Interview with Oliver Maassen, CHRO at TRUMPF

“More HR expertise in supervisory boards, please!”

In the war for talent, which is currently hitting industry hard, retention is the HR order of the day. Oliver Maassen, CHRO at the technology company TRUMPF, exclusively explains how to remain attractive as an employer today. The expert advocates for reverse mentoring with Gen Z, recommends targeted measures to combat isolation among managers, and is pleased about the rise of HR – although, in his view, there is still room for expansion here.

Mr. Maassen, which is the ‘people’ topic that mostly concerns TRUMPF at the moment? How does TRUMPF plan to address this topic?

MAASSEN Retention is the new recruitment, i.e. retaining employees is becoming more important than finding employees. We are convinced of this as well. As market conditions decrease, preserving key personnel within the company becomes increasingly vital for businesses. A common saying in HR goes: people join because of the company and leave because of the manager. Since this turns out to be very true, we will focus more closely than ever before on leadership. What does a manager need to create the retention effect mentioned above? This is the question we will be exploring. 

Which other topic are you particularly concerned about currently with regard to the future?

MAASSEN Everyone is talking about AI and specifically about the extent to which artificial intelligence is changing our work. I observe two levels: firstly, which workplaces are changing due to the use of AI, which new competences and skills do our employees need? And, secondly, which areas of application do we see for AI within Human Resources? We are currently tackling these questions – and I am very excited about how we will be using those technologies for ourselves in the next few years.