Can you tell us briefly what your responsibilities are?

I work as a chemical technician in the production of high performance polymers, in 12 hours shifts.

What do you like most about what you do?

There is a lot of variety in my work and I have quite a lot of responsibility. We work on task rotation, that means my tasks vary from control room monitoring to production control and lab analysis to outdoor plant control, and this gives you a great overview over the production facility. The products that our plant produces are distributed worldwide.

What is your biggest challenge?

Our biggest challenge is to configure and control the plant in such a way that we continuously produce an optimal product.

Why is team spirit important in your work?

Only a strong team is able to work together with task rotation. You have to support each other constantly, change shifts and tasks if needed and provide solid feedback to the shift team leaders. I think team spirit is also important because you spend a lot of time with your colleagues. A positive atmosphere in the team definitely contributes to your well-being and health.

Can you give an example of when team spirit was important?

In the past, there were often problems as the experienced shift managers didn’t share their knowledge and insights with us. Since we started really working as one team these problems were solved.

How does collaboration impact your work specifically?

Good collaboration has a strong effect on motivation and productivity.

Not everyone just fits into the team. Is there an Evonik type of candidate?

I wouldn’t say so. As a global company we should have a mix of people that reflects our clients. For example, different educational levels, different backgrounds, different personalities and different ages.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of joining?

Take advantage of the opportunities that a global company like Evonik offers you. Don’t stick to the same job forever, within Evonik there are so many interesting areas and tasks.