Founded in Munich in 1991 and officially registered as a company in 1992, pme Familienservice has grown over the last 30 years from a start-up for individual childcare concepts to Germany's largest EAP provider with its own training academy for managers and teams as well as 80 training facilities. The pme Familienservice Group now consists of nine companies with 2,000 team members in more than 70 locations. 1,400 companies with more than three million employees and their families use pme Familienservice for support in a wide variety of life situations - including personal or work-related crises, childcare, eldercare advice, executive coaching and training, outplacement and occupational health management (OHM).
pme Familienservice: a company by women for everyone
The history of pme Familienservice is a special one: Since its foundation, the company has always remained in the hands of women and has developed products and services with great passion.
Two names in particular are firmly associated with pme Familienservice : Gisela Erler, pme founder and former State Councillor in Baden-Württemberg (2011 to 2021), whose unique presence and political work has paved the way for many women and mothers to lead a self-determined life. Alexa Ahmad, who has been a team member since 1993 and CEO and face of the company since 2008, is leading pme Familienservice into the digital age as a successful large company with her incomparable flair for innovative topics and products.
Alexa Ahmad sums up: "There are many areas in which we are pioneers. We focus on the individual wishes of our customers. That's how we develop new products in an agile way. 'There's no such thing as impossible' is one of our mottos. What doesn't exist yet, we implement in a customer-centric way! Some of our most important milestones include the establishment of the first Au-pair hotline in 1997, the establishment of the first 24/7 EAP service line close to the company in 1998, the opening of Europe's first back-up center in collaboration with Commerzbank in 1999, our first consistent work-life-oriented childcare center in 2004, our wellbeing concepts in 2012 and the digitalization of our childcare in the early days of the coronavirus crisis. We will continue to play a key role in shaping the future of the world of work with innovative products."
Pioneer in reconciling work and private life
Always with its finger on the pulse and an unwavering focus on employee satisfaction, pme Familienservice is shaping the future of work and life - including within its own ranks. As many women have worked in the company from the outset, structures had to be created to meet women's needs. Flexible working models, mobile offices, women in management positions, job sharing for female managers and life-phase-oriented working formed the basis of the corporate culture at pme Familienservice right from the start.
Since 2001, the family-oriented HR policy has been regularly subjected to an externally monitored quality check by the "berufundfamilie" audit. This makes the pme Familienservice a long-standing holder of the "berufundfamilie" certificate.
Founder Gisela Erler: "I see us as a pioneer of flexible working culture because, as a women-owned company, we always lived what we offered our customers ourselves. This is still the case today: all team members - including the men, of course - should be allowed to organize their workspace in an agile and autonomous way that works best for them. This includes a flexible work location, flexible working hours, digital teams and horizontal (cross-team) collaboration. Our strong culture of trust is a key prerequisite for this. We also make every effort to cater to the individual needs of our team members - depending on what interests they pursue alongside their work at pme Familienservice : Be it traveling, a hobby, family or even another job. We focus on little hierarchy and always try to promote team spirit. During the coronavirus crisis, this flexibility enabled us to act quickly and creatively and develop new products and ideas across teams. The big challenge for the future - even as a larger and growing company - will be to remain creative and agile. And we will continue to encourage women to take on management responsibility."
For the anniversary: three livestreams in 2022
The pme Familienservice Group is offering three free livestreams in 2022:
Womanomics: She. Changes. Future.
When: On March 8, 2022 from 12:15 to 16:30
Speakers:inside: Dr. Auma Obama (founder of the Sauti Kuu Foundation), Gisela Erler (former State Councillor, pme Familienservice founder, author), Alexa Ahmad (CEO pme Familienservice Group), Katharina Binz (Minister for Family, Women, Culture and Integration of Rhineland-Palatinate) and many more.
In 2012, the Zukunftsinstitut described the growing influence of women in business and society with the megatrend "Womanomics". Ten years later, in our livestream "Womanomics: She. Changes. Future." we take a look at where women stand today.
To register for free: www.familienservice.de/womanomics
Kids Digital: Skills. For. Future
When: On May 19, 2022
Speakers:inside: Prof. Dr. Malte Mienert (psychologist in developmental and educational psychology), Dr. Ilse Wehrmann (expert in early education), Florian Sump (former educator and band member of "Deine Freunde") and many more.
As a provider of over 80 daycare centers, we take our educational mission seriously. With our commitment to digitalization, we are pioneers in Germany. We want to strengthen our children's digital skills today in order to give them the best opportunities for the future. Together with experts on digitalization and education, we will discuss the opportunities and risks of digitalized early education.
To register for free: www.familienservice.de/kidsdigital
Health Day 2022 "Health! I.Need.Somebody."
When: On November 8, 2022
Speakers:inside: Gaby Köster (Queen of Comedy), Michael "Curse" Kurth (systemic coach and rapper), Dr. Matthias Manke (orthopaedist), Diana Doko (founder of Freunde fürs Leben e.V.), Carola Kleinschmidt (bestselling author), Frédéric Letzner (BGM expert), Bastienne Neumann (nutritionist) and many more.
At the beginning of November, the big BGM congress "Health!" will conclude the anniversary year. Together with experts from the fields of health, fitness and health management, the pme Familienservice looks to the future of OHM.
Register for free: www.familienservice.de/healthday
About the pme Familienservice - work-life pioneer since 1992
On behalf of more than 1,400 employers, the pme Familienservice Group supports employees in achieving a successful work-life balance and being able to work with a clear head. The pme Familienservice Group supports employees in crises, e.g. conflicts at work, addiction or relationship problems. Over 80 childcare and educational facilities offer high-quality and flexible education. Whether it's vacation care, spontaneous needs, booking individual places or even a company kindergarten: parents and employers receive suitable childcare according to their needs.
With a homecare eldercare service, it relieves the burden on employees in organizing and financing care services and offers psychosocial support. The pme Academy offers seminars, workshops and coaching on the topics of personnel management and development. The pme Familienservice Group is represented at more than 70 locations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and employs over 2,000 of its own employees and numerous experts from various specialist areas.
You can find out more about the pme Familienservice Group here: www.familienservice.de/wer-wir-sind
About Gisela Erler
As the daughter of the well-known politician Fritz Erler, Gisela Erler was politically influenced from an early age. She always stood up for women's rights in particular. This commitment has shaped Gisela Erler in all phases of her life up to the present day - also professionally. The Germanist and sociologist conducted research into gender roles, family and career at the German Youth Institute. During a research stay in the USA in the early 1980s, she familiarized herself with the topic of work-life balance. Impressed by the American "Childcare and Referral Systems", she founded the Kinderbüro in 1992, which was later renamed pme Familienservice . Within a few years, the company developed from a small Munich start-up to a large company with headquarters in Berlin. In 2008, Gisela Erler handed over the management of the company to Alexa Ahmad. In 2012, she published the highly acclaimed book "Schluss mit der Umerziehung! On the appropriate treatment of the sexes" (Heyne). From 2011 to 2021, Gisela Erler was State Councillor for Civil Society and Civic Participation in the state government of Baden-Württemberg. Today, the mother of two grown-up sons lives with her husband in Berlin.
About Alexa Ahmad
In 1993, Alexa Ahmad, who studied business administration and social education, met the founder of Familienservice, Gisela Erler. Alexa Ahmad was immediately enthusiastic about the idea of revolutionizing the German professional world with the help of employee support services and joined pme Familienservice . With her inimitable flair for new trends and innovative products, the Frankfurt native played a key role in the company's success in the years that followed. Her professional achievements include the introduction of the first Au-pair hotline (1997), the establishment of the first German 24/7 corporate EAP service line (1998) and the founding of the first European back-up center in cooperation with Commerzbank in 1999. In 2008, Alexa Ahmad took over the management of the company from Gisela Erler. Alexa Ahmad has a grown-up son and lives as a hobby farmer and breeder on a farm in the Vogelsberg district of Hesse.
Press contact:
Christin Müller
Press and public relations
pme Familienservice Group
Flottwellstrasse 4-5
10785 Berlin
Tel: 030 2639356418
Mobile: 0151 58217680
E-Mail: christin.mueller@familienservice.de
