A great stage for a great team: as our employees stand fully behind PHOTONIC according to the latest survey results and authentically convey our culture to the outside world, we have had not just one, but two reasons to celebrate.

Christian Czech, Christoph Isopp, Anne Killmeyer, Martin Kiryakov and Ingo Wiest from PHOTONIC, together with Claudia Reiterer, HR Manager of the WILD Group, recently experienced the joy of seeing their own team put the company in the spotlight at the Ariana in Vienna. As part of the “Great Place to Work® For All™ Stars Night”, we were honoured for the third consecutive year as one of the Best Workplaces™ Austria in the company category XS. As an additional highlight, PHOTONIC also received the prestigious Best Employer Branding Award 2026.

What makes us a “Great Place to Work®”: values in everyday life

While this extraordinary evening still resonates, we reflect on the many small everyday moments that made this success possible. PHOTONIC’s top ratings as an employer are largely due to the people who shape our working environment.

• Strong team spirit (96% approval): When things get intense just before project completion, nobody here loses their cool. We support one another – that is what defines our team spirit.
• Sense of purpose (91% focus): Our employees know that their work delivers real technological added value for our customers.
• A lived culture of learning from mistakes rather than assigning blame: Innovation requires courage. When something does not work straight away, we do not look for someone to blame, but for sustainable solutions. This keeps us at the technological forefront.

Authentic employer branding: real, unfiltered and approachable

Our HR success formula is actually quite simple: “Our employer branding is neither loud nor overly polished. There is no large agency behind it, nor a huge budget. It is simply genuine and carried by our entire team,” emphasise Anne Killmeyer and Claudia Reiterer. Through every professional exchange and every shared success, our colleagues make the world of PHOTONIC tangible to the outside – far beyond the communications department.

Room for innovation and outstanding performance

For Managing Director Stefan Zotter, this repeated recognition is clear confirmation that PHOTONIC creates an environment in which our team can deliver outstanding performance. “We give our employees the freedom to develop their ideas. They are given a lot of responsibility, which they repay us with extra motivation. I am particularly pleased that they are all proud of their company and describe their work as meaningful.  This, in turn, guarantees full focus on our customers and great commitment to their projects.”

A big thank you goes to the entire team in Vienna and to all employees who make PHOTONIC a GreatPlaceToWork® every single day.