Portrait

Name: Nadja Hörmann
Age: 38 Jahre
Relationship status: Married
Children: 3 boys - an 8 year-old and 5-year old twins
Occupation: Industrial Business Management Assistant
Current role at S+P Samson: Part-time Sales Management Assistant (25 hours per week)

Hello, Ms. Hörmann, you look happy and contented.
Nadja Hörmann (laughing): Does it show? I am really happy all round.

A good work-life balance? Bearing in mind that you have three children.
Absolutely. S+P offers me flexible working hours. I work part-time and, if necessary, I can also work from home. I really have to say that S+P is very child-friendly. Bosses and colleagues are always understanding and I really do not need to worry if one of my children is ill. This is extremely helpful and really makes it easy for me to combine work and family life.

You have been with S+P a long time. You are virtually part of the furniture.
That’s true. I started my apprenticeship as an Industrial Business Manager in September 2000 and completed it successfully. So I have been with S+P for nearly twenty years..

Have you never felt the urge for a new career challenge?
Not really. I have always enjoyed my job, conditions and benefits are good and all the colleagues work together well. And I have always had the feeling that my work is really appreciated. When I had my first child in 2011, I was able to come back and work part-time after my maternity leave. This was only possible because S+P contributed to the cost of the crèche. And when the twins arrived in 2013, I took two years of parental leave and came back in 2015.

How was it to get back into work? A lot can happen in two years.
Honestly? I was a bit worried. Would I still be able do the job? What has changed? My colleagues were really helpful and supported me. Some even hugged me when I came back and said: I just needed to give you a hug.

This all sounds very homogenous. Were there never any conflict situations?
Of course there were some and there are some now. Fortunately we have a constructive conflict culture here at S+P. We discuss problems in a factual manner and we try not to get personal. And the management encourages us to keep it that way. For instance, we recently had a conflict management workshop.

Talking of workshops... What is learning and development like at S+P?
It is managed very individually. Every year development objectives are discussed with employees during the annual appraisal and the corresponding measures are defined. For example, when we started our newsletter I did a nine-week writing course. Others improve their knowledge of foreign languages or update their technical background.

S+P appears to be a very modern company with regard to its corporate culture. Does this also apply to the workplace?
I think the fairly new office building is great. It is modern and air-conditioned, it has a clear colour concept and a great break room with a kitchen. And, of course, offices in which you feel really comfortable. My workplace is ergonomically designed and has the latest hardware and software. Laptops are provided and recently it was introduced that most colleagues have three monitors available. All our desks are height adjustable to provide an ergonomic workplace. Some can even be adjusted to a standing desk, as a few of our colleagues cannot sit down all day due to back problems. This makes it very pleasant to work here.

These are excellent conditions for productive working. But do people also celebrate together at S+P?
We certainly do. We even have our own event team who always come up with great ideas. Recently we had a Murder Mystery Event in Munich. That was really great. 60 would-be detectives from S+P tried to solve a crime. Including interviewing suspects and witnesses who were played by actors. It was really great fun! So we have our annual summer party – this year the Murder Mystery Event in Munich – and our internal Christmas party. Some of our colleagues bake traditional Christmas cookies for this party. This is legendary.

If you had to describe S+P as an employer in one sentence, what would you say?
My spontaneous answer is: S+P is a company where you can feel comfortable in every respect.

Thank you for talking to us, Ms. Hörmann.

Curious if S+P Samson could be a good employer for you? Send us your application!