30 Years, 30 Days, 1 Company
Volker Eickhoff, Head of the Loans Department, has been working for akf bank for 30 years now – his son Torben, for just 30 days. Torben has just started his apprenticeship in digitalization management, but his interest in the Vorwerk subsidiary was sparked long before that. Today, both father and son are proud to be working for the family enterprise – and at the same time benefiting from each other.
How does it feel to be working together at the same company?
Volker Eickhoff:
At first, I naturally had some reservations about whether it would be good for Torben, but there are plenty of examples at akf and Vorwerk of how such situations can work very well. It's not a problem for us. And anyway, I would recommend akf and Vorwerk to anyone as employers.
And what do the other apprentices have to say about your father being Head of the Loans Department?
Torben Eickhoff:
They crack the odd joke, but don't see it as anything out of the ordinary.
How did you actually both come to be working at akf bank?
Torben Eickhoff:
I often accompanied my father to trade fairs and got to meet lots of akf staff there. Also, I did a work placement here. Then after gaining my technical baccalaureate, I opted for an apprenticeship at akf because my interests and the job are a perfect fit.
Volker Eickhoff:
There won't be any work overlaps between us just now, during the training period, but should we embark on a particular digitalization project, we may find we do interact.
Torben Eickhoff:
But we often travel to work together and also see each other regularly in the canteen…
From left: Torben Eickhoff and Volker Eickhoff
Do you discuss aspects of work at home, as well?
Volker Eickhoff:
Oh yes! Of course we also talk about work at home. I’ve been with akf for 30 years now. I know how everything works here, have lots of contacts – when you're new, that's naturally useful.
Did you give your son any tips before he started his training?
Volker Eickhoff:
A qualification in digitalization management is a very good fit for akf. We are digitalizing more and more processes here. I told Torben that he should keep his eyes open when he's moving through our departments or our sales organization. He should pick up on, take in and listen closely to the challenges our staff face – this can be very useful to him later on. I don't really know exactly what his work involves (laughs).
What is it that makes Vorwerk the company to work for?
Torben Eickhoff:
I haven't been with the company for very long, but the family friendliness here was an important aspect for me. Of course, you also ask yourself whether you can identify with the company’s values and products – and at Vorwerk, that's very easy.
Volker Eickhoff:
I have spent almost my entire working like at akf. After such a long time, the idea of moving on now is almost inconceivable. I could not have imagined that when I graduated 30 years ago. But there have always been new, exciting challenges for me so that to this day I am still passionate about my job. The concepts “team” and “family” are really alive and well here. We have an internalized sense of unity that has evidently been passed on to the next generation.
Asking the questions was: Markus Wasch