The fact is: There is no company without a corporate culture. It always arises when people in all their diversity come together and work together. Common values emerge. They become visible and tangible in the biographies of the employees. On the occasion of the German Diversity Day, we made an appointment with Dorothee Reinhardt, Manju Tojan and Selcuk Kurban to talk to them about their experiences and to highlight the values that are lived in the company.
“I had basic confidence that everything was going to be fine.”
– Dorothee Reinhardt –
The memory is still there. The way the sporty contours emerged more precisely from the malleable clay with each step: “We stood shoulder to shoulder, holding the red-brown clay in our hands and realised: The new Astra will be a special model.” That was in 2017. It was Dorothee then Reinhardt has been with the company for seven years. She trained as a technical model builder and then qualified as a product designer. The Astra was her first project as a clay sculptor – “everything was perfect.” Yet when it became apparent that the clay sculptor team would be reduced, she did not hesitate to look for another position within the company. “I had faith that everything would be fine,” she says. This basic trust had built up over time through the appreciation of their work and their commitment. “This also included the fact that back in 2014 I was offered the opportunity to take a leave of absence for my further training as a product designer – that was anything but a matter of course,” she emphasizes.
Excel instead of Clay
Equipped with this basic trust, she threw herself into her new job in the summer of 2020 – as Assistant Brand Manager. She was only able to do a fraction of what was required in the internal job advertisement: “I didn’t have a degree in business administration and it didn’t matter whether it was PowerPoint or Excel – every program was new territory for me.” But she fought her way through from the home office “Great support from colleagues.” And so the 31-year-old not only made the Astra out of clay, but also helped the Rüsselsheim newcomer to be featured in TV commercials, on giant posters and in magazines with a 360-degree campaign a few weeks ago presented to customers throughout Europe. “Whether working out campaign motifs, organizing shootings, selecting photos: I can also bring my creative streak to bear in my new role,” says the new marketing employee. And the basic trust in being in the right company – that has continued to grow.
“Wow, a job offer from Opel!” After a Master of Technology from one of the best universities in India, a Master of Science in electrical engineering in Darmstadt and three years as an application engineer at an automotive supplier in southern Germany, Manju Tojan didn’t have to think twice: “It was the perfect next step in my career.” In the area of “Noise, Vibration, Harshness” she was able to contribute her experience and expand her expertise, technically things went great. And yet she was a stranger: “The team was great, the colleagues nice. But I was the only woman and at 27 the youngest. With distance. And when I got pregnant during my probationary period, I was worried that my career at Opel might be over before it had really started,” she says in an interview. But things turned out differently. One of the experienced colleagues realized that she needed mental support. “Ulrich Zimmer, a great colleague and wonderful person, became a kind of mentor for me,” says Manju Tojan, “unfortunately he has since passed away, but he will always have a special place in my heart.” It was also him who she confirmed that parental leave does not have to be a setback for her career.
career and family
When Manju Tojan came back to the company, she was able to resume professionally immediately and even more: the merger of PSA with Fiat-Chrysler to form Stellantis opened up new perspectives. “We now have Group-wide responsibility for a global platform,” says the engineer, not without pride. Of course it is challenging to manage her everyday work with noise and vibration tests, tests in climate chambers and on roller test benches and the many calls, “but I love my work and the cohesion in the team, the exchange with colleagues worldwide.” The mobile work help a lot to reconcile her professional duties with those of a mother of a son who is now six years old. In the “Women of Stellantis” network, she exchanges ideas with colleagues. She has long since fully arrived in the company, is “happy, absolutely happy” – an increased duplication, which is exactly what is meant.
“Mobile working helps to have a demanding job and to be a mother.”
– Manju Tojan –
“The cohesion among the colleagues in Rüsselsheim is still special today.”
– Selcuk Kurban –
“I’m an Opelan through and through”, Selcuk Kurban introduces himself on the phone and sends afterwards: “I’m a group leader with a migration background”. Has the family and cultural background ever played a role in the company? “Not in the slightest,” he says without hesitation. What did matter, however, was his willingness to get involved and take on responsibility. The 47-year-old, who joined the company in 1991 as an electronics technician trainee, is now the HR manager for more than 2,000 employees. This includes colleagues from production, facility management and logistics at the Rüsselsheim site. Selcuk Kurban had the desire to get involved early on. In the second year of his apprenticeship he was involved in the youth representation of the works council. Even when he later drove the Opel models over the vibration track or the high-speed train as a test driver in Dudenhofen, he represented the interests of the employees.
Diversity as DNA
And topics such as equal opportunities, diversity and respect are still driving him today as the HR group leader. “In my long time at the company, I have often experienced how enriching it is when people with different backgrounds and experiences come together,” he says. The cohesion among the colleagues in Rüsselsheim is still special today. Kurban: “Basically, diversity is in our DNA.” After all, people from around 50 nations work at the plant in Rüsselsheim. The youngest are around 20, the most experienced colleagues over 60 years old. And there is a lot going on at the moment. “We are hiring new colleagues for a second shift, and the next generation of master craftsmen is also being selected,” he says. He is pleased that more women are considering manual trades – “that brings new perspectives, enriches the teams.” And the fact that Opel has been a leader in employing severely disabled employees within the automotive industry for over 20 years shows that diversity Integration in the company does not only exist on paper – “it is actively lived.”
May 2022
Recorded by Tina Henze, photos: Meike Schmidt, private, Andreas Liebschner