“Invaluable, yet free”
Long-standing Tchibo employee Kathrin Francken on caring for a relative and the value of expert advice.
Following a hospital stay, Kathrin Francken’s mother needed long-term care, and the 56-year-old faced a tough decision: Where was her mother going to live? Francken, who is from Hamburg and has been working at Tchibo since 1992, turned to the company’s in-house service for families, which has been helping employees since 2009. In an interview, Kathrin Francken explains how the free advice service helped her find a solution which also suited her mother.
You turned to Tchibo’s family services. Why?
How exactly did family services help you?
First, I called family services and explained my situation to an employee in detail, and then we made an appointment for me to receive face-to-face advice. At the appointment, I was given information on my options in the course of a one-and-a-half-hour conversation. Keeping my mother’s wishes in mind, I finally chose an option which would allow her to stay at home: a trained carer, whom my mother got to know better in a personal discussion, takes care of her a few hours a week, going for walks with her, reading to her and helping her with all the things that she can no longer do on her own.
So, you had taken the first step – you had made a decision. What happened next?
Within a week, Tchibo’s family services put me in contact with an expert carer, a former nurse. I was really surprised by how quickly and easily everything played out. My mother is also happy with the decision and even contacts the carer on her own. If needed, the carer will pop round to my mother’s for an hour or two at short notice.
Who would you say can benefit from family services?
All of my colleagues at Tchibo who face great difficulties as they try to coordinate work and family life – regardless of whether they are caring for children or older relatives. Of course there are also other ways to get information, online for example. But for me, receiving professional advice on an individualised basis at a face-to-face appointment was much better, especially because caring for relatives is a very personal and difficult issue. I was and still am very grateful that I have a skilled and trustworthy contact person at my side. It’s an invaluable service – and it’s completely free!