| Division: | ECKART |
| Company: | ECKART GmbH |
| Role: | Head of Competence Center HR |
| Location: | Güntersthal |
| Country: | Germany |
| Has been with the company since: | 09/1990 |
 | |
|---|---|
You are already working for many years in human resources. How did you come to ECKART and which tasks belong to your responsibilities nowadays?
After school I completed an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at ECKART. Then I came to the Personnel Department, in the former payroll office.
Since that time, HR has changed a lot, both in structure and in the systems engineering support. However, I have stayed attached to the payroll area and since 2005 I am Head of Payroll & HR-Systems.
So I'm responsible with my team for correct and on schedule preparation of the payroll and all tasks that have to do with this issue. I coordinate the use of our HR-Systems. Furthermore I am responsible for its timeliness, security and future.
In addition, while working, I completed the HR Clerk IHK and Business Administration IHK continuing education programs. Moreover that, I studied further to become a qualified IT Specialist (SGD) and I possess a degree as a certified payroll officer.
How did you come to find out about ALTANA as an employer?
From relatives and as a result of a student internship that I did with ECKART.
How did ALTANA support your career progression?
I was entrusted to take on more responsibility, e.g. in the form of managing a group. With that, I obtained latitude to design and influence my respectively our work. I was able to independently execute and manage many projects. In doing so, I came into contact with many interfaces and people (internal colleagues, external service providers) and had to work in a structured and analytical manner.
I had the opportunity to work with completely different topics and thus to gain a wide variety of insights. In doing so, I was able to learn a great deal.
ECKART gave me the financial support for my continuing education. In addition, I had the opportunity to take part in numerous seminars and workshops in past years and thus to steadily build and deepen my knowledge.
That sounds like a great opportunity. How do you manage to balance between family and career?
I am married and have one son (14 years old). I stayed home for three months after my son was born.
Balancing work and family is not always easy. That was especially the case in the years when my son was still young and required more care and attention. Back then, it was necessary that I made it home relatively on time because no one else was available to look after him. That was a significant challenge because many appointments and meetings took place in the afternoon. Travelling for work was also difficult at this time. There were even times when I had to finish some things at home that I had not been able to finish at work.
However, since my son has gotten older and is more self-sufficient, I have more leeway in scheduling my tasks with respect to work and private life. The guilty conscience and the constant pressure have subsided or are much less than a couple of years ago.
All in all, I would like to say that it was very important for both my family as well as myself that I followed through with my career path as I did. I always had the backing and support of my family. Only because of this, it was possible for me to balance work and family in this way.
What do you do in your free time?
I fast-walk or like to go for more laid-back walks, and I sing in the gospel choir. When I have time, I cook or bake. We also like to go see movies in the theatre.