logoAfter Benelux in 2013, Alhambra International chose to expand its activities in Germany in 2014. For Anne Charlotte VAILLANT owner of Alhambra International, “Germany is the most dynamic and the most prosperous country of Europe today, with a global economic situation close to the full employment. It is completely justified for Alhambra International to favour this country in order to boost Alhambra’s growth”

Alhambra International is located near Frankfurt, the financial capital and an important economic crossroads in Germany. Jean Jacques WENDORFF who benefits from a long professional experience in media, marketing and information technology will be the new Partner in this country.

During this launch on the German market, we have decided to review HR trends in Germany to allow you to understand better the recruitments and the management of the talents in this country of Europe.

The first trend relates to the geographic development of the German population

According to a geographical study for the well-known online newspaper Spiegel On Line, published on January 19th, 2014, more and more Germans will be attracted by Southern Germany (regions of Bavaria, Bade-Wurttemberg and Hesse) and by Berlin (around the region of Berlin) in the next two decades.

There are some big cities in these regions, such as Munich, Berlin, Stuttgart and Frankfurt which are very powerful and which play a role of economic engine. We have the same phenomenon in the other big countries of Europe with the increase in importance of the big regions (Ile-de-France, Catalonia, Lombardy) and cities inside these regions

In return, the population in some other German regions is going to stagnate or even decrease, for example in regions located in Eastern and Northwestern Germany.

It is crucial for recruiters (during this period of a low unemployment rate – lower than 7 % – and maybe even lower) for the population of executives to present at the same time the advantages linked to the position but also to value the positive sides of a city or a region (schools for the children greens areas, cultural activities, transport networks, sports activities, cost of accommodation/housing)

The importance of a good balance Life / work for the German Executives in the study «Employer Branding»

According to a German meta-analysis realized by two university teachers1, on 37 empirical studies concerning a total population of 64.000 people asked, the criteria of motivation of the candidates to hold a position are the following ones:

–       The team/working atmosphere (ranked first criterion)

–       The required work (ranked second criterion)

–       The balance Life / work arrive third.

The balance Life / work is more important than the professional training (ranked fourth), the career / promotion (ranked fifth), the safety (security) of work (ranked sixth), and the money (ranked seventh).

This Meta study concludes that the Employer brand which relates to the identity, the internal image and employer’s reputation becomes more and more important in Germany to attract and develop loyalty of the candidates.

1 Names of the professors which wrote the article “Employer Branding” and who present the results of their meta study: Professor Dr Christian Rietz, Universität Köln Proessorf  Dr Daniela Lohaus, Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart

Expectations of generation Y

The expectations of this generation are also similar in the other countries of Europe where Alhambra International is located. This generation which was born between 1980 and 2000 appears to be even less comfortable with authority and hierarchy than generation X which was born between 1960 and 1979, and the Baby Boomers Generation, which was born between 1945 and 1959… This report is shared by Professor Nicole Richter of the International University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, even if it is necessary to be cautious with generalizations.

The generation Y often wishes to work on concrete projects with various teams and favours flexibility in working schedules. We find in this trend a consequence of the evolution of the more horizontal and less pyramidal organizations and also the effect of the LAPTOP PCS and other tools which introduced more flexibility in working schedules.

For this generation money seems less important than status or job title. This is what emerges from the “Manager Barometer 2013” of the HR consulting company Odgers Berndtson which surveyed 1,200 German executives study. However, they are more motivated to work longer weeks than other generations, if they can work both with more flexibility and mobility.

Always according to this study «Manager Barometer 2013 ” the men in the generation Y and the women in generally over 3 generations are less interested to manage teams than the men of the generation X and generation Baby boomers. This trend is linked to our previous paragraph on the generation Y. Managing is not any more an end in itself!

In conclusion, we find in the HR trends of Germany several points of convergence with other countries of the same economic and social level in Europe. The professional success is always important for Executives, but this is not the only criterion. Well-being, a good working team in the company, a good balance of work and familial/personal life and the attractiveness of the territory with all the associated services are today other important criteria.

Alhambra International joins to all these trends and will take them into account during its missions of Executive Search in Germany during the next months.