Logistics Initiative Hamburg for Employer Attractiveness in Logistics

The Logistics Initiative Hamburg and the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) have launched the study ‘Measures for Social Sustainability from the Perspective of Logistics Companies and Potential Young Professionals’. This aims to determine the employer attractiveness in the logistics sector.

(Hamburg) The Logistics Initiative Hamburg, in collaboration with the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), has initiated the study ‘Measures for Social Sustainability from the Perspective of Logistics Companies and Potential Young Professionals’ to identify factors contributing to employer attractiveness within the logistics sector. The study results were presented and published during the theme week ‘People Make Logistics’ (June 15 – 19).

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for companies along the entire value chain, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is increasingly seen as a criterion for competitiveness. This ongoing development prompted the two working groups on Sustainability and Human Resources & Qualification of the Logistics Initiative Hamburg to commission a study at the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics at TUHH in April 2019. The aim of the study was to identify relevant aspects of social sustainability for young employees and derive possible measures for employers. ‘In a workshop of both working groups, HR managers identified which aspects and measures of social sustainability they consider important. This raised the question of whether the companies’ perspectives align with the changing attitudes of the younger generation, which is being courted to attract new talent,’ explains Prof. Dr. Claus Muchna (Program Director at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and Deputy Head of the Human Resources & Qualification Working Group) regarding the background of the study’s development.

Three Sub-Studies

The study ‘Measures for Social Sustainability from the Perspective of Logistics Companies and Potential Young Professionals’ was supervised at the Institute for Transport Planning and Logistics/TUHH under the leadership of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heike Flämig and her research assistant Marcel Steffen, M. Sc. The overall study is divided into three sub-studies, and the results were produced as part of student qualification works. In addition to a bachelor’s thesis on ‘Characterization of Measures for Internal Corporate Social Sustainability’, the two studies focused on the topics of ‘Social Measures to Make (Logistics) Companies More Attractive for Employees’ and ‘Measures of Social Sustainability in Companies of the Logistics Sector’. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted with students aged 17 to 24 regarding their perceptions as future job entrants, and expert interviews were conducted with 9 companies in the logistics sector. ‘All interviewed companies were aware of the relevance of social sustainability measures, and the topic was understood as an essential part of corporate action. Personally, such aspects definitely play a central role in my choice of a future employer,’ says Maria König, a bachelor’s student involved in the study in the ‘Logistics and Mobility’ program at TUHH.

Development Opportunities and Good Work Environment

The results of the three sub-studies were presented during the theme week ‘People Make Logistics’ of the Logistics Initiative in an online presentation and made accessible to the public on the website www.hamburg-logistik.net. Generally, the data collection indicates that young employees place great value on factors such as entry and development opportunities, a good work environment, and health, while the company’s image seems to be less relevant. Among the companies, it was found that small and low-cost measures often have a significant impact, and there are considerable differences in the emphasis placed on the offered measures, which is directly related to the size of the company. One of the most significant findings of the research is a recognizable age-specific user behavior on the part of employees and the resulting recommendation for companies to design social sustainability measures in a life-stage-appropriate manner. The two working groups on Sustainability and Human Resources & Qualification of the Logistics Initiative will develop further strategies based on the study results to better and more effectively support logistics companies in attracting young professionals and retaining skilled workers, as well as to enhance the attractiveness of the sector.

About the Logistics Initiative Hamburg

The network, awarded the EU GOLD label ‘Cluster Management Excellence’, is supported by companies and institutions from the Hamburg metropolitan region that have come together in the Logistics Initiative Hamburg e.V. and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. With more than 500 member companies and institutions from industry, trade, services, as well as research & development and numerous public institutions, the Logistics Initiative Hamburg is the largest European location network in its sector. The goal of this public-private partnership is to further enhance the role of the Hamburg metropolitan region as a leading logistics metropolis in Northern Europe and to network logistics-related companies and institutions. The Logistics Initiative Hamburg is the first point of contact for all questions related to the logistics-related economy for companies, institutions, and the public in the Hamburg metropolitan region.

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