"In my view, creating freedom and providing benefits for employees is a fundamental contribution to a company's culture of innovation today. Only secure and motivated people can actively engage with new developments and implement innovative ideas quickly," says Dr. Alexander Bünz, Managing Director of intralogistics specialist Expresso. The fact that this equation works was recently documented in a survey conducted among the company's workforce on behalf of the Center for Employer Attractiveness and the University of St. Gallen. The good result attests to Expresso's "high level of job satisfaction". For this reason, the company was awarded the Top Job seal for outstanding employer qualities at the end of February. It was presented by former Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Clement to Managing Director Dr. Alexander Bünz, owner Sebastian Loh, to whose group of companies Expresso belongs, and Bettina Schlüter, Head of Human Resources at Expresso.

Communicative and agile
The Kassel-based manufacturer of handling and transport systems uses a whole range of tools and methods to offer its employees a motivating working environment and a good work-life balance. These include pension contributions, free health benefits and subsidies for sporting activities as well as modern offices and a communicative atmosphere with elements of agile networking.

Modern information technology is actively used: In the entrance area of the main plant in Kassel, a screen informs employees about current developments, an interactive platform provides information about the results of meetings and works assemblies and the employee newspaper provides background reports on the decisions made by the management. "I also think our 'target images', which show the company's plans for the future, are particularly successful," says Dr. Alexander Bünz.

Thanks to its modular design, the mobile handling and transport system lift2move from Expresso can be flexibly adapted to changing tasks or modified processes. © Expresso

Expresso also demonstrates flexibility in the area of working hours: flexitime arrangements leave room for individual preferences, different part-time models allow work and family to be reconciled and working from home is possible at all levels.

Collecting and prioritizing ideas
"Wherever it is feasible and reasonable, we give individual employees a great deal of freedom in which they can develop personally - this is an integral part of our corporate culture. At the same time, we see this as a prerequisite for the creation and implementation of innovations. In fact, many of our current successful products have their origins in the ideas of individual employees," emphasizes Bünz. Committees meet regularly to ensure that all activities are regulated and transparent. This is where creative product ideas are collected and prioritized. as