Annette Näher, Head of Human Resources, reports about staff development at Ganter:
Everything for and nothing without the employees
Since the establishment in 1995 of a two-man operation, Ganter has become one of the world's leading companies in the field of first-class construction. Up until three years ago, the focus was still in the field of shop fitting and interior design; today, with over 400 employees worldwide, we implement complete project management from planning, through to construction and development and the operation of properties. Working at Ganter Group means variety and responsibility in a globally orientated familyowned enterprise with a contemporary approach to management.
Learning from one other for a common goal
Without the best-trained and highly motivated employees, such a company development would not have been possible. In order to continue to have a positive influence on this in the future, we permanently invest in internal personnel development. In addition to further training, continuous knowledge transfer also plays a major role – well beyond team borders and across national frontiers. For us, it is all about igniting a permanent and lively exchange of views on "Best Practice". To this end, we see learning as contributing to a promising, joint future – something from which our customers are the very first to benefit. The Ganter Academy is also committed to this idea of a communal learning at all levels and across all levels. Under the motto "promotion from inside” we consistently recruit employees internally for professional and managerial careers and for management and leadership positions. In the past year, we have also significantly revised our internal staff development and aligned it on the basis of new market requirements. As a result, globally consistent job profiles have been created that are associated with a competency management system. The purpose of such a global and structured staff development programme is to identify and offer the appropriate development measures for each of our employees based on a uniform understanding of roles, responsibilities and clearly defined objectives. In addition, we have got a transformation program called "Empowerment" up and running with a view to supporting international development and the expansion of the business fields. In this way, among other things, we want to ensure that all employees feel themselves to be part of the global business development and share in the same international understanding of what we do, who we are and what we stand for. This overarching Ganter philosophy is probably best summed up as such: We give the visions of our international customers the room to become reality, and we bring ideas to life all around the globe.
Respect, Accountability and Connectivity
We offer our employees demanding projects, flat hierarchies and fast decisions. We also help them to develop their very individual strengths and to work in the area of responsibility that suits them best and makes them happy. After all, only employers that offer fair and secure working conditions, know their employees personally, and support and inspire them can reap the rewards of a highly motivated, proficient and innovative team. The global Ganter basic values and thus the cornerstones of our corporate culture are therefore: “Respect, Accountability and Connectivity”. This trusting interaction across all hierarchies is, in our opinion, the key requirement for discovering, promoting and utilising people’s talents. And all those who sign up to these goals, will inevitably understand management as an interactive and dialogue-oriented process. We will continue to pursue this strategy in terms of human resources, with a consistent staff development strategy aimed at the realisation of the Ganter philosophy and the maintenance of a trusting, creative and healthy corporate culture. The foundations for this have already been laid, but it is now time to continue to pursue this approach and thereby to keep an eye on market requirements and customer needs. You will find further informations on our pages "Career" and "Working at Ganter".
Annette Näher, a native of Freiburg, studied at the Co-operative State University in Villingen-Schwenningen. As a graduate in business management and personnel specialist, she got to know the Human Resources area from the ground upwards. While to start with, she was involved in staffing and payroll matters, she soon took over training management and was employed as a personnel officer until she finally took over the management of her personnel department. After nine years in the automotive industry, she moved to Ganter in 2014. Her coaching training is also coming to bear here. Annette Näher sits on a voluntary basis at the Labour Court in Freiburg and is part of the audit committee of the Co-operative State University in Villingen-Schwenningen, where she works in the area of controlling and consulting.
