Special times call for special measures: The digital team event brings employees and management together
08 December 2020
In times of the coronavirus pandemic, digital employee events are needed to bring everyone closer to the company again. Personal contacts and daily exchanges in the office are currently lacking. Therefore, the first Röhlig Digital Summit took place in early November.
In five live sessions around the globe, adapted to their respective time zones, the Management Board informed the employees about the current status and future plans of the company.
In one-hour team meetings, Management summarised the latest developments happening in the company and gave insight into the strategy for the coming years. Afterwards, the participants took the opportunity to ask their individual questions in the chat. Guided by the moderation of Daniela Dethmann (Head of Corporate Communications & Marketing), many issues that concerned the employees were answered live by the management board.
An exciting year and ambitious goals
In his opening digital speech, Managing Partner Philip W. Herwig addressed the general effects that the Corona crisis has had on the logistics industry, but also specifically for Röhlig. Herwig stressed how much he has missed the personal contact and exchange with the countries and employees. At the same time, the company director praised the way that the crisis was handled. By acting quickly, having everyone displaying good foresight and by initiating the "Act for Performance" ("A4P") programme, it was ensured that all of our branches would remain operational at all times during the crisis and that the performance for this business year remained satisfactorily. The entire team deserves great recognition for this, says Philip W. Herwig: "I would like to sincerely thank you, your teams and your families for your dedication and commitment to Röhlig, especially in this difficult pandemic situation".
Updates from the Business Units
CFO Dr. Robert Gutsche then gave insight into the company's finances. Despite the business impact of the Corona pandemic, he expressed his satisfaction with the results achieved thus far and also commended the dedication of each and every employee.
Hylton Gray explained the extent to which the pandemic has so far affected the air, sea and contract logistics sectors. He also paid tribute to the employees for their quick, solution-oriented thinking and acting which makes Röhlig so competitive. The CEO of Air Freight, Sea Freight, Contract Logistics & Projects (Logistics), who was streaming live from the USA, was confident that through this crisis Röhlig will create even new potential.
Truly reliable, Forward thinking and Eager for more
These are the revised corporate values that Philip W. Herwig explained during the Summit. They reflect what is already anchored in the minds of our employees and reflected through their daily work.
Röhlig is always Truly reliable when dealing with customers, employees and partners. You can rely on this promise.
Using knowledge to initiate progress, spark ideas and ultimately achieve results is lived practice and is manifested in the company value of Forward thinking. Curious, open-minded and with an entrepreneurial spirit, the team goes the extra mile for customer satisfaction. This behaviour is reflected in the company value of being Eager for more.
The new company video also celebrated its premiere at the digital event. Just like the new values, the video was also particularly well received by the employees.
An interactive digital event: Q&A via live chat
True to the motto: "last but not least", all participants of the digital employee event were given the chance to ask the Management team individual questions via a live chat. Above all, employees showed great interest in the strategy for the coming years. Many took the opportunity to find out more about possible plans to expand the global company network or to ask for updates from the human resources department.
A digital employee survey was then used to assess satisfaction with the event. The feedback was positive all around. Many employees would like Röhlig to continue to use such digital employee events.
