It is increasingly important for medium-sized companies to meet sustainability criteria and to make this visible. In the overall economic structure, they are always part of a larger supply chain and thus bound by the sustainability requirements of other stakeholders. Demands on SMEs also come from banks and insurance companies. This is because the ESG criteria that a company implements are playing an increasingly important role in the financial sector against the backdrop of sustainable finance and are important when lending to an SME. In addition, the expectations of customers and employees are becoming increasingly concrete. But how specifically does an SME go about thinking, acting, and deciding in terms of sustainability? The topic of sustainability is complex. There are 20 important sustainability criteria, which include, for example, “innovation and product management”, “resource management” or “employee rights”. Therefore, the key question is: Where is the topic of sustainability relevant in the company at all?
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As hosts, we look back on a successful “Event & Dialogue” 2022 and on a varied evening with inspiring exchanges and exciting discussions. It was an all-around successful event last Wednesday, July 20, with owners of medium-sized companies and HR professionals. After getting to know each other and the opening speech by Martin Auer, Managing Partner of THE MAK`ED TEAM, on the topic of “HR: Digitalization in Practice”, Claudia Weber from Deinzerconsult moved on to the agile salon method.
People and nature are among the most sensitive areas in a company’s sphere of influence. After all, life and health are at stake here. Violations can have serious consequences. The liability risks arising from occupational health and safety and environmental protection law are correspondingly high. Of course, the basic obligations towards employees or other persons and the environment are known to every entrepreneur and compliance is not a new topic in these areas. Every company will consciously or unconsciously implement compliance measures in this area. However, the topic has become very much the focus of the authorities – and the focus of the public.
No question about it! In economically uncertain times, many companies are susceptible to crises. Now is the time to take special care in risk management. In times of energy crisis, Ukraine conflict and supply bottlenecks, very few companies know what tomorrow will bring and drive on sight. However, anticipating the development of one’s company is crucial, especially in volatile times, in order to recognize crisis indicators in good time and largely avoid a crisis that could threaten the company’s existence. The StaRUG has made this a corporate duty. The Stabilization and Restructuring Framework Act, which came into force on January 1, 2021, aims to protect companies from insolvency and support them in a restructuring process through various instruments. Permanent planning and transparent risk management are mandatory components in the entrepreneurial toolbox. This enables management to assess how the company is developing at any time and to identify crisis indicators before the crisis makes big waves.
The world of work is changing dramatically and is challenging HR managers. Whether it’s the shortage of skilled workers, succession management or digitalization: there’s a lack of personnel here, a lack of sufficient skills there. These dynamics have led to an increasing professionalization of HR management. State-of-the-art planning of personnel requirements forms an important and valid basis here.
It’s the combination that makes the difference! Different skills, practical experience and solid expertise are the basis for our business. As diverse as our team is, our common basis is our affinity for medium-sized businesses and for the people who shape them.
Our Consultant Jennifer Augustin
When „I“ is replaced by „We” even illness becomes wellness. – Malcolm X
Jennifer Augustin is a consultant at THE MAK`ED TEAM and at home in different cultures. Haiti, Canada, the United States of America and the cooperation with people from different countries of this world span a wide range of inter-national and intercultural experience.
She has a high level of expertise in building organizations with professional structures and processes. She also has a lot of experience in building teams and developing people. She also focuses on managing training organizations and business development in Africa. She is our contact person for projects on the African continent and brings with her strong language skills – she is fluent in English, French and Haitian Creole – and her high cultural competencies the best prerequisites for this.
She herself is at home in many worlds with a varied curriculum vitae: Jennifer Augustin was born in Haiti, grew up in Canada and completed her studies in the USA. With a Bachelor’s degree in Management & Supervision and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication, she was able to acquire a broad knowledge base. She then further enhanced her versatile skills with a Master of Science in Human Resource Management. After graduation, she pursued her passion for developing and organizing people in practice, and her career paths led her back to her home country. During this time she also became a partner of THE MAK’ED TEAM Haiti.
Today Jennifer Augustin lives in Florida. Her vast international experience and her hands-on, open nature make her a very valued team member and we look forward to many more international projects with her.
Succession is everything. Sooner or later, every company will have to face it. And for many SMEs in this country, in the not too distant future. According to estimates by the Bonn Institute for SME Research, around 190,000 company successions are due to take place between 2022 and 2026 because the management is leaving. The figures vary greatly from state to state – Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg are most affected. Due to demographic factors, the number of handovers per year tends to increase. Since most companies are family businesses, the internal family handover is the number one succession solution. But what happens if there are no competent descendants willing to lead the company? Then there are two options: Management buy-in (MBI) and management buy-out (MBO). What sounds complicated is actually quite simple: In an MBI, the company is sold to an external management, i.e. to a third party. And in the case of an MBO, the company is sold to management from within the company, for example to the management or employees. Whether the succession can be arranged within the family, within the company or outside the company, and which succession solution is best in each case, depends on the individual factors of the company.
The shortage of skilled workers continues to worsen. New employees are desperately sought across all industries, and it has never been more important for companies to retain their employees. At the same time, many transformation processes are changing the demands on employees, work models and corporate processes.
It is well known how difficult the current framework conditions are for the HR sector.
Those responsible are responding to all these hurdles by rethinking HR management. An appreciative work culture among employees and positive interaction are crucial to success and are top priorities for contemporary HR managers. After all, only companies that stand out from the competition with particularly attractive working conditions and a positive employer image, that successfully implement important transformation processes and establish forward-looking HR models and new ways of working have a chance of attracting good personnel.
We don’t like to paint the devil on the wall. Rather, we think that part of risk management is to ensure the ability of an owner or a partner to act even if the person is unable to act himself at the moment. Illness and accidents are just two examples. The roles that an entrepreneur has as owner, managing director or partner must also be fulfilled in this situation – but by whom and on what basis? This is where the entrepreneurial power of attorney helps.
Strategy, liquidity, earnings: a company crisis can have various causes. Well-established crisis compliance shows the right steps to take in the individual situation. The risk of a crisis has increased significantly in recent years and more recently against the backdrop of the pandemic and the Ukraine war – even for seasoned companies. Moreover, in times of numerous high-profile corporate scandals, the liability claims of boards for misconduct have come into focus. Against this background, crisis compliance management is currently experiencing a strong upswing.
