On 10 October 2024, the time had come: we at Ursa-Chemie GmbH took part in the nationwide ‘Shift Change’ campaign day for the first time. This special day offers the opportunity to gain insights into the day-to-day work of employees in workshops for people with disabilities, breaking down stereotypes, promoting mutual understanding and creating valuable encounters.
A day full of impressions
Our Managing Director Dr Michael Müller took part in the one-sided change organised by the Caritas workshop for people with disabilities in Montabaur. The aim of the day of action was to gain a practical insight into the diverse fields of work and programmes offered by the facility.
A broad network of participants
In addition to Ursa-Chemie GmbH, WIS Sicherheit, the main customs office in Koblenz and Hachenburger Brauerei also took part in the initiative in Montabaur. This exchange impressively demonstrated how many different industries and companies are interested in assuming social responsibility and actively experiencing a change in perspective.
An initiative with great appeal
Since its launch in 2017, the ‘shift change’ has been setting new records for the number of participants. In 2023 alone, around 240 workshops were involved, including companies such as Canyon, Erlenbach GmbH and Hachenburger Brauerei, which have visited the workshops from Rotenhain to St. Goarshausen in the past. The diverse reports under the hashtags #schichtwechsel and #Schichtwechsel2023 show the enormous response and enthusiasm for this project.
This year, Caritas invited us to experience a change of perspective at the workshop in Montabaur. We were guided through the work areas with great commitment and were able to experience at first hand how the workshop contributes to vocational training and participation in working life.
Outlook: Exchange in both directions?
As a company from the chemical industry that attaches great importance to safety and employee protection, our participation was initially one-sided. However, our positive experiences have motivated us to look into the possibility of a two-way exchange in the future. This could open up interesting insights and new perspectives not only for us, but also for the employees at the workshops.
We would like to thank Caritas and everyone involved for this enriching day and look forward to being an even more intensive part of such initiatives in the future. The next ‘shift change’ will take place on 25 September 2025.
The ‘shift change’ concept impressively demonstrates how important and enriching encounters between different working environments are – and that a change of perspective is often just one step away.
