Our Recipe for Satisfied Employees.
The American-Austrian economist Peter Drucker once famously said: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” And he has a good point. Of course, here at Schuster Maschinenbau we aren’t outright questioning the need for strategy in general. But, when you are operating a successful high-tech company in a region with a modestly-sized workforce such as we are, then company culture takes on a whole new meaning. This company culture manifests itself in five essential areas:
The value at the center of our culture can best be expressed with the word “community.” All Schuster employees feel like they belong, right from their first day. And, for us, flat hierarchies are simply a matter of course. This culture is evident to employees and visitors alike when they see our trainees and management sitting down together every Friday to a traditional Bavarian Weisswurst breakfast and discussing their ideas, wishes, and suggestions for improvement. Speaking of trainees: The trainee retention rate at Schuster is almost 100%. Our company’s strong training strategy, which focuses on trainees as well as working students/dual students, ensures that we have the quality and quantity of expert employees we need as a growing company with the highest in quality standards.
Detroit, Wolfsburg, Denklingen.
Anyone who talks to our employees soon senses their pride in the company’s roots and how we identify with the region where we got our start. The Schuster culture is built on this pride for the Bavarian countryside where our company was founded and has since grown into a technology leader supplying global markets. We are proudly “Made in Germany.” But for our employees, the “Made in Bavaria” mark is even more important.
Openness wins.
At Schuster we find that our Bavarian roots and an openness to the world fit well together, and these values are lived out in our company each and every day. For us, diversity and equality are not simply tasks to be checked off a list, but rather principles that are part of who we are. We are convinced that they lead to better companies, products, and, in the end, a better society.
Dynamic and gemütlich.
We live in a highly dynamic society. Business processes are now carried out at breakneck pace; networking and digitalization allow us to work with the highest efficiency and productivity. We are firm believers in the importance of these dynamic processes. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in such a good position in this highly competitive market. But our culture also includes the cozy element of southern German Gemütlichkeit and the conviction that our employees deserve to take breaks. Here, sending out text messages to our employees in the evening or on weekends is simply taboo.
Come and stay awhile.
A company’s culture is most evident in how they treat the employees that have been with them the longest. At Schuster we firmly believe in giving our employees long-term prospects. For us, dependability is not just a one-way street. We provide our valued colleagues with life-long learning and continuing education opportunities, and, to celebrate their years of service, we give them something much more valuable than a plaque: meaningful work.
