From May 2-6, 2018, 4th semester students of the Bachelor’s program in Human Resources Management visited Dublin as an integral part of their curriculum. The goal of the trip was to gather first-hand experience in interacting with other HR professionals as well as to improve language skills. During their stay the students visited three international companies as well as Advantage Austria, the delegation of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, in Dublin.
The first company to visit was Google LLC. Split into two groups the students were given an extensive tour of their Dublin offices. This included the Google Foundry, where every new hire, regardless of position, receives training in every Google product and the offices for Austria, Germany and Switzerland. To better understand the corporate culture the students also visited one of the impressively large cafeterias, swimming pool, gym, multiple micro kitchens (Fun Fact: no point in the offices is less than 50 meters from a kitchen) and the music room, where employees are free to play instruments whenever they like. Throughout the whole tour the four guides helpfully answered every question. From easy “Do you ever tire of the food?” to hard “Are there any disadvantages to working at Google?”.
After a short lunch the second stop of the visit was Clayton Hotels. They have received multiple awards, such as the “HR Team of the year 2018” and are part of the Dalata Group, which is the largest Hotel operator in Ireland. There one of their HR Executives gave an in-depth presentation of the inner workings of Claytons HR Department. The topics covered a wide range, such as recruiting, onboarding, retention management, disciplinary guidelines and internship programs. During the subsequent discussion there were numerous questions from the students, which led to intense dialogue. Afterwards the students got an exclusive look behind the scenes of a four-star hotel from two of the floor managers.
The third visit was to the Dublin SAP offices, located on the city’s outskirts. After a short bus ride, the students were given an extensive presentation on SAP in Dublin. During which the members of the HR Department gave an overview over their respective foci. These included business partners, services, internship programs and recruiting. After a lively discussion the visit was concluded by a quiz organized by the hosts.
The last official stop was at Advantage Austria Dublin, where the students learned about the services provided by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber for both Austrian and Irish companies. The presentation also included an overview of the economic development of Ireland and the accomplishments of Austrian companies in Ireland.
On Saturday the students had time to explore Dublin during cultural trips, organized by the students themselves, or on their own. The trips covered a wide variety of possibilities. From walking tours including visits to Trinity College, City Hall or the Chester Beatty Library, to sampling local drinks at the Jameson Distillery, the Whiskey Museum or the famous local cuisine at one of the many Irish pubs.
The trip left the students with many impressions on different approaches to HR Management as well as the desire to stay a few more days to see even more. Still, on Sunday, the students had to say goodbye to Dublin or “Slán go fóill Baile Átha Cliath”.