A look back at the staff meeting on 25 June 2026

This year’s staff meeting was well attended despite the hot weather; we would like to thank everyone involved – including the caretakers, who had been trying for days beforehand to keep the room as cool as possible. Nevertheless, the lecture theatres in A14 were very stuffy due to the lack of air conditioning, and unfortunately the audio equipment – which is around 30 years old – gradually gave up the ghost during the meeting, despite the tireless efforts and improvisational skills of the media technology team.

A number of points were explained in more detail in relation to the annual report, which had already been published a week earlier. Sylvia Hinrichs and Matthias Caspers then provided an insight into the work of the Internal Reporting Office, which was established in 2023 under the so-called ‘Whistleblower Act’.

The main focus of this year’s staff meeting was internal communication. Felix Thalmann, former CEO of BÜFA and CEWE, amongst other roles, and Chair of the University Council, provided a refreshing perspective from the business world. Following an analysis of the challenges facing the university, he presented various dialogue formats which he considered to be tried and tested, and derived recommendations for action for the university from these.

This was followed by a panel discussion featuring Nadine Brandt (MTV Faculty VI), Thomas Breisig (Emeritus Professor of Business Administration and Human Resources/Organisation), Ralph Bruder (President), Julie Lüpkes (WM Faculty I) and Felix Thalmann. Here, on the one hand, the differences between a commercial enterprise and the university were highlighted; on the other hand, it was noted that many of Felix Thalmann’s recommendations for action could also be implemented at the university and, according to Ralph Bruder, could be adopted – provided the resources were available. Furthermore, the issue of transparency was also raised in connection with the EXU proposal – many staff members felt left out of the loop as they lacked information. Julie Lüpkes noted that a good onboarding process for new staff is important to enable them to find their feet within the university’s structures. Finally, the panellists were asked the question “What is the most important point for communication from tomorrow onwards?”, to which they replied as follows: Nadine Brandt “Expertise trumps hierarchy”, Thomas Breisig “Expertise complements hierarchy”, Ralph Bruder: “Open, internal university and also emotional discussion forums”, Julie Lüpkes: “Transparency for all staff” and Felix Thalmann: “Communication, dialogue and discussion forums are better than simply passing on facts; make decision-making transparent; and ensure clear responsibilities in the end”.

Finally, as always, there was an“open Q&A session”:

Decision on parking space management: Ralph Bruder stated that no decision had yet been made and that further information sessions would be held.

The role of the Staff Council in change processes: Ralph Bruder values the cooperation with the Staff Council as the employees’ voice, whilst Thomas Schneeberg considers an earlier flow of information to be necessary.

Questions for the trade unions regarding policy changes and the status of the NHG amendment: the trade unions’ established positions were read out, and an appeal was made for them to get involved.

Internal job vacancies: the Staff Council no longer requires justifications for internal job vacancies and supports them as a tool for staff development.