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In our Diversity@NORMA series, we highlight the diversity of personalities that work at NORMA Group. In 2023, the focus is on the various generations of NORMA Group employees. Colleagues from different departments, countries and age groups report on the experiences they have had working with older and younger colleagues and how a cross-generational exchange of information and ideas takes place at NORMA Group.
Werner Hock is an ICT Manager German Entities at the NORMA Group site in Maintal, Germany. In this interview, he talks about how he guides young people from an apprenticeship to a permanent position at the company.
Werner, what is the make-up of your team in terms of ages and generations?
Members of my team range in age from 21 to 60. The administrators, including myself, are all over 50, but we also have two trainees working for us, and that gives the team a much younger feel.
What do you see as the biggest differences between younger and older people?
The younger colleagues are spontaneous and tend to have fewer prejudices. They are open and relatively fearless – regardless of the activity.
Older colleagues naturally have a wealth of experience, and they can fall back on that experience when challenges arise, which helps them find a solution more quickly. But that can also mean that there are fewer innovations.
What exactly do you mean by that?
I am one of the older employees and for that reason I can report on my experiences. Given the number of years we have spent in the business, we like to follow familiar patterns and sometimes overlook opportunities for improvement or don’t have the time to consider them properly.
Younger employees are always trying out new approaches – I see this all of the time with our apprentices. They have more time and are therefore able to develop new ideas. These may not always lead to the desired result, but they can sometimes open up an entirely new set of possibilities.
Would you say that there is an intercultural exchange at NORMA Group?
There sure is. Work in ICT field service is very wide-ranging. We conduct regular meetings to discuss day-to-day business and address any questions that might come up.
The ICT-Team Germany
We support users from every area of the company, from the executive boardroom to the farthest reaches of the warehouse – IT is everywhere. We deal with all kinds of different hardware, from the latest notebook models to production systems that have been in operation for several years.
We discuss all the tasks we are faced with as a team and also with the respective user. It is important for us that everyone has an opportunity to contribute their own opinions and ideas.
“This approach ensures an ongoing exchange of ideas and information within the team, but also with the users at the Maintal site.”
We are also well networked with the EMEA ICT team and work together on a global level.
What have you been able to learn from your younger colleagues?
Discussions and shared activities with the apprentices are an extremely useful way of learning about new ideas and perspectives. Through their day-to-day training at the vocational school, they are in constant exchange with others and thus always have their finger on the pulse of the times. The whole team benefits from this.
Have you experienced a highlight at NORMA Group that has to do with the topic of cross-generational exchange?
I experience highlights pretty much every day. Take, for example, situations where the entire team comes to a unanimous conclusion. I’m always happy when I can accompany and support young people in their development.
In our department there is the possibility to complete an apprenticeship as an IT specialist. After completing their training, all trainees in our department have been offered permanent positions. This encourages me to continue on this path.
