Active learning and development at Uniper

As an international energy company, Uniper provides interested employees with the room and resources that they need to grow. "Everybody is responsible for his or her own development, but Uniper nonetheless supports every employee as part of the company," says Lars Winkler, Head of Talent & Learning at Uniper. In accordance with the motto "Uniper starts with you," we not only promote the performance of the individual, but also that of the organization as a whole. In the course of this self-realization, diversity and inclusion also constitute important components that make up our culture at Uniper. Just as unique and diverse as each of our individual employees are, so too are our development opportunities: Everyone here has the opportunity to find out which methods work best for them. Our offerings include a wide-ranging learning portfolio on the topics of diversity and inclusion, a toolbox with exercises and examples and a dedicated D&I library. These make a key contribution to organizational development alongside employee surveys and tools for developing digital capabilities.

Like many large companies, Uniper applies the established 70-20-10 model, where personal development takes place according to three different levels: 70% of the development comes from handling the daily challenges and activities involved in an employee's professional work. Of the remainder, 20% is gained through social interaction and knowledge exchange with others, and 10% through courses, training and e-learning. These provide us with the necessary development of expertise in many fields and thus contribute mainly to the transfer of knowledge. Uniper supports personal development at every level and supports employees with a variety of different tools and initiatives. "With the 'Capability Compass' tool from our intranet page, I can create both a desired and a real profile of my capabilities. This has given me the opportunity to identify my own personal strengths and weaknesses. Using this personalized development plan, I was able to pursue my goals in specific terms and develop my skills in a precise fashion. I have tested new ways to overcome professional challenges that I was previously unaware of, and I have successfully taken on tasks outside of my area of responsibility," says Sara Buschmann, Process Manager at Uniper.

The practice of mentoring, as well as reverse mentoring, makes a key contribution to the promotion of social learning. Employees and supervisors alike can offer their services as a mentor and help their colleagues to develop different skills. No matter whether guidance is offered by someone younger or older, the transparent corporate culture and the space created by our learning and development team allow anybody to learn from anyone. "Through mentoring I got in contact with a superior colleague to which I am grateful that had taken the time and had the patience to guide me on my complete career change path. I was able to learn optimally from the experiences of my mentor and implement his feedback in my every day way of working. I believe, everyone has to take their future in their own hands" says Viorela Tranca, Head of Reporting Power & Coal at Uniper, when describing her experiences. "And what I like most about working at Uniper is that everyone has the opportunity to do it. Employees with different experiences can offer their support to others or accept support from others to further their own development — it's a journey of getting to know yourself as well as the organization.