Situation
The customer is a EUR 35 billion automotive supplier with a global presence in forty countries, focusing on drive technology for passenger cars, including dual-clutch transmissions. This division employs 1,300 permanent staff and 500 temporary workers. With an annual turnover of around 360 million euros, the company produces gearboxes for all major car manufacturers in Germany. While the business was doing well, the local HR department was not well organized, which was due to some management changes in the last three years. In addition, the relationship between the company and the works council and trade unions was poor.
The situation in human resources had to be addressed quickly. There was no leadership in the HR function, which led to a lack of trust in the HR team’s promises. There was a lack of competent resources and the company hired hundreds of temporary workers. The works council was also frustrated with the cooperation with the HR department. In general, the HR department was in poor shape.
Action
An Interim HR Director was recruited by AC Alpha and introduced to the company. A decision was made quickly and the Interim HR Director was at work in no time at all. The Interim HR Director immediately spoke to everyone involved in the first few days. He collected all open points from the stakeholders.
The Interim HR Director conducted an analysis of all problems and then met with local management and the works council to review the chosen solutions. The result was a transparent action plan that significantly improved communication between all parties involved.
The interim manager also filled any staff gaps within the HR department so that productivity could rise to a reasonable level. The interim manager invested a lot of time in coaching and training the HR employees.
Result
The measures taken by the Interim HR Director led to a rapid and immediate improvement in the situation. The mood and motivation of the team improved noticeably after just a few weeks in the HR department. Within a short time, confidence in the HR department returned. The management team felt supported by the HR department and conflicts with the works council were significantly reduced.
Ultimately, a new permanent HR manager will have a well-organized HR department to build on. The Chairwoman of the Works Council asked the Interim HR Director to stay and accept a permanent position. The feedback from the SVP HR of the entire division was that they were very satisfied with the performance of the interim manager.
