EMPLOYEES CHANGE THE COMPANY – SYMRISE WELL ON THE WAY TO BECOMING EMPLOYER OF CHOICE
In spring 2010, Symrise launched an international employee engagement survey with the motto “Have your say!”. A total of more than 3500 people at our regional headquarters in Brazil, Germany, Singapore and the United States were asked to participate in the survey – their responses have initiated further positive change at Symrise.
“From the merger through our going public to the present day, we have always had the full support of our employees – relied on their fighting spirit and their will to succeed. We acknowledge the important role they play and aim to strengthen their influence. The employee engagement survey takes us a huge step in that direction.” Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, CEO of Symrise, not only has clear plans for the future of the company, he also knows that the employees have a crucial contribution to make.
Symrise gave a clear signal that change was on its way when it held “Have your say!,” the first international employee engagement survey. The questionnaire that went out to employees worldwide was jointly developed by Symrise and the Munich-based market research institute Vocatus. Its contents: 54 specific questions about the employees’ regular working day that took roughly 15 minutes to answer. “Have your say!” was designed to find out what employees really think about their job, about Symrise, about their line managers and the executive management – anonymously, of course. It also aimed to identify as accurately as possible where strengths and weaknesses lie so that specific steps can be taken in order to introduce a constructive change process throughout the company.
Information: the key to success
An extensive information campaign was launched on all internal communication channels to keep the employees up to date on all relevant aspects prior to, during and following the survey. This involved an array of measures: a poster campaign, a comprehensive question-and-answer manual with FAQs, survey officers as personal contacts, details of procedure, security, analysis and processing of data. Full use was made of the intranet and the employee magazine Team Spirit to make the procedure and the findings of the survey transparent. The reservations expressed by employees with regard to data security clearly indicated that an extensive information campaign was called for.
Dr. Iñigo Natzel, Corporate Vice President of Human Resources at Symrise and responsible for the survey’s conception and implementation, explains, “We didn’t want to know who the answers came from. We wanted the respondents to be absolutely open with us and in return we guaranteed their confidentiality.” Data security was also a given for the market researchers involved. “We consider absolute confidentiality of data to be an essential requirement for the professional implementation of the survey,” explains Mathias Jaumann, in charge of research and implementation at Vocatus.
Transparency and comprehensive information available on all channels produced the desired effect. The result at the end of the survey period: a return rate of almost 70 percent – and thus a solid basis for representative evaluation. Dr. Natzel: “The high level of participation confirms that people here at Symrise have something to say – and that they accept the survey as a feedback tool.“
A holistic view of the company
Now the results are out. They offer concrete insights into scope of responsibility, work variety, work safety, career advancement and further training, and also fair pay and company benefits, such as pension schemes, for example.
Symrise is perceived as an innovative, progressive company that produces high-quality products. Employees consider the company customer-oriented and extremely adaptable and were very positive about Symrise’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility. And Symrise’s arguably greatest strength: Its employees are exceptionally proud of “their” company.
Variety and personal responsibility were two aspects of work at Symrise that received an above-average rating. The same applies to satisfaction with work safety, working hours, the opportunity to reconcile job and private life, and with the pension scheme and other company benefits.
Presence, competence and credibility were all attributed to the Executive Board. The employees were requested to assess their regional and line managers on the basis of several criteria: personal recognition and esteem, the scope for personal responsibility they allow, prompt and clear notification of divisional and departmental targets, assistance in the solving of specialist problems and their handling of errors. All of these aspects were assessed as satisfactory by the majority of employees – a good result.
Communication via internal media also received a thoroughly positive score, whereby special emphasis was placed on transparency of information and openness of communication about business and corporate developments.
Employees used their influence
Ever since the results were published, they have served as the basis for a lot of hard work, and management and Human Resources have held joint presentations to keep the workforce up to date on developments. The employee engagement survey has also been right at the top of the agenda at town hall meetings. “Our first step was to personally announce the results of the survey,” explains Dr. Natzel. “This has led into a phase of open dialogue for the upcoming steps and changes to be introduced.”
The results have been analyzed in detail at workshops and concrete plans of action put in place. At the workshops, employees and managers sat down together to analyze strengths and weaknesses. Initial targets have already been set with a view to further developing the corporate and leadership culture at Symrise. Global, regional and divisional initiatives have emerged – backed up by clear time schedules and allocation of accountability and responsibilities.
Symrise is moving forward
The employee engagement survey is now set to become established as a regular tool. “Our workforce will turn Symrise into a company that is more attractive to its employees because they help to shape it. And we are moving closer to our goal of becoming an employer of choice and recruiting highly qualified staff to all of our sites.”
The employee engagement survey aims to initiate a new feedback culture that will be an integral part of the corporate culture. Clearly, this is a change that will take time: A new corporate culture cannot simply materialize to order, it is something that gradually evolves and calls for the attention, support and nurturing of all concerned. The conclusions we draw and ideas we glean from surveys, dialogue and feedback will fundamentally change Symrise. CEO Heinz-Jürgen Bertram: “When we launched this first survey, we set a change process in motion that is taking Symrise into a new phase. We have every faith in our employees and are offering them the opportunity to actively change the company and encouraging them to take an entrepreneurial approach. Setting change in motion means assuming responsibility for success. The success and the future of a company depends more than anything else on the combined efforts of the people who work for it.“
