Listening to our employees

If you want to speak someone’s language, you have to be a good listener. No matter what country they’re in or what language they speak, our employees share information and opinions.

Repower as an attractive employer

How the company develops its employees

As a vertically integrated energy company, Repower offers a broad spectrum of jobs that require widely varying qualifications and skills: from grid electrician to trader, controller to electricity vendor. But it takes more than interesting tasks to ensure that employees derive satisfaction from their jobs. Repower promotes the further development of its employees and builds company loyalty with a wide range of measures.

“We build trust, take personal initiative and produce effect.” The main aim of the new Repower corporate identity launched in April 2010 was to establish a cohesive, clearly identifiable profile in our key markets. The renaming was also used as an opportunity to reflect on our corporate values and define them in explicit terms. A broad-based process resulted in the creation of a corporate profile to which we align our daily activities and which is exemplified by efforts in the area of human resources development.

In-house Academy for the advancement of skills

Since 2011 Repower has been offering a comprehensive range of development programmes for employees and management. Employees can benefit from the training modules and career development programmes provided by the Repower Academy, where the focus is on the fundamental skills required for successful collaboration: for instance, effective communication, efficient moderation of meetings, management skills and dealing with stressful situations. During the annual personal development interview, an employee's training needs are determined based on the individual's current function and performance assessment. Since being launched in the summer of 2011, the courses have proved highly popular and are greatly appreciated by employees, not least due to the team components. One participant describes her experience as follows: “During the 'Meeting Culture' course I was given practical instruction on how to make meetings stimulating, and on effective ways of dealing with different personality types. One positive side-effect was that, in the course of the exercises and discussions, I got to know colleagues from other areas with whom I would otherwise probably never come into contact.” Besides internal training programmes, employees have the opportunity to attend language courses, technical courses or courses for specific skills.

Standard group-wide salary system

In the year under review a standardised salary system was implemented to address the company's changed requirements. Similar job profiles were assigned to a so-called “job family” which is subdivided into various levels. The resultant structure provides the basis not only for the new salary system and performance assessment process, but also for personal development issues. The model ensures that employees with similar tasks and skills receive similar compensation and that the achievement of objectives is measured and honoured according to standardised criteria.

A single corporate language

Internal communication measures were supplemented with concrete instruments to meet the need for an active exchange of experience and knowledge. For example, once a month a member of the Executive Board sends out a newsletter containing a summary and a personal assessment of current events and projects from the entire Group. Via the intranet, employees have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the Executive Board or provide feedback. However, such dialogue is encouraged not only between management and employees but also between units which perform related functions in different countries. For example, the country and Group marketing departments meet at regular intervals in order to consolidate and further develop their common brand.

Vocational training for tomorrow's workforce

In Switzerland, Repower offers thirty trainees vocational training in nine different areas. The choice is wide, ranging from administrative assistant to construction draughtsman to grid electrician. Thanks to the size of Repower's operations, the young professionals not only gain an insight into a single department but are assigned to various areas in their three-to-four-year apprenticeship. Employees view the presence of apprentices as a positive benefit: apprentices not only add their own impetus to a team, but are always at the forefront of knowledge thanks to their schooling. Apprentices are also encouraged to exchange views and experiences at various events – the apprentice camp, for example, where young students of various professions work together on mini-projects which translate into concrete products such as a brochure or a company rap. Past experience shows that vocational training provides mutual benefits: apprentices often find a permanent job at Repower after completing their training. Former apprentices as well as the company profit alike from the repository of knowledge and familiarity with the company.