I have never regretted my decision to work for MEIKO
What was your first experience of MEIKO?
At my interview in July 1979. The CEO at the time, Reiner Kern, finished the conversation with the sentence: you'll start in the morning then. I was a trained chimney sweep so it was a sideways move when I started working in production at MEIKO. Later, I was elected to the works council and I have been the chair of the works council for several years now.
Plus all kinds of opportunities and the fact that MEIKO pays for non-contributory benefits. These were the compelling reasons for me and I have never once regretted my decision to work for MEIKO.
What makes MEIKO a socially responsible company?
Mr and Mrs Meier, the founders of the foundation, recognised early on that the employees are the most important part of a company. These days, that attitude has evolved into a whole philosophy that every managing director embodies. Treating one another fairly is our greatest asset and it is something you can observe in practice every day.
Average length of service: 16 years.
MEIKO belongs to a company foundation and the foundation's constitution enshrines social responsibility. This attitude has real impact and we can measure this in how many years MEIKO employees stay with the company: 16 on average. You could even say: once a MEIKO employee, always a MEIKO employee. Though perhaps that sounds a bit threatening!
We have evidence that people enjoy working here, though. For example, even MEIKO employees who decide to go on to further training during their careers often return to MEIKO when they qualify, like some of our engineers.
Building a foundation of financial success.
Fairness, a socially responsible attitude and financial success are closely intertwined. MEIKO has good products on the market, a wide range and serves diverse industries. That means that jobs here are secure going forward. MEIKO pay is above average and the company boasts a values-driven culture
Even MEIKO is experiencing a shortage of qualified staff. Why?
I think that many factors play into the shortage of qualified staff. For one thing, young people want to enter the working world with the highest possible qualification and work their way up from there. Many people do not view developing hands-on technical skills as a key goal for education. Then again, we are genuinely seeing a drop in the number of hands-on technical tasks involved in our production process. We are in a transition phase towards automated production but requiring a high level of hands-on technical expertise to run the machines, to inspect the products and production line, to increase production speed and to maintain quality standards. You need to know how sheet metal will behave when it is being worked. That is indispensable.
So the shortage of qualified staff is an issue that brings together future technologies, societal trends and the changes those imply for the younger generation's needs. If you look at the issue of the shortage of qualified staff from these perspectives, you see fresh ways to approach it, new insights and ways to meet the shortage and offer new opportunities to potential employees.
What exactly is MEIKO doing to respond to the shortage of qualified staff?
We cannot work like we did 40 years ago. We have to keep up with progress, accelerate production and recognise that we are in direct competition with other countries. It all comes down to price, method and quality. At MEIKO, we teach our trainees hands-on technical skills because we will still need those skills in 20 years' time. At the same time, they begin to operate cutting-edge machinery during their training and spend time in different departments. This allows them to find the role that is the best fit for them and, hopefully, they will stay with MEIKO. We will definitely have to take on the shortage of qualified staff even more directly in future. After all, solving this problem is a key part of securing our future.
What is your MEIKO story?
As a works council, we have seen success in many projects but I think the really vital contribution we make is communication and the relationships that we nurture at MEIKO. It is a unique culture that all employees are part of, including the higher ups like the managing director, the production team, production management and HR. In order to communicate productively, you have to have the same goals. Then we can make decisions and find ways through to reach these goals. Over the past 95 years, there have been several decisive moments that have determined the direction of the company. We have trusting relationships.
The works council at MEIKO does not need a lawyer, it needs cooperation.
What place does MEIKO occupy in your life?
All of the benefits that MEIKO gives me – whether personally, financially or by facilitating a particular lifestyle – I want to give back to MEIKO in various ways. It's about give and take. MEIKO is my life. After 43 years here, it's fair to say that!
What needs to change at MEIKO?
I can't say what needs to change but a few topics spring to mind that I think we should start talking about early. Things like trust-based working hours and mobile working.
What is a little-known fact about MEIKO?
We all know that MEIKO turns 95 this year, but another MEIKO birthday is coming up, too. Next year, the MEIKO works council turns 60.
2023 – 60 years of MEIKO works council
It tells you something that the idea to found the MEIKO works council came from the company's founder, Oskar Meier. He believed the works council would be a much-needed interface between employee and employer. Today, the works council is still going strong and for that, we thank the employees who elect the council every 4 years.