Our responsibility as an employer
Giulia Gatti - HR Advisor
The tables have turned. The days of applicants vying for a job are over. It is the employer who now needs to compete with others to win a candidate’s approval. How does Aeronamic distinguish itself as an employer, especially when compared to others?
This shift has been going on for a while, but it seems to have reached a peak. Giulia Gatti, HR Advisor at Aeronamic, shares her views on this major change in recruitment and being an employer. She also explains how Aeronamic goes about getting the best candidates to join Aeronamic and keeping everyone aboard as loyal team players.
Meeting expectations
Giulia Gatti: “Take a quick look at the main questions today’s applicants ask us: What do you stand for? How can I develop myself personally in the coming years? Are there enough career opportunities within the company? How do you contribute to sustainability? Where do you see yourself as a company in the future?. This is what they want to know before taking the next step. What they take into consideration and where you need to meet them halfway. At Aeronamic, we feel that we do the best possible, from educational opportunities and flexible training plans to investing in health and vitality on a personal level, offering part-time options and great festivities. Nothing is fixed or set in stone.”
Greater responsibility
“In a way, Aeronamic is still a ‘small company’. We still have the ‘close-knit family’ culture that was present in the days when the company first started. It may have grown in size, but we still manage to keep short communication lines, even on a personal level. People work closely with each other and this leads to a feeling of mutual responsibility. It’s not an obligation, but more a natural response to having those close-knit working relationships. By truly supporting each other in the short term, we can keep benefitting from each other’s talents in the long run. Of course, there is a limit to the extent to which you can care for your employees, but you’d be surprised how many opportunities there are for really paying attention and creating a stable foundation. Facilitating the development of soft skills and offering education in fields other than one’s job are some examples, but we also offer support for employees who want to improve their health and have regular check-ups with preventive medical examinations. Physical and mental health, keeping a healthy balance between work and personal life – this is just as important to Aeronamic as it is to the employees. If you dare to give trust to others, it will pay itself back. You want people to stick around for the right reasons, not because they feel tied-down or obligated.”
Signs of success
“As many already know, Aeronamic is all about doing things fast and efficiently. This is also true of our application process. With short communication lines and quick follow-ups, we can make the difference in getting the best to join us. We have even secured a deal within two weeks – that’s two weeks between first contact and signing the contract! Another sign of success was how we managed to fill the vacancies for two CAD/CAM Engineers. One of our employees had the ambition to switch to the Manufacturing Engineering department, and with successfully recruiting an external candidate we were able to fill these positions. Next they will start a training and development plan together, which makes them our upcoming team for handling the job!
“When I look at my own trajectory, I can also see another example of Aeronamic’s strengths as an employer. I have had a short internship at Aeronamic in the past and stayed in touch. When there was a job opportunity, they called me and after two interviews I joined Aeronamic in March 2020. And that is how a lot of talented interns and graduates stuck around or found their way back to Aeronamic. We are clearly doing something very right. It strengthens us to continue this way. It is important to us to promote our region and to inspire the next generation to make their way in the field of technology. We want them to discover a possible career path in technology and at the same time emphasize that they don’t need to look far to do great things in high-tech. We can offer them the space, support and stability to develop themselves.”
As Aeronamic, we want our employees to be happy and healthy team players, who are in it for the long run. That’s why we do what we do. From your perspective, what else contributes to being a responsible employer?