“I have always placed great value on good customer service—everything stands or falls with it,” says Petra Spix. As a receptionist, she’s an integral part of Prologis Germany and the good soul without whom many colleagues could not imagine the company. She has been the first point of contact for visitors to the German headquarters in Düsseldorf since January 2011.

Spix initially joined Prologis because she was looking for a new challenge. “When I started, my area of responsibility was fairly well defined, but that has changed over the last few years,” she explains. “My work goes far beyond normal reception work. Nowadays, I'm a mixture of an assistant, an office manager and a receptionist.” In addition to welcoming visitors, she is responsible for taking calls, dealing with mail and managing Prologis Germany's general email inbox. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of colleagues working remotely has risen sharply, so she scans letters and sends them by email to the respective colleagues when they are working remotely.

Flexible team player with organizational skills
Spix also supports the accounts payable team in all matters relating to invoices and reminder notices, as well as the human resources team with selected tasks. At the same time, she is fleet manager, responsible for the leasing overviews in payroll accounting and the contact person for the car rental companies. She is also the first point of contact for colleagues and service providers when it comes to catering for meetings and purchasing office supplies. In addition, she is there for any colleague who needs help and support or has questions. “My strong points are my organizational skills and my flexibility. I'm a team player who listens well and is always open to new challenges,” she says.

A typical workday for Spix starts at 8:00 a.m. She makes sure the kitchen and meeting rooms are ready for the day and then processes the mail and emails. She answers calls and takes care of everything else that comes up. She’s a one-woman show in her field, working 40 hours a week. “I very often get kind words and a thank you for my dedication from my colleagues,” she explains. “That always makes my day and reminds me why I love my job here.”

Spix particularly enjoys Prologis IMPACT Days, especially during the pandemic. For IMPACT Days, Prologis employees around the world participate in the company's day of volunteering every year. They leave their regular jobs and roll up their sleeves to help out in communities. As part of this, Prologis Germany often supports children's and youth facilities. “For me, these have been the best and also the most exhausting days in recent years,” says Spix. “As a tightly knit team, we really stepped up and achieved incredible results. Looking into the children's beaming eyes at the end was especially nice.”

Spix likes to spend her free time with her husband and her 13-year-old grandson, who has lived with her for the past eight years. She enjoys going on vacation or spending time in her garden.