Personnel work at MLL
Professional specialists, innovative measures and modern ways of securing young talent
In a company like MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory, which is dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and research of leukemia and lymphoma, responsible human resources management is of paramount importance: the Human Resources department ensures that highly qualified employees are not only recruited but also continuously developed to the highest standards. This is essential to achieve the best possible results for the satisfaction of our donors and the benefit of our patients.
We work with sensitive patient data, complex medical analysis and challenging research questions: MLL employees are confronted with demanding tasks on a daily basis. An effective HR department is committed to providing the best possible conditions for meeting these challenges. It ensures that specialists are recruited who have both the technical know-how and the diligence required. It also ensures that MLL experts receive regular training to master new technologies and diagnostic methods. This means that the work of the HR department also plays a key role in quality assurance.
"The expertise and innovative strength of our employees are indispensable."
"As one of the largest leukemia laboratories in the world, with currently around 350 employees, we follow the principle of never standing still and acting with curiosity and precision in line with our mission - which has remained unchanged since MLL was founded in 2005: to provide patients around the world with precise and individualised therapy in the shortest possible time through comprehensive and personalised diagnostics," explains MLL's Head of Human Resources, Vera Middelhauve. "The expertise and innovative strength of our employees are indispensable in this respect. As a large, interdisciplinary team with experienced experts from medicine, biology, genetics, bioinformatics, AI, laboratory technology and medical-technical support - as well as many other indispensable functions - we ensure the quality of around 133,000 diagnosed samples and the care of around 5,000 patients per year at the MLL MVZ."
With this in mind, HR's mission is to facilitate MLL's success and continued growth through a dedicated HR strategy that ensures the right selection, long-term retention and needs-based development of employees. Our aim is to combine high performance standards with outstanding employer attractiveness: together with management and executives, we ensure that MLL is a modern, innovative and safe employer, offering its employees the best possible conditions for their professional and personal development. Currently, the Head of HR and three HR specialists, supported by a working student, are responsible for all HR matters relating to the workforce as well as the HR strategy and its implementation.
"People are at the heart of everything we do at MLL."
State-of-the-art workplaces, a wide range of benefits, allowances and extras, extensive onboarding and training programmes, regular training and development, joint events, excursions and celebrations are a matter of course at MLL. Recent additions include the opportunity to do a workation either in Germany or abroad and the subsidisation of a sports programme. "Supporting our employees throughout their life cycle is a top priority. People are at the heart of everything we do at MLL. We recruit managers such as business unit, division and department heads and their deputies, as well as technical managers, primarily from our own ranks," explains Middelhauve. "Our ability to innovate, which is one of the keys to our success, has a direct impact on our HR work. Over the past two years, we have built up our Artificial Intelligence department. By the end of the year, it will consist of nine highly qualified data scientists and engineers. We are also pursuing the overarching corporate goal of digitalisation and automation in HR, and have recently introduced a new HR management system and other tools to improve and simplify our work processes. We are currently exploring how AI tools can support our HR administrative work in the future.
Attracting and retaining talent is one of the biggest challenges in the modern workplace. This is particularly important for MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory, as the shortage of specialists in the medical field is particularly acute. The HR department plays a strategic role by not only recruiting qualified junior staff, but also developing them. Through well-designed training and career development programmes, it ensures that employees remain loyal to MLL and identify with the laboratory and its patient-centred mission. This is particularly important for ensuring the long-term continuity and quality of work, as experienced specialists are an important source of knowledge for the entire company.
The recruitment of new colleagues is a central focus: from the job advertisement to the initial selection of the most suitable profiles and the organisation of work shadowing days to get to know the candidates in the specialist departments, we are an important partner for managers in their search for new talent and potential who want to continue and shape the MLL success story together with us.
In 2024, the newly launched internal "Academy for Technical Managers" took place for the first time, providing knowledge in seven modules to prepare the 17 technical managers of the diagnostics departments for the disciplinary management of laboratory staff from 2025. From personnel selection and development to successful communication, the Academy teaches all the "tools of the trade" that managers need for their expanded responsibilities, as they were previously only responsible for the technical management of laboratory staff.
"Our goal is to provide the best diagnostics for our patients."
"In HR, we see ourselves as service providers and business partners for our managers and all employees, but also as guardians of the corporate culture, which we are constantly developing together," summarizes Middelhauve. "We are constantly asking ourselves how we want to work together at MLL in the future and how we can best manage and empower ourselves, our projects and our people. The goal remains the same: to ensure the best diagnostics for our patients and to remain a stable, secure and attractive employer in an ever-changing world."
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Vera Middelhauve