In the first ten years of her career – in particular in the almost six years she spent representing thyssenkrupp in Brussels – she worked with just a handful of women. “At that time the political arena in Brussels was very male-dominated,” says Reus. But it’s different at the site in Duisburg: In the department led by Sandra Reus, more than 40% of the team are women.
Essential in the group: Family/work balance
But what do government and companies need to do to advance equal opportunities? Where workplace arrangements allow, above all flexible working models are particularly important. Women and men need support in balancing family and work, Sandra Reus believes. “thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG has just taken a big step in this respect and concluded a company agreement on mobile working. We need to continue systematically along this path. I will definitely be making use of this opportunity.”
thyssenkrupp is working continuously towards increasing the proportion of women in its workforce. Family/work balance is at the very top of the priority list. With offers such as the parent-and-child office, the company child daycare center, childcare providers such as famplus, and hotlines offering advice on caring for relatives and psychosocial assistance, the company supports female and male employees worldwide. It is also ensured that women and men are evenly represented in the talent pools and considered equally and fairly in recruitment processes. The group’s Diversity Management target: by 2020 15 percent of management positions at thyssenkrupp should be held by women. At the end of last year this figure was 12.6 percent.
Sandra Reus believes that, to achieve a positive effect for women, men must also have the opportunity to take parental leave.
Sandra Reus is among the people who have benefited from the childcare services thyssenkrupp offers its workforce. At the plant in Duisburg, the company child daycare center “Stahlsternchen” had just opened as her own child reached kindergarten age. “The opening hours from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. are sensational, as are the staff-to-child ratio and the small groups. It made it so much easier for me to return to full-time work quickly with a clear conscience after my parental leave,” she says. Currently she is also taking the opportunity to work remotely.
“Ultimately everyone benefits from these solutions,” says Sandra Reus: “The company benefits because I can concentrate fully on my work, and I do too because the conditions are ideal.”
