1. What motivated you to work in HR?

The range of tasks is very diverse, which makes the work so varied. My responsibilities include everything from personnel administration to providing personal support to employees.

2. What do you particularly enjoy about your work?

Above all, I enjoy the financial control tasks and planning company events in the personnel department. The contact with the team is especially rewarding for me.

3. What role does HR play in the strategic development of a company?

The role of HR in the strategic development of a company is to organize and deploy human resources in such a way that the company's goals are achieved. This also includes tasks such as good talent management and the creation of a positive company culture. Specifically, this means that I ensure that our employees at Aristech feel comfortable and have good working conditions. This includes, for example, ensuring that workplaces are suitably equipped, but also that the little things in everyday life are right—in other words, everything that contributes to people enjoying coming to the office and feeling valued.

4. What do you think will fundamentally change in HR over the next five years—perhaps through the use of AI?

Recruiting in particular will become more automated, and HR services in general will become more digital. Payroll accounting, for example, will be handled via the cloud, and standardized HR questions will be replaced by voicebots or chat agents. This will save a lot of working time.

5. You previously worked for a large corporation. Are there any differences compared to the corporation?

The processes are much more digital in a large corporation—for example, with digital personnel files or time recording. This is also necessary there because there are hundreds of employees. At the same time, it's much more anonymous: you have to gather a lot of information yourself, for instance via FAQ pages or hotlines, and often only get generic answers. Here, on the other hand, everyone knows exactly who to talk to when it comes to HR issues and gets immediate, direct feedback tailored to the individual. The internal organization here is more manageable, the channels are shorter, and the personal support for the team is therefore much more comfortable—and for me, also the best part of the job. For the employer, the highly digitized HR in the corporation may be more efficient, but for the employees, I think our personal approach is simply more appealing.

6. What skills do you need in your job today that weren't required 10 years ago, or that are at least much more in demand today?

Today, digital skills are much more in demand, and there are also significantly more strategic tasks to be done: Where does the company want to go? What do I need to do at the employee level to get there? More than ever, the ability to work in an agile manner and manage change is also in ever-increasing demand. Workation and home office arrangements, for example, were not an issue in the past and are now almost a matter of fact in everyday working life, which HR has to deal with.

7. What are the typical challenges in day-to-day business?

One major challenge is staying up to date on labor, tax, and social security issues, as these areas are constantly changing. It is also important to be well informed about international skilled workers in order to provide the best possible support to new employees.

8. What is your ideal way to relax?

Sports are my ideal active way to relax after work. I do everything from mountain biking and jogging to swimming and weight training. I also love to travel and find my creative outlet in baking and sewing.