Pfeifer as an attractive and innovative employer
Collaborate, learn, develop: These processes are key when it comes to success in the new, digital working world. As an international group with a staff of more than 2,000 in a wide variety of professional fields, Pfeifer faces special challenges in this regard. And relies on innovative knowledge transfer and communication tools – from e-learning to its own employee app.
For years, Pfeifer has been driving the comprehensive digitalisation of the Group, with such important milestones creating the online career portal or the e-learning project Pfeifer Learn. As a leading player, Günther Jaritz, Group Human Resources Manager at the Pfeifer Group, aims to initiate change without being disruptive: “Every new format sees itself as a bridge between the traditional and the future. They are based on fundamental values such as transparency, employee self-responsibility and collaborative work in networks.” A good example of this is Pfeifer Connect, a network of Confluence and Jira software that offers basic information about the company in addition to the functions of a classic intranet and serves as an important means to document knowledge. Pfeifer Connect meets contemporary requirements regarding agile project management, is available at all desktop workstations and connects teams across departments and countries.
The digital offers are intended as a continuation and deepening of the personal conversation.
Digitalisation fundamentally changes the field of further education. Thanks to interactive learning formats, personnel development is now more individualised than ever before. However, what kind of knowledge we transfer is just as important as how we transfer it. Pfeifer’s commitment is to prepare knowledge in such a way that every employee can understand it. “Since mid-2021, Pfeifer Learn has been making knowledge accessible to everyone – from Production to Administration. We want to grow together,” is how Sarah Seelos, Head of Human Resources Development, sums up the mission of this e-learning project.
“The e-learning courses can be completed in dedicated study rooms in Production, at the work station or via the app.”
The app is available for iOS and Android devices and free to download from the respective stores. Customers, partners and interested partners can use the app’s public area (among others, to access product information, media & social media activities, events and career options). Using their personal access data, Pfeifer employees can access the exclusive internal section.
The digital format allows employees to learn at any time and any place and to access an expanded range of courses in addition to compulsory training. “Each production employee is assigned a short compulsory course once a month. The courses are intended to prevent accidents at work, improve quality or provide general information about the company. Therefore, employees can take them during their work hours,” Seelos specifies. After consultation with their supervisor, the employees complete the course on their own during the month in the adequately equipped studying rooms that have been set up at all locations. They can also complete training voluntarily on an app. A very wide range of courses is available to the administrative staff, covering various topics: Communication, Presentation, IT, Health etc. Some of the content is used to prepare themselves or follow up on trainings and seminars.
Answers can be found on your smart phone,
tablet, laptop or desktop computer.
“myPfeifer promotes dialogue with employees and boosts a sense of community.”
When, in the course of its digitalisation campaign, Pfeifer was looking for a means of communication that would connect people and be equally available to administrative and production staff, the idea for a dedicated app was born. It was to deliver important information and news directly to the employees’ smartphones – with the great advantage that the app is mobile and accessible around the clock, regardless of the area of operation and working hours, and allows for targeted, authentic communication with the employees. After its launch in March 2021, ‘myPfeifer’ was successively rolled out at all eight Pfeifer Group locations and deliberately offers a broad range of topics: There's a place for everything regarding ‘Jobs & more’ in the app. For one, editors at the locations regularly update the feed with relevant news. Secondly, it offers registered users important items such as shift schedules, information on occupational safety, a way to quickly connect with the HR Department, an employee directory, calendar and much more. “myPfeifer enables us to quickly inform all employees about news from headquarters or their own location. A meeting place with classifieds serves as a platform to network with colleagues outside of work-related topics,” Alexander Sedlak, myPfeifer Project Manager, explains. The app thus makes for an interactive tool that invites people to participate in discussions. Feedback can be obtained via surveys or in the comments on the articles. Discounts, promotions and competitions round off the attractiveness of myPfeifer.
This way, everyone gradually becomes familiar with the Working World 4.0.
Compared to the info terminals in Production, the voluntary app offers considerable added value, which is actively communicated to existing and new employees during the onboarding process. To keep the access barrier as low as possible and to really reach the entire workforce, the app offers an automatic translation function into several languages. For less online-savvy employees, Pfeifer is also happy to provide initial assistance and thus promotes digitalisation even on a small scale. This way, everyone gradually becomes familiar with the Working World 4.0.
“Every new format sees itself as a bridge between the traditional and the future.”
Simon Traxl and Sarah Seelos with the prestigious award.
In November 2021, Sarah Seelos and Simon Traxl, representing the Pfeifer Learn project team, received a prize for reaching the finals of the SAP Quality Award in the Business Transformation Success Factors category at Palais Coburg in Vienna. The prize is awarded annually to selected projects that stand out due to excellent project management and innovations. The expert panel particularly praised the holistic approach, the customised content, the creation of learning spaces and the accompanying marketing campaign for Pfeifer Learn. “We would like to thank not only the project team, led by Sarah Seelos, Simon Traxl and Sigrun Lunger, but all employees at the locations who have contributed significantly to the successful implementation of Pfeifer Learn. They deserve this award,” said Günther Jaritz, Head of Human Resources.