Great Place to Work® certifies apollon as an “attractive employer”
apollon, a leading software provider for automated marketing processes and product data communication, has taken part in the certification programme of the international research and consultancy institute – Great Place to Work®. The software specialist, which was subject to the judgement of its employees, received certification as a Great Place to Work® as of August 2019. The award stands for a genuine employer appeal, with credible, fair management and the active promotion of employees.
Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is a leading expert in promoting an attractive and future-oriented workplace culture. Every year, the research and consultancy institute awards excellent employers internationally, nationally, regionally and industry-specific for the performance on the basis of anonymous employee surveys and an analysis of the corporate culture. Their specially developed model is based on proven procedures and puts key trust-based areas to the test. Therefore, there are five categories to the employee survey – credibility, respect, fairness, pride and team spirit. The first three categories (credibility, respect and fairness) examine the employee-manager relationship and determine the level of trust in the employer. The category of pride refers to the employee’s own work and examines whether they are proud of what they do. Team spirit tests the level of cooperation with colleagues and shows whether they enjoy working with each other. The employee survey is followed by an analysis of the work of the human resources department in the context of a corporate culture audit. To do this, Great Place to Work® uses nine designated fields that are based on the life of the employees – from recruitment to participation in the company’s success. The designated fields also cover both classic HR topics such as recruitment and personnel development, as well as associated areas such as the inspirational communication of values, feedback systems or social events. Only companies that receive the very best approval ratings from their employees AND pass the qualitative assessment of their corporate culture can celebrate receipt of this award.
Apollon employees gave their employer top marks
Despite taking part in the Great Place to Work® certification process for the first time and being subject to the judgement of its employees, the result is outstanding. With an above-average participation rate of 73%, more than 70% of the workforce agreed with the following statement: “All in all, I can say that (apollon) is a very good place to work”. The Trust Index © which is the average value of all answers is 73%. This means that apollon is one of the “very good” companies according to branch rankings. The branch rankings are organised into seven levels ranging from (in ascending order) “very critical” to “excellent”. Only 15% of participating companies make it to this “very good” rating, which is second place. However, apollon also scored above average in the second part of the certification programme, the corporate culture audit, and scored 66% compared to an industry average of 60%. Our highlights here included our measures implemented to achieve a good work-life balance and the embodiment of our culture of innovation, for example through our IT Hackathons, but also through the joint celebration of our successes leading to a further strengthening of our team spirit.
Apollon – the secret to our success: close relationships are our focus
“Turning technology constantly, sharing relevant information in real time and creating a better organized future for our customers”, that is our vision. It expresses exactly what is important for apollon and what apollon stands for. Every day an employee contributes to the successful realisation of this vision and the creation of added value for our customers. Therefore, our employees are our greatest asset. That is why we attach great important to close working relationships characterized by trust and fairness. Additionally, we also ensure that our employees have a work-life balance – flexible working time models, home office or subsidising kindergarten places are just as commonplace as the four-legged friends our employees are allowed to bring to work. Vouchers for goodies or leisure activities, a focus on special events and massages during working hours further promote the positive working atmosphere and are highly appreciated by our employees.
Norbert Weckerle, apollon’s CEO says “As Aristotle once said, “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work”. That’s why we want all of our employees to feel comfortable with us. Therefore, our friendly corporate culture is characterized by commitment, performance and above all a focus on employees. This is reflected in both our written and lived values, because we want to create the best possible working conditions for our employees. That‘s why I am particularly pleased that we as a company now take part in the “Great Place to Work” initiative. Because this award wasn’t given by some external jury but by our very own employees. The certification confirms that we are on the right track and serves to further strengthen our outstanding team. I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all of our employees one more time.”
