Bonding - More than materials | Herrmann Ultraschall

133 1 A POINT OF HONOR HERRMANN PROMOTES VOLUNTEERING A t Herrmann Ultra- schall, high value is placed on volunteer- ing. The General Man- agement has always promoted this type of selflessness. “As a regional employer, we always have an eye on the general good as well,” says Thomas Herrmann. “And in many cases, the gener- al good can be advanced only with voluntary work without any thought of profit.” For many years, the company has provided a fund from which em- ployees can apply for support for their organization once a year. Moreover, employees who par- ticipate in volunteer fire services have been given permission by the General Management to leave work immediately in case of fire service call-outs. The company is proud of the fact that approximately a third of the staff at the Karlsbad location do some sort of volunteer work: in social areas such as the German branch of the YMCA, the CVJM, or DLRG (German Life Saving Association), in sport and music clubs, and in cultural institutions. This puts the company’s staff exactly at the average of the German population, which com- mits an average of up to five hours a week to volunteer work. 3 2 SIEGMUND FLUDERER MARXZELL VOLUNTARY FIRE BRIGADE Siegmund Fluderer has been in the Marxzell fire brigade for 40 years – almost as long as he has been at Herrmann Ultraschall. The company has supported him in this volun- teer activity from the beginning and releases him for fire bri- gade deployments. It’s about 15 to 20 times per year that he and five other colleagues are called upon to make use of this freedom. Fluderer appreciates this very much about his employer. Such an accommodating attitude cannot automatically be expected at all companies. Since 2013, he has been the overall commander of all parts of Marxzell, a role with a lot of responsibility that demands many hours of his free time. “Arriving at the place of deployment within 10 minutes is very important; that is prescribed by the Min- istry of the Interior,” he says. Thanks to a command vehicle provided by the municipality of Marxzell, which stands out during the day on the company parking lot, Fluderer very JOHANNES GREB CHARITY STORE “FINDUS” Since 2014, Johannes Greb has been supporting the permanent flea market launched by his mother and her friends. He finds the idea brilliant and sustainable: Why not allow used objects a second life and do something good for others? Each year, “Findus” is able to donate gener- ously for children and young people in the region from the proceeds. Greb looks after the interests of the charity association behind the project, which has also found a nice home in a former plant nursery in Schwann. He is respon- sible for special tasks, such as recently when a donated suit still contained a high, four-figure amount in cash. “We had quite a hard time finding the owner!” he laughs. Johannes Greb gladly takes advantage of the company’s volunteer assistance for “Findus.” “I think it is a positive thing that the company supports its employees’ engage- ment for a good cause,” he says. “That provides additional motivation!” He himself took advantage of another offer of the company at the start of the year: a three-month sabbatical. He spent it on the snow groomer, grooming ski slopes in Austria – a dream of his for quite some time. KUBILAY BOZKURT SOCCER COACH AT SV LANGENSTEINBACH Since 2015 – that is, since his son Levin began to play soc- cer as a 5-year-old – Kubilay Bozkurt has volunteered as a coach in Langensteinbach. Commitment to nurturing young talent is important to him and in these five years he has also gladly applied for the volunteer support of Herrmann for his club. “With this money, we could sometimes also do something unusual, such as attend a real soccer match together,” he says. “The games at the stadiums in Karlsruhe and Hoffenheim were a special experience, one that the kids will not quickly forget.” quickly can get to where he needs to be in the event of a deployment. His role includes not just taking command of the fire brigade deployments and coordinating training, but also acquiring equipment, work clothing, as well as extinguishing vehicles valued at over a quarter of a million euros. He puts his heart and soul into it and is “always at the ready.” 1 Inspiring young people with sports: Kubilay Bozkurt. 2 Siegmund Fluderer is always ready for an emergency. 3 Johannes Greb with “his” snow groomer.