DEVDEER GmbH (2020, 2021*)

We advise medium-sized companies throughout Germany on how to run their applications efficiently in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. Companies call us when they are looking for partners who can develop or sharpen up their digitalization projects. Workshops are almost always the starting point. These are our door openers. This is where we can demonstrate our expertise and this often results in the customer wanting to bring the concept to the road with us. When we develop software for customers, it is usually high-quality line-of-business applications. Once completed, these are automatically monitored in the cloud by our Azure Managed Application Service Unit. With our analyses and reports, we enable our customers to operate their solutions securely and stably in the cloud.

For this question, I would like to give the floor to some of our colleagues and quote them:

Nicole, is a career changer and completely new to programming. She says:

"I went back and forth for two days about whether I should really apply because I didn't dare to try your tech stack with my modest experience. But after studying your website a few more times and simply having the feeling that you are people with values and ideas, I contacted Frauke. The long conversation and your list of questions showed me once again that you are looking for completely different things, because I haven't seen anything like this in my interviews for a developer position. [...]
When I left my previous employer, my biggest fear was not finding a workplace that would surround me with enriching personalities, where goals are developed and achieved (together!) and where humanity and individuality are welcome. That's why I'm super happy that I [...] came across your job ad. You are super unusual in a very positive way!"

Jens joined us straight after graduating, is our longest-standing employee and has been part of DEVDEER almost from the very beginning. He said:

"We are a small, young company, which gives me personally the chance to have a say everywhere. I also have the feeling that DEVDEER is a good fit for me, as I can grow with the company. After my studies, I lacked practical development experience and the organization of customer projects, which presented a completely new problem due to the many dependencies. [...]
Last but not least, our most important asset is the employees themselves, who are all very talented in their own way and believe in the success of the company. [...] Our corporate culture is also very open and employee-oriented, which makes me feel very valued."

Joni, our first apprentice and part of the team since September 2021, says

"At DEVDEER, I have the feeling that no one simply puts on a mask to fly under the radar as much as possible, but [...] lives out their personality openly and honestly. It never gets boring interacting or working together. This is exactly what ensures that everyone gets along well and that there is a healthy culture of conflict [...]. In my opinion, this only works if the individuality of each person is honestly respected and taken seriously. For me, this dynamic became tangible when, after a very short time, I really felt like part of the team and not like a "role to be filled".
[...] I never have to be afraid to ask questions, regardless of the area, I get answers that are not aimed at satisfying me in the short term or turning me away, but rather encourage me to continue researching and not only to satisfy my thirst for knowledge, but to encourage it."

Our colleague Kevin Heyland stumbled across a LinkedIn post from an entrepreneur friend about the Wertnetz survey. We had already been asking our team regularly and in various ways how satisfied they were and what we could improve, but the Wertnetz survey, with criteria that are applied to a wide range of companies and different industries, provides a much more solid foundation. The survey not only shows us where we stand, but above all what is important to our employees and which changes we have the greatest leverage with.

In 2020, we wanted to know where we were starting from. This year, we wanted to find out whether the things we tackled were having an impact.

In addition to all the lessons learned, we are also interested in the appeal of the national seal. It is an opportunity to bang the drums loudly and ensure that people at least take a curious look around and see that there are many interesting companies here in the region that offer exciting tasks, employ inspiring people and build on a culture that focuses on the individual.

The shortage of skilled workers is our biggest brake on growth. That is why we are currently developing various offers for pupils and students. Because they have the potential to be the skilled workers of tomorrow. Today, companies take or have to take a lot of time to train and induct their employees. If we manage to get the potential of our talent on the road faster, we can at least compensate for this to some extent. For this to succeed, we need to start with school education and enrich it with economically relevant knowledge. It's about skills that are actually mandatory in professional life today. To this end, we want to network more closely. On the one hand, we entrepreneurs need dialogue with politicians and, on the other, partnerships with other entrepreneurs and organizations. There are already great initiatives, such as the Hacker School, which is committed to ensuring that every young person has programmed at least once by their 18th birthday.
Girls and young women definitely have a second chance. I don't describe myself as a feminist and I think it goes without saying that jobs should be filled according to competence. But I am also convinced that we have not yet exhausted our potential in this area. I believe that visible examples and role models can help to break down role models and encourage people to venture into sectors and aim for positions that many girls and young women have not yet focused on.