Arbeitgeberverbände der Metall- und Elektroindustrie e. V., HRblue AG, Kienbaum Consultants International GmbH plus Schindlerhof Klaus Kobjoll GmbH.

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