Inside InterNations
Last Thursday, our team members Theresa (Head of Business Solutions) and Christa (Team Lead Human Resources) started their working day in a most unusual manner: Together with the Monteverdi Choir Hamburg and 1,500 other people, they performed Beethoven’s famous “Ode to Joy” in the “Elphi”, Hamburg’s spectacular new concert hall.
International Women’s Day, on 8 March, is an occasion to celebrate women’s achievements, but also to look at areas where there’s still room for improvement.
In Germany, the percentage of women in management (i.e. members of management boards and managing directors) is being widely discussed: the current share of 29% is somewhat below the EU average (34%).
Frankly, InterNations doesn’t do any better than the average German company, though we don’t perform any worse, either. If we count our two founders and co-CEOS as regular members of our management board, three of ten board members are women. At 30%, this corresponds more or less to the national average.
The women on our management board are anything but average, though, and they have a lot to share about leadership in general, as well as women and leadership in particular.
As her internship was drawing to a close, we asked Monica, our editorial office intern in the Content and Communications Department, to write a brief retrospective of her past six months at InterNations.
New Work means a commitment to life-long learning and the readiness to reinvent yourself.”
To be honest, the concept of “New Work” wasn’t yet on anyone’s mind when we asked for suggestions on how to call the first learning and development program for the InterNations Team. However, by opting for “Long Live Learning”, we chose a name that highlights the life-long importance of acquiring new skills and growing as a person — and, of course, one that emphasizes that learning can and should be fun!
Once a month, our team members can join a two-hour workshop or expert talk at the InterNations office in Munich. The main aim is to present a variety of job-related topics during short after-work “taster sessions”.
