Our PEOPLE Strategy

Our value model: sustainable constant in turbulent times

Pandemic, skills shortage, digital transformation: The world is changing. The HARTMANN Value Model is a core company element to meet the global challenges of our times and take responsibility for our employees. The central focus of our value canon are customer-oriented, passionate team, high-performance. These three ideals build the basis of our company-wide PEOPLE strategy. The HARTMANN Sustainability Report 2021 shows you in detail how we are putting our strategy into practice.

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PEOPLE Strategy: Our 5 fields of action

Our PEOPLE Strategy pursues the goal of securing a working environment that provides safety as well as room for growth and flexibility for our employees. Based on our core values of customer orientation, passionate team, and high performance, the following five fields of action are fundamental pillars to achieve this goal.

1. Lean Company: more focus for employees and company

Simplify the day-to-day work and remove unnecessary complexity. Our approach of the lean company facilitates lean processes that build on digitalisation and make life at HARTMANN easier. For example, using our dedicated HR software which allows simple and efficient handling of organisational matters – locally as well as remote.

Initiative: HR software ‘SuccessFactors’

By implementing our HR software, SuccessFactors, at the end of 2019, we have succeeded in digitalising our work processes, becoming faster and more flexible. The continual implementation of additional modules and self-service functionalities is planned, with which professional and managerial staff can organise their work more easily.

2. People Culture: achieve a lot through joint efforts

HARTMANN focuses on employee orientation. Trust, constructiveness, dialogue, personal responsibility, and commitment are guiding principles of our PEOPLE culture and are decisively shaped by managers. Following these principles, we pursue a lively feedback culture as well as system-based processes and trainings. Additionally, on a local and global level, dedicated development programmes and training courses contribute to a transparent and respectful communication at eye level, including managerial as well as professional staff.

Initiative: Voices of HARTMANN

One of our initiatives that notably adopts this approach is Voices of HARTMANN: a project that monitors employee satisfaction in times of transformation since 2019. Feedback from more than 10,600 employees across 36 countries is collected via surveys and corresponding measures are taken to work together even better.

3. Curious Learner: unleashing potential & providing perspective

At HARTMANN, employees can develop their personal and professional skills with the action field of the Curious Learner. We are consciously pursuing the principle of lifelong learning. Through system-based trainings and continuing education, we guide young executives and offer new impulses to senior professionals. These include a specific range of studies for trainees and junior employees, as well as other initiatives to develop and enhance competence and expertise. For this purpose, HARTMANN has introduced the software SuccessFactors Learning globally.

Initiative: FIT TO LEAD

Employee orientation begins with strong leadership. Therefore, it is an organisational necessity to invest in the training and offer support of our leaders. Our initiative FIT TO LEAD does exactly that.: The modular programme guides young executives for approximately seven months and offers support on leadership skills, work organisation and cross-functional cooperation.

4. Talent Magnet: attracting & securing talent

To secure our company success in a sustainable way, we attach great importance to employer attractiveness. Our goal: to attract professionals and managerial staff and retain them long term. In addition to attractive working conditions, we rely on our ambitious talent and applicant management as well as international qualification programmes.

Initiative: Performance Development Practices

Performance Development Practices (PDP) are the starting point for systematic HR development at HARTMANN. Apart from goal agreements and evaluation, the initiative aims to identifying skills at an early stage, building up fields of competence and prioritise fields of learning. Thereby supporting talent development and secure succession planning.

5. Employer of Choice: appreciation & support for employees

We increase employer attractiveness not only locally but also globally. For example, offering selected benefits that include flexible working arrangements such as the option of up to 40 percent mobile working time for location-independent occupations, in individual cases even up to 80 percent. In addition, we inform applicants about our work environment and current job offers through our newly launched careers website, as well as providing a fast and easy application process.

HARTMANN benefits for employees

The wellbeing of, and appreciation for our employees is of great importance to us. This is why we offer them attractive benefits that are regulated locally and comply to local standards. Our country-specific employee benefits include:

home office, flex time and mobile work
well-equipped offices
company pension
sport offerings
employee discounts
company cars
service bicycle leasing

Learn more: the HARTMANN Sustainability Report 2021

Want to learn more about our PEOPLE Strategy? In chapter 5.2 of the HARTMANN Sustainability Report 2021 you can find detailed information and further insights into our commitment as an employer. Additionally, we also cover our responsibility as a company for product safety, climate action and further fields of responsibility.

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