In the war for talent, which is currently hitting industry hard, retention is the HR order of the day. Oliver Maassen, CHRO at the technology company TRUMPF, exclusively explains how to remain attractive as an employer today. The expert advocates for reverse mentoring with Gen Z, recommends targeted measures to combat isolation among managers, and is pleased about the rise of HR – although, in his view, there is still room for expansion here.
Mr. Maassen, which is the ‘people’ topic that mostly concerns TRUMPF at the moment? How does TRUMPF plan to address this topic?
MAASSEN Retention is the new recruitment, i.e. retaining employees is becoming more important than finding employees. We are convinced of this as well. As market conditions decrease, preserving key personnel within the company becomes increasingly vital for businesses. A common saying in HR goes: people join because of the company and leave because of the manager. Since this turns out to be very true, we will focus more closely than ever before on leadership. What does a manager need to create the retention effect mentioned above? This is the question we will be exploring.
Which other topic are you particularly concerned about currently with regard to the future?
MAASSEN Everyone is talking about AI and specifically about the extent to which artificial intelligence is changing our work. I observe two levels: firstly, which workplaces are changing due to the use of AI, which new competences and skills do our employees need? And, secondly, which areas of application do we see for AI within Human Resources? We are currently tackling these questions – and I am very excited about how we will be using those technologies for ourselves in the next few years.
How can companies stand out in the current times of the war for talent, such as in the area of corporate culture?
MAASSEN Family-run companies and SMEs have a clear advantage here: they mostly have a simple structure, clear values and take particular care of employees. However, we should not rest on our laurels, which is why flexible working models (optional working time, sabbaticals, etc.) and support in private matters (in-house childcare, gym, etc.) play a role for us as well.
In your view as an expert and in your personal experience, what is the most important thing that should be noted by top managers when it comes to leadership?
MAASSEN Top managers in particular, often suffer from a certain amount of isolation, although they are not always aware of it. Fewer colleagues at their level, increased competition, a certain resistance to learning, less mentoring and coaching lead to fewer reflection about one’s own leadership behaviour at this level. Thus, in the worst-case scenario, a certain amount of narcissism can develop, which can adopt toxic traits. This almost “natural” isolation process on the path to the top must be broken and one must repeatedly be confronted with a mirror of their own leadership through coaching, peer reflection, etc.
How do you at TRUMPF handle the special requirements, attitudes, and behaviours of younger and older generations – do these have an influence on your leadership model?
MAASSEN I’m pleased to be able to describe one of my favourite tools here: reverse mentoring. My mentor is in her early 20s, is with us as a student from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), and I am her mentee. We talk about our different generations, our attitudes, values, behaviours. It is extremely educational for me to better understand what makes Generation Z tick. Hopefully I can also give her some food for thought.
What do you love about your role as CHRO – and how has this changed, particularly in recent years?
MAASSEN What makes HR, and thus also my role as CHRO, special is constantly weighing the interests of employees and the requirements of the company against each other and ideally balancing them.
I am particularly pleased that the HR function has finally been given the status it deserves in recent years. CEO, CFO and CHRO are the power triangle of corporate management; the resources money and people are thus of central importance. It is therefore incomprehensible to me that many companies have still not established an independent HR function on the managing board or within the company management.
And if I had one wish: more HR expertise in German supervisory boards, please!
About Oliver Maassen:
Oliver Maassen has been a Member of the Managing Board and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at TRUMPF SE + Co. KG since 2020, where he previously managed the Group Human Resources department. Before joining the internationally operating technology company in 2017, Maassen was the managing director of a management consulting firm. Maassen began his career in the banking sector in the early 1990s and was most recently the Group Executive Manager for Human Resources at HypoVereinsbank. The Hamburg native completed a business degree and a banking apprenticeship.
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