VAUDE Wins A.T. Kearney Family Award

As part of the A.T. Kearney consulting firm’s 361° Grad Initiative, VAUDE has been honored with the Family Award. This award is based on the results of employee surveys regarding family-friendliness which A.T. Kearney conducted nationwide. VAUDE and Kindernothilfe (a German aid organization for children) received the best scores from their employees and thus the A.T. Kearney Family Award.  

"More and more employees, including fathers, are frustrated with finding a balance between family and career," said Martin Sonnenschein, member of the Global Board of Directors at A.T. Kearney and initiator of its Family Award: "Many companies do not manage to align their processes, structures and culture to the needs of their employees. VAUDE and Kindernothilfe, in contrast, are a positive example of how to meet the challenges of achieving this balance," said Sonnenschein, who presented the 361° Grad award.

VAUDE and Kindernothilfe scored evenly in the category "Most family-friendly corporate culture.”  A culture of credible leadership, team spirit, and taking career anxieties seriously were ranked as exceptionally high at both organizations. VAUDE employees were also very satisfied with the good match between the services offered and their own needs.

Family friendliness at VAUDE

As an employer, VAUDE supports its employees in balancing work with family/private life. For example, VAUDE offers an on-site kindergarten, flexible working hours, part-time jobs, home office and job-sharing opportunities. All this contributes to the fact that women, despite having families and part-time positions, are able to develop professionally and follow a career; nearly 40 percent of executives at VAUDE are female. "We work hard to help our employees balance work and family as optimally as possible. This contributes to the fact that we have very dedicated employees who can flourish and develop their skills. In our experience, this is a crucial prerequisite for the success of a company," said Miriam Schilling, Head of Human Resources and Organization at VAUDE. 

Study shows need for action

A.T. Kearney’s study “Mehr Aufbegehren. Mehr Vereinbarkeit!“  (More rebelliousness. More unity!) shows that when it comes to family-friendliness, companies need to take action. Almost every second employee sees family responsibilities as having a negative impact on their career. Sonnenschein warns: "This conflict must be an alarm signal for the company. It is not just a cultural problem, but can also have a profound impact on the growth of an organization – companies don’t become successful organizations despite finding a balance, but rather because of it.” The A.T. Kearney Family Award, therefore, serves as a call for balance. In cooperation with the marketing and social research institute Infas, it was awarded this year for the second time and honors companies and organizations that are particularly successful when it comes to family-friendliness from the employees' perspective.

About A.T. Kearney

A.T. Kearney is one of the world's leading global management consulting firms for top management, advising international corporations as well as leading medium-sized companies and public institutions. It focuses on growth and innovation, technology and sustainability as well as optimizing business performance through the management of complexities in global production and supply chains. A.T. Kearney employs over 3,500 employees in more than 40 countries worldwide.

VAUDE Sustainability Report: http://csr-report.vaude.com/

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