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Retailer calls on ‘grey strike-force’ of retirees

A German online retail firm has set up a “grey strike-force” of retired employees to work on special projects when regular staff cannot cope. They will work for up to 50 days a year, but unions warned of a dangerous precedent.

Published: 26 July 2012 09:54 CEST
Retailer calls on 'grey strike-force' of retirees
Photo: DPA

“They will help to close certain gaps in the working process,” a company statement said of their new old employees in Otto Group’s new subsidiary firm Otto Group Senior Expert Consultancy.

The company said that the move was a reaction to Germany’s ageing workforce.

“This is our way of keeping abreast of the demographic transition and the resulting lack of skilled workers,” Nicole Adami of Otto Group said in Thursday’s edition of Bild newspaper. “We value the all-round knowledge of our older employees.”

Though the company only announced its new subsidiary on Tuesday, it has already been running for nearly three months. “We founded the company in May, and did not advertise it,” Adami said. “We already have 20 applications, and five employees are already working.”

The company is headed by Sandra Widmaier, director of Otto Group’s personnel department.

“Former employees who are now retired often enjoy the feeling that they are still useful, and enjoy the opportunity to earn a bit of extra money to top up their pension,” she told Die Welt newspaper.

“As a company we use their experience and performance standard, plus they mostly don’t need any training time.”

She said the pensioners’ know-how would be particularly useful in the IT department when the company makes transitions to new computer systems.

The pensioners will work as little as three or four days at a time on specific projects, to fill in when the company has personnel shortages.

Applicants must be at least 65 years old, have a work history with Otto Group and be prepared to accept a limited contract.

The German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB) has welcomed the subsidiary in principle, but warned against such moves becoming standard. “We need to be extremely careful,” said DGB Hamburg chief Uwe Grund. “What shouldn’t happen is that grandpa works, the daughter can only get part-time work, and the grandson isn’t given a job after his training.”

Grund also pointed out that companies have a tendency to exploit limited hours’ contracts. “They are abused on a large scale to force long-term employees out and impose low wages,” he said.

The Local/DAPD/DPA/bk

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

Published: 7 February 2024 10:54 CET
Updated: 10 February 2024 08:20 CET
Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions. 

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds. 

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local. 

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with. 

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