For five years, Hans Kramer has worked with six consultants from Unicus in his international team at Vattenfall. Unicus is an IT consultancy that exclusively hires people with autism. As Head of Data Center & Cloud Operation, Hans manages IT operations across four countries and has seen how neurodiverse talent can strengthen both technical delivery and personal growth in large organizations.
Managing an 80-person international team across four countries, Hans Kramer knows the value of good IT professionals.
When Vattenfall’s CIO Jens Zerbst first introduced the possibility of working with Unicus consultants in 2019, Hans didn’t hesitate.
“In general, it is difficult to attract people in IT,” he explains. “It doesn’t matter which country you are in; IT people are not that easy to find. Welcoming neurodiverse individuals opened the door to a mix of unique talents and perspectives; we were excited to bring them on board.”
Over the years, Hans has welcomed six consultants from Unicus into his data center and cloud teams. Today, four work in fully operational roles, which is a significant evolution from the initial approach of offering specific, one-time assignments.
“The consultants from Unicus have a few things in common: Their ability to maintain focus for extended periods, combined with consistently high-quality output, brings significant value to assignments that demand precision and long-term attention”, Hans highlights.
“Initially, we started with special assignments for the consultants to analyze, explore, and develop. Now, we have four people working in truly operational roles. They have become invaluable team members and can fill in for colleagues when necessary.”
What began as a solution to a talent shortage, has now begun to show deeper benefits. Hans has seen remarkable development among the consultants, especially in their confidence and communication.
“One of the consultants started his first job with us. Now, he is comfortable contacting colleagues outside our team, and in giving them advice. It’s amazing to see how someone, in the right environment, can develop that quickly. This progress has allowed us to give him more complicated tasks now”, Hans shares.
The technical contributions have been equally impressive. One particular strength Hans has noticed is pattern recognition. Some consultants have automated repetitive tasks, carried out complex server analyses, and have even taken on customer-facing coordination roles
Hans recently placed a Unicus consultant in a process coordinator role. It’s a position that requires good communication skills with customers and colleagues. This represented new territory for him personally.
“For me, it was a new step because that person needs to have frequent dialogue with our customers, but also with their colleagues. This has proven to be an opportunity that works well”, Hans explains. “This shows that Unicus can provide you with a broad range of competence within the IT field.”
The success of this placement has expanded his understanding of what is possible, if you dare taking a chance. Hans credits much of this success to Vattenfall’s inclusive culture and the support structure provided by Unicus, which he describes as “a well-functioning triangle”.
Hans’ advice to other managers considering similar partnerships is simple:
“Go for it. Don’t worry that the initial effort might be too complex or time-consuming. That’s not the case. The small additional work effort that is required from you to onboard somebody from Unicus is worth it.”
The practical aspects of integration have proven manageable. While Unicus consultants receive a buddy system for support, Hans emphasizes that onboarding isn’t significantly longer.
“And, if expectations are clear, they fully commit to the task,” he says.
Looking ahead, Hans sees continued opportunities. and he’s confident about maintaining his current team size. His final message to other organizations is clear: “The consultants from Unicus are highly capable individuals with a university degree. You might need to make some adjustments in your way of working and have a bit more patience, but this is an investment we are happy to take at Vattenfall, since we see these efforts pay off. In return we get dedicated colleagues with an impeccable eye for detail, who bring in new perspectives that make us a more diverse company.”