100% family, 100% compatibility
Lucia Saez Planas organises her turbulent family life with four children with impressive efficiency, while she throws herself into the world of international HR matters in her job as HR Business Partner International.
Four children aged seven, five, three and two. No wonder Lucia Saez Planas, HR Business Partner International at Liebherr Rostock, has to plan her daily routine well.
‘As a mother, I have to be efficient both privately and professionally. Structure and organisation are the name of the game for me’, she says. Her employer gives her the appropriate opportunities, the trust, and the freedom to act. During the week, the Spanish woman's alarm clock rings at 5.30 in the morning. After Lucia has got ready and prepared food for the children, she wakes the two ‘little ones’ at 6.00 am. ‘The big girls already know the morning routines and are fortunately already very independent.’ The family leaves the house together at 7.30 am. While the older daughter goes to school, Lucia or her husband takes the other three children to nursery.
The internationality was the main reason why I wanted to join Liebherr.
Working with a view: At Liebherr Rostock, Lucia Saez Planas became the first HR officer with an international focus in November 2015.
However, she only speaks to her children in their mother tongue at home. “It's very important to me to teach my children where their roots lie,” says the native Madrilenian.
Due to her father's profession, Lucia travelled a lot through Europe during her childhood and youth. She lived in France and Italy for several years, where she mainly attended German and international schools. The many moves not only taught her the ability to adapt, but also gave her a strong intercultural understanding – something she can constantly apply in her everyday life. “Intercultural competence is very important in my job.”
She also met her husband, to whom she has now been married for ten years, at a German-speaking school in Milan. During her business studies in England, she had a four-year long-distance relationship with him before they moved to Munich together in 2013. Lucia starts her first job in a personnel consultancy, he studies at the University of the Federal Armed Forces. In 2015, they moved to Rostock together.
“After his studies as a naval officer, it was clear to my husband that his path would lead him to the corvette squadron in Rostock. Until then, I had hardly heard of the city and initially thought it was a smaller version of Hamburg. We have now lived here for almost ten years – and are very happy. For families in particular, Rostock offers a high quality of life, short distances and numerous leisure activities. The people are incredibly welcoming, even if it took us a while to win over the people of Mecklenburg,” says Lucia with a laugh.
For me, it was clear from the start: being a mother doesn't mean you have to give up your career goals. My job at Liebherr offers me the ideal balance to keep me mentally challenged.
The option of flexible working hours helps Lucia Saez Planas to reconcile her professional commitments and private life.
From November 2015, she will be the first personnel officer with an international focus at Liebherr Rostock. Lucia has been working part-time since the birth of her first daughter. Her working day usually ends at 3 p.m., when she picks up the children. Nevertheless, every day is different. “If necessary, I also attend work appointments after 3 p.m. and coordinate this with my husband in good time. However, when the children are at home, I give them my full attention. I then postpone important tasks until the evening when the children are asleep.”
The option of mobile working is particularly helpful to her when it comes to balancing work commitments and private life. “It gives me the flexibility I need to organise my working hours, especially as a mother in unforeseen situations, e.g. when a child falls ill. I can count on the understanding, trust and support of my superior and my colleagues. Clear agreements and good communication are crucial.”
Lucia appreciates the freedom of action that Liebherr offers her. “There is no micromanagement here. I know exactly what I have to do and work independently within the framework available to me. This makes me much more motivated. Of course, at the end of the day, it's the results that count, just like anywhere else.”
What is she proud of? “My assertiveness and my self-confidence. For me, it was clear from the start: being a mother doesn't mean you have to give up your career goals. My job at Liebherr offers me the ideal balance to keep me mentally challenged.”
When asked what characterises working at Liebherr Rostock for her, Lucia doesn't need to think long: “Family, flexibility and trust”.
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