GMG is named as an exemplary employer
Print Solutions
The best employers of the year have been selected – a total of 97 companies were awarded the ‘Top Job Seal 2020’ in Berlin on 28 February 2020. The Tübingen based company GMG GmbH & Co KG received the trophy from the former German vice chancellor and patron of ‘Top Job’, Sigmar Gabriel, at this year’s awards ceremony. The seal is awarded annually to the most attractive employers in German medium sized businesses. Presented by the Centre for Employer Attractiveness, zeag GmbH, the award is given to companies that are consistently committed to a healthy and high performance workplace culture.
GMG develops software and colour management solutions for the graphic arts industry and has a UK subsidiary based in Norwich. With GMG products, printers always achieve exactly the right colour results – even with different substrates and printing processes. No matter whether they are producing high quality packaging, catalogues or advertising pages – with software from GMG, every colour is reproduced exactly as desired. This know how is relied upon by the world's major brands and their preferred service providers. GMG has been the leading provider of high end colour management and proofing solutions for over 35 years, with more than 150 employees across its subsidiaries, which also include the United States, France, Japan and China.
In a company where the development of innovative solutions is part of daily business, an open and interested exchange of ideas among employees from different departments is an important part of the corporate culture. GMG relies on flat hierarchies and agile processes. ‘The qualified, scientifically based assessment of the current situation with regard to the satisfaction of our employees was therefore particularly important to us,’ said Martina Schmid, assistant to the management, describing the motivation for the employer comparison by Top Job.
Above average feedback was given by GMG employees in the areas of family orientation and demographics. For Martina Schmid and HR Manager Suganthy Ariaratnam, this is recognition of the fact that the company has consistently maintained its reliable, medium sized values in a technically demanding, constantly changing market environment. ‘We have succeeded in cultivating the advantages of a dynamic start up without losing our solid SME character,’ summarised Martina Schmid. ‘However, this can only work if we place a high level of trust in our employees and if the management encourages each and every one of our colleagues in their personal development.’
Today, GMG is characterised by lively cooperation, a trusting culture and extensive further training opportunities. Whether language courses, individual coaching or specialist seminars – numerous opportunities for personal development are open to all employees.
‘Part of our trust in the employees is that flexible, project oriented working hours are common practice in the home office,’ reported Suganthy Ariaratnam.
It is obvious that family orientation is not a foreign word in a true family business. At GMG, for example, the possibility of taking parental leave is naturally also open to male managers.
Over 100 medium sized companies have applied for the current ‘Top Job’ round. Some 97 companies are now allowed to use the seal for the next two years. A total of 29,530 employees were surveyed. Some 64% of the employers are family businesses. Among the top employers are 28 national and nine world market leaders. On average, the companies employ 293 people and the proportion of women in management positions averages 25%.
