In conversation with Michaela Weiske
The HR administrator at Reiner Lemoine Institute ensures a good work climate
To Michaela Weiske, taking care of employees is the recipe for a well-functioning company. She is an HR administrator at Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), which conducts research on the transformation of energy systems using renewable energy. With the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, she soon realised that the way her work is structured would experience far-reaching and long-term change. She organised external support for change process, including from the Adlershof Health Network. How do you lead from a distance? How do you foster motivation and connection? Before she came to Adlershof, Michaela Weiske worked in the upscale hotel industry in Switzerland and France for many years. Together with the RLI’s management team, she has now found answers to these questions.
Adlershof Journal: How many people work at Reiner Lemoine Institute?
Michaela Weiske: We have about 100 employees, including management, research associates, students, interns, visiting scholars, and federal volunteers—they all have in common a desire to work towards a more sustainable future.
You have been HR administrator at RLI since 2018. How were human resources organised during this time and what has changed since the coronavirus pandemic?
Balancing people’s work and private lives has always been important at RLI. For this reason, we have long provided options for flexibility in working hours and mobile work. The latter was used by our staff on one day a week on average. Some never used it. This ratio has been reversed by the pandemic—many now come to the office on only one day a week. It became clear to us that we don’t want to “bring back” our employees in the long run, because they have come to appreciate the benefits of mobile work very much. Instead, we developed guidelines on mobile work and supported them in equipping their at-home workspaces.
How does leading from a distance work?
We started by offering training at an executive and employee level early on and will continue to do so. We developed and hosted workshops together with the Adlershof Health Network. Personal exchange and a culture of feedback are very important to us; there are regular one-on-one meetings between executives and staff as well as; group meetings once a month with changing that provide a space for personal conversations.
How do you foster motivation and connection?
We already had a friendly relationship before the pandemic and continue to do so now. Since the pandemic, the whole company meets up—if the weather allows—once a month on Tempelhofer Feld—an important event where we get to see each other face-to-face and meet new colleagues. Our newest addition is a cross-divisional exchange for our students.
How do you think will work be organised after the coronavirus pandemic?
It won’t be like it was before. What we can take away in terms of experience is that remote work can work if there is trust. And the importance of face-to-face communication, which no means of online communication can replace.
We have adjusted our strategy and, in May 2021, published the RLI Charta in which we reaffirm our commitment to creating a positive work environment for all employees of our institute. The people working at RLI are, in turn, committed to the basic philosophy of our eponymous founder, Reiner Lemoine, whose vision was one of a sustainable future.
What fulfils you apart from your work?
My family provides me with balance and distraction. I like sports and meeting up with my friends. Unfortunately, not many of them live in Berlin.
What are your wishes for the future?
That all the people close to me stay healthy and that the pandemic will end soon! That I continue to have such an attractive workplace. And even more tranquillity.
Peggy Mory for Adlershof Journal