Waveing through a far-reaching decision without consulting employee representatives – this solo effort apparently proved to be the undoing of Deutsche Bahn’s CFO, Karin Dohm. As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on Thursday evening, citing supervisory board circles, the supervisory board should decide to dismiss the finance director in three weeks. The case shows that the role of the works council should not be underestimated by the C-level of a company.
CFO should KBR have booted out
What had happened? In December, shortly after her appointment to the board, Dohm signed a shareholder directive to split up the railway subsidiary DB Services without prior consultation with the Group Works Council (KBR). A serious violation of the rules of co-determination in a company in which the works council traditionally has a strong position.
The KBR chairwoman Heike Moll reacted sharply and spoke of a “false start”, as the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” further reports. In a company with around 340,000 employees and strong union ties, such an affront is particularly serious – apparently so serious that cooperation no longer seems possible.
Karin Dohm has only been on the board of Deutsche Bahn since December
It is the second time in a short period of time that Dohm has left a management position prematurely. Only last year she was hired by the tire company Continental as the designated head of finance for the Aumovio automotive supplier division, but resigned from her position there after just eight weeks.
The case is a lesson in the importance of corporate culture
On December 1st, she moved to Deutsche Bahn as Levin Holle’s successor. The Dohm case is a lesson in how important the relationship between managers and corporate culture is. As a state-affiliated company with a strong culture of co-determination, Deutsche Bahn differs fundamentally from medium-sized trading companies where Dohm previously worked.
What might have worked in a less participatory environment now apparently became a career trap at the railway. Apparently Dohm had underestimated the importance of involving employee representatives – a mistake that is particularly serious in a company with a balanced supervisory board.
Deutsche Bahn has not yet officially commented on the personnel.
Conflict with train drivers averted
Elsewhere, however, the group can point to success in the employee dialogue. As it became known today, DB AG and the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) have agreed on a new collective agreement. According to experts, the warning strikes in collective bargaining disputes that the GDL has repeatedly scheduled in recent years are not to be expected this year.
Rebecca Scheibel is the online editorial director and responsible for the digital channels of human resources.
