For about a year now, we have all been living and working under the conditions imposed on us by the coronavirus pandemic. More than before, we have become aware of the responsibility we have for each other. More than before, we can see what people are capable of achieving. More than before, the personal situation of each and every employee has come to the fore, and we have found solutions to enable our company to continue production operations safely. Because what we do and produce forms the basis for many other things, whether our products are used directly for health protection or they are the feedstock for a variety of products for other industries.

Working differently in the crisis – it takes courage and strength

The pandemic has proven to be a driving force for new forms of work organization. For a long time now, all over the world, anyone whose job description allows has been working from home. To make this happen, our IT departments have put in a tremendous effort in a very short space of time – and our employees have bravely embraced the change. We must not forget that it takes a lot of energy to work from home, to look after children and to care for elderly family members.

Working hard for greater protection in the plants

Despite all the digitalization, production work cannot be carried out without people being on site. To protect them, we have implemented a wide range of measures in consultation with employee representatives. These include body temperature checks at the plant gates, strict social distancing rules and the reorganization of shift handovers. To avoid contact between employees, we also initially introduced twelve-hour shifts, which proved to be a great strain on the shift teams. This demonstrated how the flexible corporate culture and capacity for reorganization are embodied by all at LANXESS.

Trying new things to overcome crises is part of our performance culture

The coronavirus pandemic is far from over, and the safety of our employees remains our top priority. Our successes show that safe production is possible during the pandemic and an essential condition for the chemical industry to fulfill its systemic and socially relevant responsibilities. Trying new things has proven to be key in keeping operations running under these extraordinary circumstances. Our shared response to this crisis is also testament to the fact that our performance culture that we have worked so hard to develop is bearing fruit.

Stephanie Coßmann
Labor Director and member of the Board of Management at LANXESS AG