Focus Topics – Employees

Attractive employer

More than just a job: it is our task to foster the engagement, development and well-being of all our employees

Management approach: Zehnder Group aims to continuously improve the qualities it exhibits as an employer. One approach to achieving this is through our employee engagement surveys. This tool enables us to obtain qualified feedback from our employees and implement a variety of measures aimed at increasing employee satisfaction based on this feedback. To further advance personal and professional development, we cultivate a culture of dialogue and feedback. We invest in training and development for all Zehnder employees to help strengthen their professional and personal skills and establish a culture of lifelong learning. To reinforce our motivating work culture, we strive to fill vacancies with employees from our own ranks. Work-life integration is also a key concern for us. We foster the health and well-being of our employees. The implementation/specification of concrete actions in this regard can vary country by country. 

Implementation: The most recent employee engagement survey from 2021 confirmed that employee satisfaction at Zehnder Group is at a very high level and, with a rise of 15 percentage points to 82%, had increased significantly compared to 2018, when the last survey was conducted. To further improve the level of engagement, we have implemented a range of measures based on the results of the 2021 survey.

The first key measure involves continuing to improve the feedback culture. All employees should be able to have a performance review meeting with their direct supervisors once a year. We have empowered our managers to conduct these meetings in a professional manner through suitable training programmes. A regular dialogue between supervisors and employees is now firmly embedded in the management guidelines.

The second measure involves improving the communication about “corporate strategy and plans”. Here, too, we require that all management levels communicate strategic topics in a transparent and comprehensible manner in line with our management principles. This is done in the form of a CEO video interview, for example, where the management reports on current events and strategic topics.

The third approach to increasing our employee engagement involves easier access to information about the business activities and products of Zehnder. In conjunction with our sales organisations, we now offer a variety of information channels, including online training and physical information events, allowing employees to broaden their knowledge of Zehnder Group’s product lines.

Our employees made good use of the internal career opportunities offered by Zehnder Group in 2022. We were able to fill 42.1% of the advertised management positions with our own employees. For all other positions, the rate was 12.1%. Our ambition is to have two thirds of all advertised leadership positions filled through promotions.

Our commitment to being a good employer also includes the duty of care for the well-being of Zehnder employees. There are a number of opportunities within Zehnder Group to improve health and the work-life- integration in the regional companies. Programmes include, for example, health courses, gym memberships and company sporting events. We also encourage employees to contribute to environmental protection themselves. We are introducing comprehensive waste separation programmes at more and more administrative locations across Europe to encourage more responsible use of resources.

Outlook: In 2023, we will train around 2,000 target group-specific employees with an e-learning programme on anti-corruption. Another employee engagement survey is planned for fall 2023. We will be analysing the feedback collected from this survey and taking further action accordingly. One important goal involves successively introducing digital learning opportunities company-wide for all employees. In the area of training and development, we will expand our e-learning programmes. These opportunities to acquire skills are intended not only to encompass technical topics, but also to facilitate personal development. The learning modules will include behavioural training on the topics of anti-corruption, harassment, equality, racism and biases. We will put a priority on ensuring that the content of the e-learning courses is adapted to the local geographic and demographic circumstances and is gender-neutral.

There are also plans to launch sustainability training at corporate level for all Zehnder employees and to implement sustainability campaigns to raise employee awareness of specific environmental and social issues. We are committed to better acquainting employees with the Sustainable Development Goals and to proactively demonstrating how every employee can take personal responsibility for sustainability and contribute to a positive impact through simple steps.

GRI 404: Training and Education 2016
GRI 404-1: Average hours of training per year per employee

GRI 404: Training and Education 2016
GRI 404-3: Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development review