Focus Topics – Employees

Diversity, equal opportunity, inclusion and decent work

Commitment to equal opportunity and inclusion

Management approach: Zehnder Group is actively committed to diversity, equal opportunity, inclusion and decent work. We are establishing the organisational foundations for a zero-tolerance approach towards harassment, bullying and discrimination. We have also made it possible for our employees to report incidents of harassment anonymously.

Implementation: In 2022, we also updated our Code of Conduct about the topics of diversity, equal opportunity, inclusion and our commitment to anti-discrimination and decent work. We require all employees to commit to these guidelines. The first step is to train Zehnder Group managers to recognise critical situations and to raise awareness when it comes to injustice, racism or biases. At our current leadership development programme, for example, the topic of “biases” was addressed in depth. Our aim is to train all managers in their position as role models and to enable them to recognise concrete behaviours or violations and to respond appropriately.

As an active member of the UN Global Compact, two Zehnder Group subsidiaries, Zehnder Poland and Zehnder France, participated in the “Target Gender Equality” accelerator programme. This involved analysing the existing situation in order to make the working environment open for all genders. The objective includes measuring and increasing the recruitment and employment rate of women at Zehnder in every area and at all levels.

Outlook/additional milestones: In line with our policy rollout plan, training on diversity, equal opportunity, inclusion, and anti-discrimination will be provided to senior and middle-level managers in 2023. By the end of 2023, all managers on these levels should have completed the qualification programmes. Over the next few years, we will continue to systematically train additional employees. We will also carry out independent checks at our largest locations throughout the years ahead to ensure that equal pay is being guaranteed at each location. The implementation of the gender equality measures at the two production sites in France and Poland will be closely monitored by Group HR to identify lessons learned and define new approaches for other locations.

GRI 401: Employment 2016                                                                                     
GRI 401-1: New employee hires and employee turnover

GRI 405: Diversity and Equal Opportunity 2016
GRI 405-1: Diversity of governance bodies and employees