Today we talked to Roger, one of our Senior Project Leaders at Ippolito Fleitz Group in Stuttgart. He tells us a little bit about his ongoing huge-scale 35000 m² interior project, managing his family responsibilities as well as his thoughts on overtime and (not) being available 24/7. 

I know you’ve been part of IFG for a long time...

...I don’t look that old, do I? (laughs) Well, I started as a freelancer right after graduating. That was 13 years ago! I slowly grew into the IFG family and today I’m a senior project leader.

What do you expect from your team?

Passion and dedication. By that I don’t mean “work until you drop dead“. Doing overtime can be necessary sometimes, but it should be the exception. But I want everyone to give 100% – and I give 100% back to them.

What project are you working on right now?

With team of seven we are designing a 35000 m² headquarters for a leading global IT corporation. We can’t tell you more than that but it’s going to be great!

Do you respond to e-mails during your time off?

Almost never. I have family responsibilities that I take just as seriously. So, I try to communicate my absences well in advance and coordinate them with my team. I wouldn’t want them to be available 24/7 either.

Is it hard to balance work and family life?

It can be, especially with three children. But fortunately, there are many things at IFG that make it easier: Flextime, the possibility to partially work remotely – and the support of my colleagues.

What do they do?

For example, I started volunteering as a coach for my son’s soccer team and for that I must leave a little early on two days. They have my back – just as much as my wife does. Volunteer work is a team effort!