On 13 June in Berlin, seven Business Areas and regions of REWE Group were once again awarded the audit job and family certificate for their sustainable personnel policies. This demonstrates that they are ready to implement measures to reconcile work, family and private life for another three years. One asked toom CFO Martin Czoske and Fiona Honig, who represented REWE Nord-Logistik, what the certification means for employee satisfaction.
After the rather sober online events of the corona years, this year's job and family audit award ceremony was a festive occasion with group photos of happy certificate recipients. The 25th anniversary of the audit and the participation of Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus provided a fitting backdrop, with the 300 or so newly certified and recertified employers, including six from the REWE Group, taking centre stage. With this event, berufundfamilie Service GmbH recognises the commitment of companies to a sustainable, family- and life-phase-conscious personnel policy.
The recertified employees of REWE and toom
- REWE Markt GmbH, Southwest Region Full-range administration. Certified since 2010, has now received its 5th certificate.
- REWE Markt GmbH - Southwest logistics locations - certified since 2020, now recertified for the first time
- REWE Markt GmbH, Region North Administration full-range. Certified since 2011, now awarded the 5th certificate.
- REWE Markt GmbH, Logistics Locations North - certified since 2020, now recertified for the first time.
- REWE Markt GmbH, logistics centre - certified since 2020. Now recertified for the first time.
- REWE Markt GmbH, Southern Region Full-range administration - certified since 2010, now certified for the 5th time.
- Toom Baumarkt DIY store GmbH. Certified since 2016. Now awarded the 3rd certificate.
"We are testing the possibility of a four-day week"
Respect for those who do it for their employees: toom CFO Martin Czoske shows what has happened and will happen in terms of work-life balance:
"The job and family audit means much more than just a certificate: it's about a certain understanding of roles and, above all, of leadership and, as a result, of cooperation and being a role model. We are proud that we have been dealing with precisely this topic for many years and are constantly improving for our employees. This is now an essential part of our corporate culture - true to the motto 'Respect for those who do it themselves'.
Martin Czoske, CFO at toom
For us, a respectful and appreciative approach also includes organising our HR policy in a life-phase and family-oriented way. We are therefore delighted to have been re-certified. Since our initial certification in 2016, we have already achieved a great deal, including offering sabbaticals, care leave, tutoring for employees' children, market deployment close to home and a flexible home office arrangement at head office. And we still have a lot planned: We are currently implementing more flexible personnel planning in the stores and testing the possibility of offering a four-day week. In short, the job and family audit shows both externally and internally what is important to us as a company. Of course, this is also linked to the expectations of our employees: What it says on the label must also be inside."
Martin Czoske has been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of toom since March 2022, having previously worked for the REWE Group for ten years in various management positions.
"Employees feel they are taken seriously"
Job and family officer Fiona Honig on the positive effects of the audit measures on work at Logistics North.
Fiona Honig
one: Mrs Honig, REWE Logistics North has now been re-audited and re-certified for its work-life balance. What is special about this?
Fiona Honig: Two things above all: firstly, logistics is a field of work with more complicated working hours, i.e. many shifts, and secondly, it is mainly men who work here. We are therefore dealing with different points of attention here than in administration, for example. But of course, family and private life also play an important role for men working shifts. A major point in our measures as part of the job and family audit (buf) is therefore the issue of working hours, where we can create compatibility and take into account the life situation of our employees. We add the word "private life" to the term "family". Not all employees have family compatibility issues to deal with, but they may have time-consuming hobbies, relatives in need of care or an upcoming master's thesis.
one: Can you give us a few examples?
Fiona Honig : In line with REWE DNA, mobile working is possible for team leaders in particular, even beyond the agreed two days if necessary. If, for example, it becomes difficult for an order picker to work the agreed shift, perhaps because his wife is on a business trip and he is looking after the child after daycare, then he discusses an individual solution or a shift change with the team leader. Another important measure that has been implemented since the first certification is the weekly team meetings. This is where we discuss any problems or needs that have arisen in our private lives and look together at how we can manage the week ahead. All of this works really well and has a positive effect on the working atmosphere.
one: What kind of atmosphere prevails in logistics?
Fiona Honig: There is a special team spirit. Everyone endeavours to help each other, everyone sees themselves as many individual "cogs" that interlock to make the whole thing run smoothly.
one: In logistics, many "cogs" surely also means many languages? How do you deal with linguistic and cultural diversity?
Fiona Honig: That's an important point. With employees from so many nations and language groups, we have considered how we can achieve better communication here. On the one hand, there are many German language courses on offer for employees. On the other hand, many senior managers are also willing to learn languages that are spoken in the logistics centres. After all, everyone realises that it is much more difficult for employees to learn another language when they are working shifts - perhaps coming home at night and sleeping during the day. We also refer to translation apps. These are all part of the measures we decided on during our first certification. One measure in our new target agreement is the creation of notices in other languages, in Polish, Turkish, English..
one: In your opinion, was the certification and now recertification in accordance with the job and family audit worthwhile?
Fiona Honig: Yes, it has given us momentum. When I saw for the first time as a buf consultant how the audit measures are put into practice in logistics, I was really enthusiastic about how many opportunities have been created in logistics: The measures introduced are adhered to, people feel that you are interested in them and their concerns. The employees feel that they are taken seriously and put their heart and soul into their work. That's just so great.
HR expert Fiona Honig works in the competence centre of the REWE Region North and, as a career and family officer (buf), accompanied the recertification of the logistics sites in Stelle, Lehrte, Henstedt-Ulzburg and Sottrum.
