Betzigau – Top Job has been identifying and presenting awards for outstanding human resource (HR) management at German medium-sized firms for the past ten years. UWT GmbH has made it into the ranks of these award-winning employers in this anniversary year and received the Top Job accolade from project mentor Wolfgang Clement at a ceremony in Duisburg-Nord Industrial Landscape Park.
UWT GmbH, which is based in Betzigau near Kempten, has been producing and selling level measurement instrumentation – primarily for bulk solids such as sand and granulates – since 1977. The company operates in all continents around the world and has subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. The Top Job survey revealed that a team mindset permeates the entire firm, with 90 per cent of its staff working in self-managed groups which benefits company and workforce alike. This is because UWT's 75 employees identify with their work and think like entrepreneurs. They check independently whether a particular activity is effective and use resources sparingly, which in turn brings benefits for the firm.
UWT's forward planning could almost be described as visionary: the senior management team has set itself targets and objectives for the next 21 years and has been able to integrate these into its day-to-day running of the firm. These goals naturally include personnel-related targets. As part of this process, those with managerial responsibility commit themselves to measurable targets in respect of their staff. "Our firm aspiration is that our workforce should want to stay with us because they like it here and, consequently, that staff turnover should remain below 3 per cent. By pursuing a policy of proactive healthcare management we are designing workplaces in such a way that every single employee experiences a supportive environment and feels appreciated", explained HR manager Martina Bauer. And this approach seems to be paying off: "At UWT you can work independently and responsibly alongside a highly motivated and pleasant group of people. This firm has taught me that being profit driven and a good corporate citizen are not mutually exclusive", was how Bettina Stölzle, assistant to the sales director, put it.
UWT had to pass a two-stage academic scrutiny process devised by the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. The centrepiece of the survey led by Professor Heike Bruch, the Institute's director, was an online questionnaire completed by all members of staff. At the same time, the HR managers at the firms participating in the study provided information on their work. Managing director Uwe Niekrawietz was delighted with the results: "This award is, of course, a fantastic endorsement of our efforts and a huge vote of confidence on the part of our workforce. What's more, this distinction will no doubt help us to recruit high-quality talent to the firm".
The 94 best SME employers have an average workforce of 359 people. Almost one third of the firms awarded the Top Job accolade in 2012 are family-owned businesses. The fact that these companies include 14 global market leaders and 21 domestic market leaders proves that good employers are also commercially successful. Consequently, more than half of the Top Job award-winners pay their staff above the rates stipulated by industry-wide collective bargaining agreements.
Further information on UWT, the other prize-winning firms and the Top Job project can be found at www.topjob.de and at www.uwt.de.
Mentor
The mentor for the project is Wolfgang Clement, former Federal Minister of Economics. Top Job project gets under way in February 2012.
Project management
Dr Heike Bruch has acted as academic head of the Top Job project since 2005. She is a professor and director at the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management at the University of St. Gallen.
Organiser: compamedia GmbH – mentor of the best SMEs
compamedia GmbH was founded in 1993 and organises benchmarking projects for small and medium-sized German firms. Working from its base in Überlingen on Lake Constance in Germany, the firm's 20 employees organise and run its Top Job, Top 100, Top Consultant and Ethics in Business nationwide benchmarking competitions, which involves assisting and awarding prizes to firms that achieve outstanding results in the fields of human resource management, innovation, consulting and corporate social responsibility. The company generated revenue of €2.1 million in 2010.
Partners
compamedia's partners are HRM.de, the PERSONAL HRM trade fair, SchmidtColleg GmbH & Co. KG and Zukunft Personal HRM Expo. Its media partner is the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
UWT GmbH, which is based in Betzigau near Kempten, has been producing and selling level measurement instrumentation – primarily for bulk solids such as sand and granulates – since 1977. The company operates in all continents around the world and has subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. The Top Job survey revealed that a team mindset permeates the entire firm, with 90 per cent of its staff working in self-managed groups which benefits company and workforce alike. This is because UWT's 75 employees identify with their work and think like entrepreneurs. They check independently whether a particular activity is effective and use resources sparingly, which in turn brings benefits for the firm.
UWT's forward planning could almost be described as visionary: the senior management team has set itself targets and objectives for the next 21 years and has been able to integrate these into its day-to-day running of the firm. These goals naturally include personnel-related targets. As part of this process, those with managerial responsibility commit themselves to measurable targets in respect of their staff. "Our firm aspiration is that our workforce should want to stay with us because they like it here and, consequently, that staff turnover should remain below 3 per cent. By pursuing a policy of proactive healthcare management we are designing workplaces in such a way that every single employee experiences a supportive environment and feels appreciated", explained HR manager Martina Bauer. And this approach seems to be paying off: "At UWT you can work independently and responsibly alongside a highly motivated and pleasant group of people. This firm has taught me that being profit driven and a good corporate citizen are not mutually exclusive", was how Bettina Stölzle, assistant to the sales director, put it.
UWT had to pass a two-stage academic scrutiny process devised by the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. The centrepiece of the survey led by Professor Heike Bruch, the Institute's director, was an online questionnaire completed by all members of staff. At the same time, the HR managers at the firms participating in the study provided information on their work. Managing director Uwe Niekrawietz was delighted with the results: "This award is, of course, a fantastic endorsement of our efforts and a huge vote of confidence on the part of our workforce. What's more, this distinction will no doubt help us to recruit high-quality talent to the firm".
The 94 best SME employers have an average workforce of 359 people. Almost one third of the firms awarded the Top Job accolade in 2012 are family-owned businesses. The fact that these companies include 14 global market leaders and 21 domestic market leaders proves that good employers are also commercially successful. Consequently, more than half of the Top Job award-winners pay their staff above the rates stipulated by industry-wide collective bargaining agreements.
Further information on UWT, the other prize-winning firms and the Top Job project can be found at www.topjob.de and at www.uwt.de.
Mentor
The mentor for the project is Wolfgang Clement, former Federal Minister of Economics. Top Job project gets under way in February 2012.
Project management
Dr Heike Bruch has acted as academic head of the Top Job project since 2005. She is a professor and director at the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management at the University of St. Gallen.
Organiser: compamedia GmbH – mentor of the best SMEs
compamedia GmbH was founded in 1993 and organises benchmarking projects for small and medium-sized German firms. Working from its base in Überlingen on Lake Constance in Germany, the firm's 20 employees organise and run its Top Job, Top 100, Top Consultant and Ethics in Business nationwide benchmarking competitions, which involves assisting and awarding prizes to firms that achieve outstanding results in the fields of human resource management, innovation, consulting and corporate social responsibility. The company generated revenue of €2.1 million in 2010.
Partners
compamedia's partners are HRM.de, the PERSONAL HRM trade fair, SchmidtColleg GmbH & Co. KG and Zukunft Personal HRM Expo. Its media partner is the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
