Audi 2008 Annual Report Download - page 158

139
Management Report
128 Business and underlying
situation
128 The Group
131 Corporate steering
134 Research and development
136 Employee matters
139 Audi in society
141 Environmental aspects
147 Economic environment
150 Course of business
157 Financial performance
159 Net worth
160 Financial position
160 Report on post-balance sheet
date events
161 Risk report
165 Report on expected
developments
169 Disclaimer
Compatibility of job and family
In October 2008, representatives of both the employers and employees of AUDI AG concluded a
company agreement that aims to improve the compatibility of work and family life. Even before
this agreement was finalized, all employees on permanent contracts had enjoyed a guarantee of
reemployment for up to seven years following the birth and rearing of a child.
Last fall, “Audi nursing leave” was added to these offerings. In a departure from the statutory
requirements for nursing leave, employees may now have their employee status suspended for
up to three years in order to care for sick relatives. Moreover, if three years proves insufficient, it
is possible to resign from the Company entirely for up to a further four years and still have the
guarantee of reemployment.
AUDI AG also offers an extensive range of options for part-time employment or teleworking as
well as sabbaticals. The Company received two awards last year for its diverse activities aimed
at reconciling work and family life. On October 6, 2008, the Bavarian State Minister of Labor
and Social Welfare, Family Affairs and Women presented AUDI AG with the “Bavarian Equal
Opportunity Award” in the category “Best Business Practice.” On November 20, 2008, the
Baden-Württemberg Minister of Commerce presented the Company with an award for winning
the state competition “Equal Opportunities at Work for Women and Men.”
Audi Family Day at the Ingolstadt plant
To show appreciation for its employees’ impressive dedication, AUDI AG held an Audi Family Day
on September 27, 2008. Over 130,000 visitors flocked to the festivities.
Some 1,000 helpers representing every division of the Company thought up and prepared over
120 informative and interactive attractions, many of them aimed specifically at children.
Staff members from all divisions had the opportunity to take their families around and show
them their workplaces while enjoying a diverse program of events. One of the highlights in-
volved watching various car models, like the new Audi Q5, being driven up a 12-meter high ramp
with a gradient of 30 degrees. Other main attractions were a demonstration of a victim being
rescued by plant safety officers from a crashed car and the simulation of a car crashing into a
wall at 60 kilometers per hour. But the real highlight of the event, drawing crowds of many tens
of thousands, were motorsports demonstrations of the Audi DTM racing cars and the legendary
Le Mans winning Audi R10 TDI on a two-kilometer circuit.
AUDI IN SOCIETY
Establishment of the “Regional Management Initiative for the Ingolstadt Region
(IRMA)”
In early April last year, the “Regional Management Initiative for the Ingolstadt Region” pro-
posed by the Board of Management of AUDI AG entered the official register of societies and
associations. The goal of this public-private partnership between businesses and public-sector
bodies is to develop the economy, education and quality of life in the region around Audi’s
Ingolstadt headquarters, and to raise its profile in the public’s perception. The association is
chaired by Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at
AUDI AG. The first official acknowledgement of the initiative’s merits came in October 2008
when Upper Bavaria’s head of government presented the association with confirmation of fund-
ing worth more than EUR 0.5 million.
The creation of this regional management body stems from many years of preparatory work
performed by AUDI AG at its Ingolstadt location to promote integration between the Company,
the city and the surrounding districts. The overriding principle of bringing public and private
sector activities together in and around Ingolstadt in order to enhance the appeal of the region
located between Munich and Nuremberg was systematically implemented in IRMA’s Articles of
Incorporation and Bylaws.