Focus Topics – Employee-related issues

Employee-related issues: Introduction

Proud to be Zehnder

This section outlines Zehnder Group’s comprehensive approach to occupational health and safety, its commitment to being an attractive employer, and its focus on diversity, equal opportunities, inclusion, and decent work. The subchapters examine the associated impacts, risks, and opportunities relating to employee well-being and workplace safety, as well as our management approach in these areas.

Before delving into the key topics, we present tables that provide an overview of our workforce as a whole, which cannot be assigned to any single topic. For this reason, they are listed at the beginning of the chapter on employees to provide readers with a clear factual basis.

GRI 2: General Disclosures 2021
Disclosure 2-7 Employees

Indicator description	Unit of measure	2025	2024	Change from prior year		2023	Change from base year
Number of employees by gender – female (headcount)	#	884	899	–1.7	%	984	–10.2	%
Number of employees by gender – male (headcount)	#	2,587	2,627	–1.5	%	2,683	–3.6	%
Number of employees by gender – diverse (headcount)	#	1	1	-		2	–50.0	%
Number of employees by region – EMEA (headcount)	#	2,670	2,679	–0.3	%	2,794	–4.4	%
Number of employees by region – Asia-Pacific (headcount)	#	362	426	–14.9	%	461	–21.4	%
Number of employees by region – North America (headcount)	#	440	423	4.1	%	415	6.1	%
Total number of employees (headcount)	#	3,472	3,527	–1.6	%	3,669	–5.4	%

Indicator description	Unit of measure	2025	2024	Change from prior year		2023	Change from base year
Number of permanent employees by gender - female (headcount)	#	841	839	0.3	%	n/a	n/a
Number of permanent employees by gender - male (headcount)	#	2,489	2,507	–0.7	%	n/a	n/a
Number of permanent employees by gender - diverse (headcount)	#	1	1	-		n/a	n/a
Number of permanent employees by region - EMEA (headcount)	#	2,543	2,508	1.4	%	n/a	n/a
Number of permanent employees by region - Asia-Pacific (headcount)	#	362	426	–14.9	%	n/a	n/a
Number of permanent employees by region - North America (headcount)	#	426	413	3.2	%	n/a	n/a
Total number of permanent employees (headcount)	#	3,331	3,347	–0.5	%	n/a	n/a
Number of temporary employees by gender - female (headcount)	#	43	60	–29.3	%	n/a	n/a
Number of temporary employees by gender - male (headcount)	#	98	121	–18.8	%	n/a	n/a
Number of temporary employees by gender - diverse (headcount)	#	-	-	-		n/a	n/a
Number of temporary employees by region - EMEA (headcount)	#	126	171	–26.0	%	n/a	n/a
Number of temporary employees by region - Asia-Pacific (headcount)	#	-	-	-		n/a	n/a
Number of temporary employees by region - North America (headcount)	#	14	10	42.0	%	n/a	n/a
Total number of temporary employees (headcount)	#	141	181	–22.3	%	n/a	n/a

Indicator description	Unit of measure	2025	2024	Change from prior year		2023	Change from base year
Number of full-time employees by gender - female (headcount)	#	704	721	–2.3	%	n/a	n/a
Number of full-time employees by gender - male (headcount)	#	2,494	2,530	–1.4	%	n/a	n/a
Number of full-time employees by gender - diverse (headcount)	#	1	1	-		n/a	n/a
Number of full-time employees by region - EMEA (headcount)	#	2,417	2,418	–0.0	%	n/a	n/a
Number of full-time employees by region - Asia-Pacific (headcount)	#	362	426	–15.0	%	n/a	n/a
Number of full-time employees by region - North America (headcount)	#	421	408	3.1	%	n/a	n/a
Total number of full-time employees (headcount)	#	3,200	3,252	–1.6	%	n/a	n/a
Number of part-time employees by gender - female (headcount)	#	180	179	0.5	%	n/a	n/a
Number of part-time employees by gender - male (headcount)	#	93	97	–4.1	%	n/a	n/a
Number of part-time employees by gender - diverse (headcount)	#	-	-	-		n/a	n/a
Number of part-time employees by region - EMEA (headcount)	#	252	260	–3.1	%	n/a	n/a
Number of part-time employees by region - Asia-Pacific (headcount)	#	-	-	-		n/a	n/a
Number of part-time employees by region - North America (headcount)	#	20	15	32.7	%	n/a	n/a
Total number of part-time employees (headcount)	#	272	275	–1.1	%	n/a	n/a

The number of employees is reported in headcount as an average across the reporting period.

All numbers are rounded, resulting in certain totals that may not precisely add up to 100%. The same applies to all following tables.

GRI 2: General Disclosures 2021
Disclosure 2-8 Workers who are not employees

Indicator description	Unit of measure	2025	2024	Change from prior year		2023	Change from base year
Total number of workers who are not employees, but whose work and/or workplace is controlled by the organisation (headcount)	#	359	242	48.4	%	215	67.1	%

The number of workers who are not employees, but whose work and/or workplace is controlled by the organisation is reported in headcount as an average across the reporting period.

Workers are defined as individuals who are employed via a domestic and/or foreign agency or self-employed. They do not have an employment contract with Zehnder Group (are not on the payroll), but their work is controlled by the organisation inside and/or outside Zehnder premises (covers contractors, suppliers, self-employed people, volunteers, etc.).

The increase in 2025 was primarily due to greater use of temporary and contract labour amid market uncertainty.

GRI 2: General Disclosures 2021
Disclosure 2-30 Collective bargaining agreements

Indicator description	Unit of measure	2025	2024	Change from prior year		2023	Change from base year
Rate of total employees covered by collective bargaining agreements	%	42.9	44.1	–1.2	pp	n/a	n/a
Rate of total employees covered by workers’ representatives	%	41.6	46.9	–5.3	pp	n/a	n/a