Tobias’ excellent communication skills are a boost to our work flow and his career

Three years after joining DB Schenker, Tobias took on the role of Transformation Manager. He was the second person to step into this position at our company worldwide.

In this role, Tobias is laying the foundation for the comprehensive transformation of our workplace, including the implementation of modern workplace adoption on a global scale. He began his work at DB Schenker as an intern in recruitment and HR, but soon took on the challenge of improving the way that we conduct internships, mentoring and talent management. Tobias believes that what makes DB Schenker such an attractive company is that it invests greatly in the future potential of its employees.

Communication is key

After working at our Vietnam location, Tobias returned to our headquarters in Essen, Germany, where his career in Global Infrastructure Services has advanced. His main focus is the adoption of workplace software applications that ensure that our employees can work collaboratively across digital platforms. Making these transitions smooth for our employees requires extensive advance preparation and choosing the right strategy for how to approach these challenges. In order to build effective communication strategies that can be readily adopted and that will help employees improve their work performance and complete their tasks, Tobias first sets out to understand the context in which these tools will be implemented.

“I always try to get the stakeholders on board from the beginning in order to understand their needs. The common goal can only be achieved if everyone commits. Without this mindset, resistance is inevitable.”

In a company that operates globally, team coordination and most decisions are conducted via online meetings using collaborative platforms. Tobias says that the launch of Microsoft Teams, for example, helped us become closer as colleagues.

But implementing such a transformation requires months of planning, coordination, testing and employee education. It’s not just about adapting to new technology – changing how colleagues communicate and engage with each other is the main feature of such projects. These new collaborative platforms impact Tobias’ own daily work, as well as that of his colleagues.

Before it was rolled out across all countries and business units, Microsoft Teams was first tested in Essen among Tobias’ 900 colleagues. This was the perfect opportunity to evaluate the platform’s implementation and the impact of the training materials, he notes.

A new challenge each time

Tobias focuses on having a well-defined concept, educating everyone involved, and implementing user tests that ensure that the entire transition process is as coherent as possible. Each time is a new challenge that requires good communication skills, but Tobias appreciates the exchange with his international colleagues. 

He has found his way at DB Schenker and continues to have a great impact on how we manage our collaborations – not just locally, but also globally.