Since the beginning of April, Rafaela Strasser, Head of Wholesale Parts & Aftersales Services, and Andreas Reiter, Head of New Vehicle Systems, have been sharing the position of Chief of People & Organization at our location in the Hagenberg Software Park. In this interview, they explain what it takes to make “top sharing” work.
The main task of the position of Chief of People & Organization, which Rafaela Strasser and Andreas Reiter currently share, is to recruit new employees using the Work & Study model. Currently, 20 employees in Hagenberg are working in a wide variety of teams, departments, and areas under this model. In addition, they are responsible for organizing the location itself and representing it externally with the aim of making Porsche Informatik even better known in the central region of Upper Austria.
How did you come to share the position of Chief of People & Organization for our Hagenberg location?
Rafaela: I have an exciting new challenge coming up this year: I am expecting my first child in September. I will be on maternity leave starting in July followed by parental leave. Sharing the role at the Hagenberg site on a long-term basis allows me to help shape the position again when I return next year. I am very pleased that Porsche Informatik supports job sharing. In my view, it is an important step toward balancing personal and professional obligations. I really enjoy working in Hagenberg and am looking forward to returning next year.
Andreas: It’s a great opportunity for me, as I have felt connected to the Hagenberg location since the very beginning and also supported Irmgard in her role at the time. It also fits in well with my work as a lecturer at the university. Since I grew up in the area, I really enjoy being in Hagenberg often.
What do you think is important for a top-sharing model to work?
Andreas: We’ve only been sharing the role since April, so we don’t have much experience yet. Currently, what’s important to us is that the handover during the maternity leave period runs smoothly and that Rafaela can return to work afterwards. We can already say that mutual trust is a basic prerequisite for top-sharing, as is accepting and supporting each other’s decisions. Good communication and a coordinated approach are essential to make this model work.
Rafaela Strasser and Andreas Reiter share the position of Chief of People and Organization in Hagenberg
During Rafaela’s maternity leave, Andreas, you will take sole responsibility. How will that work with all your other tasks?
Andreas: I have the utmost confidence in my employees and team leaders in the department: They will act in the best interests of our customers and products, even if I am not always 100 percent available. I will be harder to reach initially, as I have to “settle in” in Hagenberg and have many external relations appointments. However, I will always be available for important issues. That is my commitment.
I only teach at the University of Applied Sciences in Hagenberg during the winter semester, so I now have the time to organize myself so that I can continue doing that as well.
Overall, I see it as a joint effort within the department, just like at the location. Since everyone has the mindset of always pitching in and living the POI culture, I am confident that this will work very well.
Rafaela, what will your return to work look like after your maternity leave?
Rafaela: If there’s one thing I’ve learned about having children, it’s that things don’t always go according to plan and you have to be very flexible in responding to changing situations. So, of course, we’ve already talked about my return to work and we have a plan. But we’ll work out the details of exactly how I’ll be coming back at the beginning of next year. Then I’ll be able to assess what’s possible.
My goal is to return to my position as department head and share the role in Hagenberg after my maternity leave, most likely starting out part-time. Knowing that this is possible allows me to go on maternity leave with peace of mind and look forward to September.
