Umland Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH (2019*)

Umland Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH is a municipal housing company with twelve shareholders - Egeln, Etgersleben, Groß Börnecke, Gröningen, Hakeborn, Kroppenstedt, Löderburg, Schneidlingen, Tarthun, Unseburg, Westeregeln and Wolmirsleben. The main focus here is on well-equipped housing that is affordable for all sections of the population. The 15 employees take care of all the company's services with the aim of achieving long-term tenant satisfaction.

Cutting out old habits

Sebastian Alpers has initiated a change in management style. "It's important to me that at the end of the day, people say that I also enjoyed my day-to-day work, even if there are sometimes difficult situations or tasks." He relies on a healthy error culture in which mistakes are allowed. Decisions are discussed and made together. The team has also been reorganized: there are colleagues who have been with the company since it was founded in 1991 and young colleagues have joined the team. "Combining new ideas with experience is the key to success. That also means cutting out old habits," explains Sebastian Alpers.

A coffee break for an informal chat

In addition to the new way of working together, Sebastian Alpers has also done a lot to reach out to employees. "Due to customer contact, working from home is difficult, but we try to make the working hours family-friendly. For many of our tenants, Tuesdays are still the typical official day - that means we are there until 6 pm. We have a 37-hour week. Friday from 12 noon is the weekend. We hardly ever have to work overtime. There is a cooperation with Barmer for occupational health management. This includes ergonomics advice and ten running training sessions. The measures seem to be attracting interest, as two teams took part in the Magdeburg company relay last year. The other colleagues came to cheer them on. The atmosphere is good, not least because Sebastian Alpers regularly seeks to talk to employees. "I go from table to table every Tuesday or use a coffee break for an informal chat. Just have a casual chat. However, if there are any major problems, we try to find solutions in a one-to-one meeting."

Questioning yourself as a boss

How can a new boss assess their own performance? Sebastian Alpers was faced with this question after his first year as Managing Director of Umland Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH. "The survey with ^Wertenetz© was a yardstick for me. What is the mood like? Does my management style go down well with my colleagues? Where is there a problem with each other?" Sebastian Alpers names the various aspects. But the anonymity of the survey is also an absolute plus: "You also say things that you wouldn't criticize directly, you are more open and honest".

Planning changes for the long term

There are few negative results from the survey. In addition to the need for fairness when it comes to salary compared to other companies, communication plays an important role. "I was surprised that not everyone felt involved. That's why we now want to plan changes more long-term and inform employees early on. On the whole, I feel vindicated and am pleased that my colleagues feel comfortable". This is also reflected in the team's reaction to being awarded the state seal of approval "The employee-oriented company - I feel good here". After the initial skepticism before the survey, everyone is happy about what has been achieved.