Commitment in the area of learning, health, sports and culture
In the full provider segment for bathroom furnishings Keuco has made an international name for itself and is a market leader for bathroom accessories in Europe. KEUCO is also highly regarded as an employer and was voted as one of the top 100 best employers in Germany in 2008 – the only company from the “producing business” branch. KEUCO, the middle sized company with headquarters in Hemer, was presented the award by the Federal Minister for Employment, Olaf Scholz.
A significant number of employees have been working for many years for the family business, which is now being run by the third generation. Some have even been working there since they were still studying. Tradition with a future, as one of the mottos of the company goes. “Motivated, healthy employees whose workday is shaped by commitment and who are interested in new developments. That is the guarantee for the success of this company which is committed to the area and people where its business is located”, says the managing director, Engelbert Himrich.
At KEUCO, people have always been at the centre of the company philosophy. Traditionally, the company offers its employees more than just a job. For years, the KEUCO company sports group and the company choir have been organisations that are appreciated by many. Employees can play tennis on the company's own tennis courts with their own clubhouse. Tennis courses are even offered free of charge. As a socially oriented and responsible company, KEUCO also takes care of the health and further training of its employees. Courses in Nordic walking, back training, workplace analyses, languages and computer as well as seminars on leadership and presentation techniques are included in the schedule. Even multi-week stays abroad to visit international language schools are offered. For safety in road traffic, employees receive driving safety training both for cars as well as motorcycles.
KEUCO not only has a sense of social responsibility just for its own employees. In the area of schooling and training too, as well as in the areas of sports and culture, the company, with its commitment to its locale, sees itself as being called to show commitment. That is why KEUCO has been active in these areas for years. The company location of Hemer has a tradition of supporting the entire range of education, beginning with kindergarten, through primary school, to secondary school and university – but not only with financial means. For example, KEUCO offers children in the local primary school the opportunity to play tennis at the company’s own tennis courts. For this, KEUCO provides tennis rackets and a professional trainer. The reason for this involvement are statistics which show that many German children are overweight and do very little physical exercise.
“Language Connects”, is the name of a project from the Rotary Club in Iserlohn Waldstadt which KEUCO actively supports and has already been adopted by other clubs in the region. The project aims at helping children with a background of migration to improve their language abilities and thus support their integration. Children from kindergarten and primary school are given lessons in the context of their families in a playful manner by “language scouts” (mostly upper level students). Half of the cost of eight euros for the lessons is borne by the family of the child and the other half is born by the Rotary Club. Additionally, a club member is available to assist the families and scouts. KEUCO supports the Rotary Club Iserlohn Waldstadt project through the organisation of activities.
Another project in a secondary school in Hemer on the subject of “contact with maths” is to make maths tangible to students in the literal sense of the word. The children are to understand through touching, making contact with the exhibits with their hands during the four week exhibition. Experimenting and directly experiencing the mathematics phenomena also means: to discover the fun in the allegedly “dry” subject of maths. Last but not least, KEUCO has been involved for many years in the area of university. Here, it regularly offers practical work experience and has dissertation work carried out.
In 2008, KEUCO was also active in the awarding of the company prize “The Economy for Education in NRW” [Wirtschaft für Schule in NRW]. The winners from around 100 submitted applications and suggestions were determined by an expert jury made up of representatives from the economy including the KEUCO managing director, as well as the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. This was, under the auspices of the Premier Jürgen Rüttgers, the second time that business involvement in North Rhine Westphalia schools was honoured. The awards to five prize winners were presented in a celebration in the Düsseldorf parliament. A laudation by Engelbert Himrich, the managing director of KEUCO, was greatly applauded. He appealed to the social responsibility of businesses by calling on economic organisations to follow the example demonstrated by the businesses participating in the NRW business prize "The Economy for Education" and to stand up for the topic of education and to get involved in schools.