The first colleagues have changed jobs within the company with the help of the GO! talent pool. The first senior managers hired these talents. And the first senior managers not only let these talents go, but also accompanied them favourably to the door. The fact that this door remains half-open - allowing knowledge, networks and contacts to slip back and forth - is one of the strengths of the GO!

In this context, GO! stands less for letting a talent go than for the Group Opportunities project, which strengthens the internal talent market. The project, part of the Step up initiative, is in a pilot phase and all offers are being continuously developed. The participating units currently include Lekkerland, Travel and Tourism and Retail Germany, including REWE digital.

In the first part of the series on GO!, Daniel Somssich, Inga Gehring and Martin Leyendecker, the very first "change trio" of former manager, employee and new supervisor, have their say. Despite different positions within the process, the internal change is one thing above all for everyone: a win. For the company. And for each and every one of them. They explain why here:

Daniel Somssich, senior manager "Even before GO! it was clear that Inga Gehring wanted to make a change after nine years of working together, including towards a management position. It was also clear that I would naturally support this. So when GO! came along, we seized the opportunity and an opportunity arose quite quickly.

My area is a kind of in-house consultancy that specialises in process management and optimisation. This makes the work varied, as we support very different projects within the company in making their processes more efficient and digitalising them. But that also means we are very specialised. I can therefore understand why people want to change after a few years.

Inga has now moved to the sales department at PENNY and no longer advises, but manages digitalisation projects. She would certainly have taken this step without GO! but GO! has made it much easier.

Why did I support Inga's move? Well, as a senior manager, one of my core tasks is not only to develop my employees within the scope of our possibilities, but also to ensure that they are not lost to the company. If employees express a desire for change, then we senior managers should do everything we can to ensure that their knowledge, their network and their understanding of the corporate culture is retained. It's basically a win-win-win situation: Martin Leyendecker, the senior manager taking over, gets a very good employee who knows her way around the company. Inga Gehring is happy because she can take the next step, and I in turn have done a good job and have been able to keep a great colleague in the company. If you want to change, you should get support, not headwinds. I had several conversations with Martin in advance. One of them was a three-way meeting with Inga to ensure a smooth transition.

What I first had to understand when filling Inga's position was that you have two contacts here, the recruiter and the internal sourcer. That worked well in my case because the three of us regularly exchanged information. However, I had the feeling that there wasn't yet a defined standard process. But we're still at the beginning with GO! In any case, I think it's an important building block for retaining talent. I'm a fan."

Daniel Somssich,
Lead Business Process Management Business Process Management & Governance

Inga Gehring, the internally changing employee "Even though I was previously very happy with my position, I had long felt the desire to take on new challenges and develop professionally.

My boss Daniel had already identified me as a high-potential employee five years ago, and then my two children were born. Now, back from parental leave, the GO! Talent Pool came at just the right time. Together with Daniel, we posted my profile there and I soon received exciting offers through internal sourcing. An informative phone call with HR led to a speedy interview with my current senior manager Martin Leyendecker. The talks began last May and I moved in October.

I am generally very satisfied with REWE Group as an employer, I had no need to change externally. In addition, changing companies with two small children is riskier, whereas an internal move offers a certain amount of security and stability. But if there had been no development opportunities internally, I would probably have decided to move externally.

The Talent Pool also offers part-time employees opportunities for advancement, as you can see in my case. I work 32 hours a week. My husband works the same number of hours, so we can organise ourselves well.

The cooperation around the change with my old and new senior managers went smoothly. I didn't have to give my notice period and in return was given time off as required to familiarise my successor with the job. I am also available to answer her questions at any time. So my knowledge remains in the company, even though I have changed departments. But in my opinion, GO! is not just about the employer identifying, promoting and retaining our potential, but also about showing their appreciation and keeping our knowledge within the company."

Tips for colleagues willing to make a change
Involving the departing senior manager at an early stage of the application process is helpful for various reasons, especially if - as in our case - you have worked well together for years. For example, I showed Daniel, my former boss, the job advert for the position offered to me and asked him whether he thought I and the position would be a good fit. I was unsure about a few things, but Daniel confirmed and encouraged me to express my interest.

Inga Gehring
has been with the REWE Group for ten years and was the first to change jobs internally in October 2024 with the help of the GO! talent pool. Today she is a project manager in Martin Leyendecker's team, PENNY sales department national .

Martin Leyendecker, senior managers "I originally advertised the position externally, but the responses clearly showed that it had become more difficult to find the right people. That's why I approached the HR colleagues and enquired about the talent pool that had been launched a few weeks earlier.

First things first: in future, I would always use internal sourcing first before looking externally. Not only because it's more cost-effective, but also because it's much easier to assess the scope, work and performance of internal candidates. What's more, candidates in the internal talent pool end up there explicitly on the recommendation of their senior managers, who attest to their potential and development opportunities. In addition to several informal introductory meetings with her, I was able to speak to Daniel Somssich, my candidate Inga Gehring's line manager at the time, during the recruitment process and, for example, had her give me a presentation.

I was concerned about two points in the run-up to the process: firstly, the internal notice period of six months, which also formally applies to internal transfers. However, we were then able to agree on a shorter notice period. Secondly, there was the lack of a probationary period. Here I had to rely on the fact that the discussions with Inga, her line manager and all the documents available to me were meaningful enough that we wouldn't be standing there after three months and saying: "That's not right" - and then the old job is gone. This risk was minimised for me as team leader, but also for Inga, thanks to the greatest possible transparency on both sides in the process.

Inga will soon be celebrating her 10th anniversary with the company. I'm delighted to be able to offer her a new perspective and challenge and that she will continue to be part of REWE Group. So my conclusion is also positive. I am grateful for the internal sourcing and that I was able to fill the first position via GO! At the same time, I will also recommend the programme to my team if I want to make a change. I think it's a great way to offer talented people a perspective when there is no suitable position available in their own area."

Martin Leyendecker
Sales department national PENNY, part of the Digitalisation Project and Processes department, consisting of three teams, including Leyendecker's team, which consists of four IT project managers and one working student.