1 May /14

Happy Cars

Safety first

From an employee’s perspective, the ideal company is a place that, along with its own success and profitability, has your own development and success in mind. A recently released study by Universum Global ranks German companies, and especially German auto manufacturers, at the top of the employee satisfaction list. The top 3 companies of the index are, in fact, all automotive companies. It may seem somewhat surprising to see a singular industry cluster that overrepresented in the ranking; however, a quick look at the structure of the German automotive industry easily reveals the reasons why the car sector is home to the most satisfied employees.

What makes German automotive companies different is that, unlike most other global manufacturers who view organized labor as a diametrically opposed to productivity, they have been able to develop a synergetic relationship with their employees. Recent studies on productivity in the manufacturing business, in fact, suggest that a happy and healthy work force directly translated into increased performance and profitability across the entire production chain. Conversely, from the employee’s perspective, it only makes sense that an employee would want to work for a company that takes care of its work force. What makes the German model different is its ability to fuse these interests through stringent health and safety regulations, generous benefits, and the representation of the labor force at the highest level.

Realizing that happy and healthy employees are productive employees, German companies seek to increase worker health and safety through addressing overall as well as industry specific-risks, such as falls, chemical exposure, repetitive stress injuries, etc. In order to give the workers more participation and input in the operational direction of the company, German companies employ workers’ councils and employee representatives which not only give employees a greater sense of involvement, fight for benefits and raise, but can also address potential safety issues before they become workplace hazards.

Though the above described model is the result of a long-standing tradition of employee-employer dialogue that grew organically throughout the 20th century and as a result of the continued success of the German automotive industry, it is certainly not limited to the German market. As a matter of fact, the model, or at least key components, could easily be exported to other markets and benefit manufacturing worldwide.

EVS Translations is a language service provider for global corporations with a special focus on the automotive sector. As a German company and longstanding translation partner of many companies from auto industry, we understand the importance of effective employer communication, clear occupational health and safety instructions, and direct compliance guidelines.

As a full scale language service provider, EVS Translations also provides expert multilingual interpreting services for work councils and other employee-management meetings.

Call our Atlanta office today at +1 404-523-5560 or send us an email: quoteusa(at)evs-translations.com.

Call our Nottingham office today at +44-115-9 64 42 or send us an email: quoteuk(at)evs-translations.com.