Employees
That’s what makes WACKER perfect for me
Balancing Firewalls and Fitness
Florian, 29, IT security engineer
Personal Benefits
- Being appreciated
- Freedom
- Exciting projects
For one thing, WACKER makes sure our software is always state of the art, and does everything it can to make its employees happy. That was the crucial factor in my decision to work at WACKER: employees still count here; no one’s interchangeable the way they are in big-name IT companies.
The open-door culture here is pleasant too. You can really unleash your creativity and grow, because WACKER welcomes any suggestion that moves the company forward. You always get the feeling that all options are on the table. And the IT department here in particular is a terrific team: you can discuss anything and people listen to you.
The tasks and demands vary a lot here and there are many really interesting challenges – so it never gets dull. Plus you always have to be on the ball, never stop learning, stay up to date and advance your skills. Potential attackers don’t sit still after all: they exploit the latest technologies, weaknesses and findings. That means we have to be curious all the time and stay at the cutting edge.
Having an intense job makes finding a balance important, and you can do that really well at WACKER. The company offers such an endless array of opportunities: sports programs, coupons for the gym around the corner, information on events, and discounted tickets to concerts and plays.
Digital Architecture and a Home of His Own
Thomas, 32, senior software engineer
Personal Benefits
- Security
- Excellent collaboration
- Exciting projects
Project management and digital architecture. You’re responsible for the entire digital strategy – in other words, for all the IT services people use at their work stations, like Office programs, email, PDFs, etc. But recently that’s also meant developing cloud-based solutions and an overall mobile strategy. That’s incredibly interesting, because we get to test new, improved technology all the time; and then we work with our colleagues at Development on our own solutions.
My background is in pure IT, and I’ve had experience with the giants. The projects here are just as interesting, but it’s especially in areas like work-life balance, acknowledgment and collegiality that WACKER is consistently the better employer. Plus you don’t have that “hire-and-fire” mentality here – you have job security. That was important to me, because it means I can provide stability for my family.
There are a lot of exciting projects and challenges here. People get along really well, with terrific colleagues and a very pleasant work environment. And the benefits at WACKER are good all around.
Working hours are another bonus – I can see my children before I go to work in the morning and then spend one or two hours with them in the evening too. That means a lot to me. I have a lot of flexibility overall to arrange my work schedule, take personal days, work from home, or even take vacation at short notice. The company also gives additional vacation days to employees with children under eight years old.
Burghausen is really quiet and relaxed. A year and a half ago, we moved into a house of our own with our children (two and three years old), and we really feel at home. Burghausen has everything a young family needs. The town has an extremely good cultural life too – Jazz Week in particular always brings in world-class stars. And you’ve got the mountains nearby, beautiful lakes and great bike paths. Burghausen also has a lot of clubs and associations you can join, so you can connect with people really fast.
Projects That Bring People Together
Anna, 27, project manager
Personal Benefits
- The latest technologies
- Creative freedom
- An international atmosphere
- Flexible working hours
A friend of mine has worked for WACKER for quite a while, and he recruited me, so to speak. I was skeptical at first, because I was only familiar with WACKER as a chemical company and had pictured it being fairly traditional and dull. But it’s just the opposite! The company’s establishing a cutting-edge system landscape; from our CMS to our cloud-first strategy, we’re addressing today’s number-one issues and really actively moving ahead with the digital transformation within the company.
Active support at the executive level makes the work really pleasant. You don’t have to beg for equipment – they just give you what you need to do the very best work you can. Before I came to WACKER, I worked for a big media corporation. You had far less freedom there though, and you really had to fight to move ahead with new ideas.
There’s a huge choice at WACKER. The company’s going through a period of change right now, and that’s resulted in numerous different projects. As a project manager, your basic role is as a consultant for business units and as an interface between IT and either business units or service providers. You build bridges, create synergies, bring people together.
Our challenge right now is to tear down the old silo mentality and find new ways of breaking out of the old, entrenched structures and inhabiting a new “we”-centered paradigm. WACKER’s embarking on a super-exciting new phase right now. You can really accomplish a lot here if you want and they give you a great deal of creative freedom.
I actually do that actively, because I simply believe in WACKER. In terms of the day-to-day work, WACKER feels like a family-owned business, even though it’s a major international player. They offer you a lot of freedom, the latest technology and all kinds of benefits. The company encourages you to participate in conferences and events – even in Singapore – and to engage and collaborate with other companies. The international atmosphere also provides opportunities to work abroad for a while and broaden your professional and personal horizons. That’s really fantastic.