Our alumna Beatrix von Rantzau studied Economics and Social Sciences at WiSo. Since graduating in 2014, she has held various positions at pme Familienservice GmbH. In 2022 she started a part-time training as a trainer at the INeKO Institute of the University of Cologne and has since then conducted moderations, impulse lectures and team workshops for pme. In our alumni interview, she tells us how her studies sharpened her eye for potential, what role mindfulness plays for teamwork and what she sees as indispensable factors for successful reconciliation.

Dear Beatrix, you graduated from WiSo with a degree in economics and social sciences. Today, you work at pme Familienservice GmbH, an agency that supports employees of companies in a variety of ways to successfully balance work and private life. What interests you about it?

I'm interested in the topic of reconciliation because, as an economist, I'm looking for ways to make the best possible use of existing resources and potential. And when it comes to balancing work and private life, there is a lot of untapped potential. Starting a family for example: In Germany, we have a large potential of well-educated women who reduce their working hours when they have children and who then remain in (low) part-time employment, in some cases involuntarily, and find no way to pick up where they left off in their careers before starting a family. This is inefficient. It does not contribute to personal satisfaction. This is also true for fathers, who might like to take a more active family role but instead follow the existing incentives of the system. It also manifests the gender pay gap and later the gender pension gap. In my view, reconciliation and the distribution of care work in a partnership are the basic prerequisites for equality.

How does that reflect in your work?

At pme, I can contribute to improve reconciliation and educate people about the possibilities of New Work. This pays off for individuals and also companies profite from it. I find this win-win exciting. Now the issue is becoming more and more pressing with the growing skills shortage. And as a mother of two young children, it now also has a personal dimension for me, too.

Did your studies prepare you for the world of labour? How did you manage the transition from your studies to professional practice?

Good question. Definitely in the sense that the time of my studies was a time to internalize scientific curiosity. It was also rich in encounters with different people and perspectives. That's helpful in a world with complex realities. What I took with me from economics into the working world is the perspective of paying attention to inefficiencies and doing something about them if possible. I try to keep that in mind, even if it means encountering resistance in the corporate world.

My transition into professional practice was probably classic: internship at pme. Then I started working there as a project employee at the New Work congress Humanomics during my diploma thesis. After a few years in exhibition management and key account management, I moved on to the pme Academy, where I am now active as a trainer – on topics related to communication and a working environment that is oriented toward individual well-being.

The topic of mindfulness is on everyone's lips right now. What does mindfulness mean to you and what role does it play in your everyday work?

For me, mindfulness means paying attention to my needs. In the professional context, this means finding out what I need in order to feel good at work so that my energy is balanced. It helps, for example, to ask myself which aspects of work tend to give me energy and which aspects are energy-consuming. It also helps to know how I can recover well after work. Then I can try to incorporate as many energisers as possible. This can mean, for example, withdrawing from the open-plan office for concentrated work, spending my lunch break moving around, or adapting my working hours to my personal biorhythms. As an introvert, for example, I consciously schedule periods of retreat alone to recharge my battery. If I know my energy sources, I can do a lot for my health and for the happiness in my work.

Clarity about one's own unfulfilled or fulfilled needs also helps to better understand one's own everyday emotions. For example, I can uncover my personal stress amplifiers in the need for recognition or for independence. In collaboration, it is precisely this view of needs that contributes to mutual understanding and good cooperation and even helps to resolve conflicts.

In terms of my professional development, mindfulness means listening to my intuition and taking responsibility for my actions. I try to live and work according to my values and the motto Love it, change it or leave it.

How do you personally balance work and private life?

I have two small children and work 32 hours a week as an employee. Because we now live in Hessen, my commute to the Cologne office is long distance. That only works because we have a stable family network and share the care work as partners. I can also work remotely and flexibly. If that wasn't an option at pme, it wouldn't work for us. Nevertheless, in the current phase of my life, it is of course always a balancing act between responsibilities and the need for personal rest.

Could you complete the following sentence: When I think back to my student days in Cologne, I...
think of great freedom and feel pleasant sentimentality. It was a very nice time in this lively city with encounters for life. I also have very special memories of my time in the St. Stephen's Youth Choir.

In closing, would you share three tips with our students?

1. Even though it's often stressful - enjoy the freedom of your studies.

2. If you have the chance, do a semester abroad. It's also a great way to get to know yourself all over again.

3. Try yourself. You will find the path that suits you. The field of study is of secondary importance. A lot of what you need for your success is already inside of you anyway.

Thank you for your time and for the interview.