Shared responsibility for balance in daily life

“At KMD work/life balance is about accommodating the employees so that they can structure their daily worklives in keeping with their given life situation. Whether you're a new father, newly qualified or a senior employee, we're focusing on creating the right framework for the individual,” says Annika Krogh Colombo, Employer Brand Manager at KMD.

Flexibility and family
One of those employees is Lars Bo Nielsen. He is married with two children – and is therefore in a phase where the family is naturally a high priority. “Your life has a number of different phases where it may be necessary to ramp up and cut back where you spend your time. The important thing for me is that KMD is a company that supports these different phases and, to a large extent, makes it possible to shape your working life depending on where you are in your life right now.”

Lars Bo Nielsen joined KMD two-and-a-half years ago, and among other things it was the possibility of combining exciting work tasks and a family life that decided the matter when he was faced with a number of job offers. He enjoys an outstanding degree of flexibility, as can be seen for example in the opportunity to help structure his tasks himself – and in the flexibility that is available when the duty rosters are being drawn up. It is okay if he needs to collect the children or go to school parent events.

Outstanding professionalism
KMD is Denmark’s largest SAP development centre, and in purely professional terms it is also therefore important for Lars Bo Nielsen that he has access to the latest know-how and technology within his field. He experienced a clear upgrading of the professional environment following his move to KMD. The SAP breadth in the house also provides the opportunity to explore different professional fields – and after two-and-a-half years at KMD he has already made his first internal job change.

“In spite of the facts, a bit of the image of a stuffy, slightly ponderous and monopolistic company still persists. And that simply isn’t true. I find KMD to be a dynamic company where innovation is flourishing in a professionally high-level environment – and where the working environment is just perfect,” he says.

Shut down once in a while
Annika Krogh Colombo adds: “I believe it’s part of our positive heritage from our local government past that we have strong focus on a good working environment. It's not a new gimmick to attract employees, but rather part of our DNA that we have a human view of having a career. This means that it’s okay, for example, to ask for a break after a busy period – and if you don’t ask, your manager will probably suggest it.”

However, according to Lars Bo Nielsen it also requires personal prioritisation and self-discipline to keep a reasonable balance between work and private life: “Having access to the job from home is both good and bad, as most home-workers know. It requires you to take responsibility for shutting down the computer when family needs have to be taken care of. My boss can’t do that for me.”