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The Miele employees |
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Developing high quality and innovative products is not an automatic process: It is those people who have absorbed the Miele philosophy of quality and who spend each day at their work place who are responsible for this. Without their dedication and their creativity the company would not be a success, in fact, it would not exist at all.
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The company’s founders and their successors have always valued this contribution. As a family enterprise, Miele is as dutybound to its staff as it is to its customers and to the general public. In order to fulfil its responsibility to its employees, extensive social services have been established for the staff and these will be described on the following pages. A flat organisational structure across all departments means that employees have the chance to develop their skills, whilst short paths for decision-making give the individual the opportunity to experience a great deal of responsibility, individuality and flexibility.
Miele employees are used to communicating with one another and the company spirit has always fostered interpersonal communication. This contributes to the fact that the employee fluctuation rate is comparatively low. Over the last ten years, the fluctuation rate within Germany has averaged at 1.86 %. In 2007 it was even lower, at 1.05 %. 112 people left the company in 2007. During the period under review no jobs were relocated abroad and no forced resignations occurred at Miele. On the contrary, the number of employees rose at a rate of over 4.4 % in relation to the increase in unit production, in order to stay inline with the company’s growth rate. The two jubilee events that take place each year are a tradition within the company, and not without reason: Over 9,500 people have celebrated jubilees throughout the company history, and these people have contributed to the success of the Miele brand by working for the company for 25, 40 or even 50 years. The demands placed on the employees are high. A successful company needs people who are willing to work to keep the company at the top. Success is the best motivation; it is enjoyable to belong to the best. Then there are those factors that turn employees into motivated staff: fairness and open dialogue, and the feeling of being accepted and valued as a person. It comes as no surprise that so many employees feel that they belong to the “Miele family”. Many members of staff working at Miele today are the second, third or even fourth generation of the same family who have worked for the company. |
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Social and Ethical Standards
At Miele it is a matter of course that each member of staff is treated with respect and in a responsible manner. The standards of employment were further strengthened in 2004, when Miele undertook the obligation to fulfil the SA8000 social standard in all of its own production locations. In order to ensure adherence to this measure an external assessor carries out inspections. The official accreditation of the German locations in accordance with SA8000 was successfully concluded in 2008/2009 by the Italian company RINA S.p.A. as an accredited auditor. Accreditation of the plants in Austria and the Czech Republic will be completed by mid 2009. It has been planned to give the plant in China SA8000 accreditation in the next five years.
The standard includes the following criteria:
No child labour or forced labour No discrimination Adherence to health and safety standards at the work place Freedom of association and collective bargaining No disciplinary measures allowed, e.g. psychological or physical sanctions Working hours and level of remuneration in accordance with legal or contractual regulations “Miele distinguishes itself from its competitors due to its loyalty to its location and the enormous responsibility it has towards its employees. The future challenge is to retain qualified employees whilst maintaining cost efficiency.”
Karsten Tacke; Managing Director and head of the department for tariff and social policy at Gesamtmetall, Employers‘ Association for the Metal and Electrical Industry (Gesamtverband der Arbeitgeberverbände der Metall- und Elektro- Industrie e.V.)  |
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Challenges and Targets Miele is pleased to be so popular amongst job seekers but nevertheless places a great value on highly qualified applicants. In view of the demographic development and the resulting lack of skilled labour, Miele faces a great challenge. The targeted development of skilled labourers and management personnel from within the company, and the assembly of an international talent management scheme, are both key tasks for the personnel department. The overriding aim is to be able to recognise the potential of employees and applicants, and to encourage this potential in whatever way possible. The measures being used by Miele to address these challenges are described in detail over the following pages. Awards received in 2006/2007 confirm Miele’s responsible personnel policy TOP Employer Trendence Institut Berlin  Corporate Research Foundation  Fair Company- A better chance for graduates  |
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