Adopting Better Ways to Attract and Retain the Top Talent

Wiebke Rowedda, HR Director DACH and Turkey at Moët Hennessy

As an HR Director, Wiebke Rowedda is responsible for providing advice and supporting the management team on the full range of employment-related matters. Her passion is the development of employees and executives in close cooperation with the business. She advises emerging start-ups on a part-time basis and is involved in social projects.

What are the challenges that you are facing currently as an HR Director?

The most valuable thing we have accomplished in recent years is that we are allowing ourselves to work whenever and wherever we choose. However, this presents the difficulty of how maintaining excellent teamwork and relationships with committed employees while simultaneously giving them the freedom to pursue their own interests. I believe having a nation where hyperinflation is around 80%. This is an area where other European markets are lacking especially Germany where employers are required to comprehensively record working hours. That’s a big challenge.

Is there any strategy that you have implemented to contribute more as the HR director to better retain or attract top talent for Moët Hennessy?

I believe the first step is accepting that you cannot please everyone and that the ideal workplace cannot be built to suit families, those without children, young people, and older generations. However, stay in regular contact with your employees to learn what is happening around them and what they desire. Two years ago, we launched an online sports program that we thought now is no longer necessary because Corona was largely gone. Instead, we decided to look for something fresh and constantly strike a healthy balance between the young and old, the new, and those from diverse backgrounds.

Before Covid, We founded a group ‘black organization’, and started working with them. This year we held the first conference where we brought over 250 individuals together in one location. While we did spend some time discussing business-related issues, the majority of the time was spent on team-building exercises and getting to know each other. And a week after that, our teamwork, collaboration, and devotion all changed significantly. In fact, I believe that this was a successful outcome for our organization. 

Do you have any suggestions for a specific skill set that HR managers may use to develop a better workforce or improve the current hiring procedure?

I think being adaptable and surrounding yourself with a group of HR professionals who stands for a certain area is a good strategy. It is incredibly beneficial since it allows us to better understand how to get foreign colleagues to join us. To ensure that we don't overrule anything and simply adopt the latest trend, we have team members who somehow lead the old method. Therefore, I believe that having a diverse staff is incredibly good so that you at least make an effort to appease everyone.

What was that one piece of technology whose implementation completely transformed your hiring and staffing procedures?

We introduced workforce management software a couple of years ago. Not to help us with recruiting, but also to unify and optimize the payroll, the contract design, and the HR core data system. It allows my team to devote more time to attending exhibitions, developing new projects, and other activities. Therefore, we strive to get more time to concentrate on the latest trends.

“I think being adaptable and surrounding yourself with a group of HR professionals who stands for a certain area is a good strategy.”

Additionally, we made general changes to the method of creating goals and targets. We now have the option to give team targets that only last for two to three months so that these targets can be adjusted. Since we discovered that finding a target that truly lasts for a year is very difficult and probably won't hit what the business needs. It is now very simple to identify flexible targets that can be altered and less for shorter timeframes thanks to the new setup and technologies we utilize.

What would be your single piece of advice to your fellow peers?

I'd suggest finding a way to remain calm and accept the fact that nothing lasts forever. Have a rough HR strategy in mind for the next two to three years. Therefore, have a clear idea of where you want to go and be flexible enough to explore new things. 

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