Press Release
Cosmopolitan, international & consciously shaping integration: for this entrepreneurial achievement, the digital agency dotSource received the i-work Business Award 2019. For the third time since 2016, the economic development agency of Jena (JenaWirtschaft) together with the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU) presented the award for exemplary cross-cultural openness. The patron of the competition was Heike Werner [Die Linke (The Left)], Thuringian Minister of Labour.
As a company with head office in Jena, dotSource has been supporting diversity, tolerance and cosmopolitanism for almost 14 years now – values that not only characterise the Thuringian city on the river Saale, but also the corporate culture of dotSource. For the digital agency, the interdisciplinary cooperation of colleagues from different areas and backgrounds is a major advantage.
dotSource was thus able to convincingly demonstrate the added value that not only the company itself gains through cultural diversity, but also how dotSource significantly contributes to the attractiveness of the location through its corporate culture. The jury – consisting of international employees as well as business representatives, representatives of the Free State of Thuringia, Friedrich Schiller University Jena and JenaWirtschaft – was particularly impressed by the approach of involving the entire team in the onboarding process and clearly focusing on the satisfaction of all team members. »The slogan of the award is ‘Economic success through cultural diversity’,« the Thuringian Minister of Labour , Heike Werner, emphasised in her laudation. »Against this backdrop, dotSource has launched exemplary concepts and measures on how the everyday working life of people with and without a migration background can be shaped in a collective and sustainable way.«
The jury assessed not only the everyday working life of colleagues with and without a migration background, but also the framework conditions – the interpersonal aspect beyond working hours: international professionals arriving in Jena receive, amongst other things, increased assistance in dealing with authorities or when looking for accommodation. Moreover, flexible working hours offer the opportunity to take language courses. Further training and career opportunities with a special working atmosphere are the standard at dotSource and are very much appreciated by everyone. Of course, an English-language website with all the company information for non-German-speaking business clients and English job descriptions for interested applicants are crucial as well. dotSource’s own publications, such as white papers, case studies, the annual »trend book« and selected Handelskraft articles, are also published in both German and English.
»As an employer, we want to contribute to the city’s diversity and bring know-how to Thuringia. No matter whether they are from Jena, Madrid, Bucharest, or Seattle: We are constantly working on the further development of our offers for all employees to give them a second home away from their original home,« remarked Christian Grötsch, founder and managing director at dotSource. »It is important to us not to provoke any distinction between nationalities – the people themselves count, with what they can do and with what they bring to the team. From the beginning, dotSource has had a positive attitude towards professionals from abroad because they significantly broaden our understanding as well as our views and approaches. We are very delighted that we have been awarded the i-work Business Award for exactly these views and measures. We would like to use this as an opportunity to continue in the same vein.«
