HAHN Group Onboarding – An experience report
Sven Roth has become part of the HAHN Group corporate network in September 2021 in his role as a product manager at Walther Systemtechnik. To make it easier for him and other colleagues to get started during the pandemic, the HAHN Group People & Culture team hosts regular onboarding events. Elif Özdemir, HR Recruiter & Coordinator, spoke about Sven’s individual onboarding experiences.
Elif: Hello Sven, thank you very much for your time and willingness to be interviewed about onboarding at HAHN Group. I’ll start with a classic question first: How did you come to HAHN Group?
Sven: The first time I considered the HAHN Group or Walther Systemtechnik GmbH as a future employer was about a year ago. In a conversation with a former colleague, who has been working at Walther Systemtechnik for several years, I learned more about the integration of the company into the HAHN Group. The associated structural change and the new opportunities that arise from operating within the group made me curious and so one thing led to another.
Elif: On 01.09.2021 you had your first working day at Walther Systemtechnik GmbH. What do you remember most about your first working days at HAHN Group?
Sven: I would describe my first working days and also the first points of contact before that with the words familiar and appreciative. In particular, the helpfulness of my colleagues with the many questions I had at the beginning — and still have — will remain in my memory for a long time. My onboarding was already firmly scheduled for the first few weeks. I was introduced to the technology and internal processes and had many appointments here on site to get to know the company. Already on my third working day, the HAHN Group’s welcome event “Welcome@HAHN” took place. For me, this was a nice opportunity to get to know the group of companies and the culture of the “extended family” better.
Elif: Let’s go into more detail about the “Welcome@HAHN” event. How did you feel about the content of the event, what was your impression? What conclusions do you draw from it?
Sven: I approached the “Welcome@HAHN” event with a very open mind. The event is new, therefore we had little experience with it here in Germersheim. I was interested to learn more about the overall strategy across the individual divisions.
In particular, I remember that Axel took the time for us and gave us exciting insights into the strategy and vision of the HAHN Group.
I also found the presentations by Cordula, Ingo and Co. very informative and helpful. Accordingly, I found it positive that in addition to the presentations, there was also room for questions from the ranks of the newcomers.
The event itself took place online, in order to accommodate the circumstances with Covid-19. In retrospect, I did not perceive this as a disadvantage. On the contrary, I would endorse the virtual format even away from Covid-19. Despite the remote event, it was not sober and dry. The interactive round of introductions & the HAHN quiz made the virtual get-to-know-you experience surprisingly lively. Even though I didn’t take first place I now know that a halfpipe even fits in a car garage to pursue the hobby of skateboarding even in bad weather!
From the current perspective, I find the event particularly valuable for another reason. It serves the purpose of networking across locations and promotes the group idea right from the start – which I think is one of the greatest strengths of the HAHN Group.
Elif: Looking back, how satisfied were you with your onboarding in general?
Sven: Very. In my case, onboarding was already fully scheduled for the first few weeks before my first day of work. Accordingly, I was able to quickly familiarize myself with the processes that were new to me and knew the appropriate contact persons for all questions that were still to come.
Elif: Finally, the last question: Can you describe your onboarding in one sentence?
Sven: Appreciative, friendly and exciting without exception!
Elif: Thank you very much, Sven!
