Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 109

116 B | COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT | SUSTAINABILITY
Mobile working
Employees are increasingly demanding more flexible working
hours in line with the requirements of a modern lifestyle.
In response to this development, Daimler’s executive manage-
ment launched an initiative in 2015 together with the Group’s
General Works Council, the IG Metall trade union and the Fraun-
hofer Institute. This initiative featured surveys and brought
together managers and employees for a broad dialogue that
resulted in the creation of a framework of rules and limitations
for mobile work. The goal here is to incorporate the knowledge
thus gained into a new Group-wide agreement and thus make
Daimler an even more attractive employer.
Extension of Safeguarding the Future
at Daimler agreement
An agreement was reached in the summer of 2015 to extend
the Group-wide Safeguarding the Future at Daimler agreement.
The agreement includes measures designed to improve com-
petitiveness and flexibility, and it also excludes the possibility
of layoffs for employees at Daimler AG in Germany until
December 31, 2020. The basis for the extension was the local
transformation plans that were agreed upon beforehand at
Daimler AG plants. These plans also include investment com-
mitments. They will enable us to utilize market opportunities,
respond flexibly to demand fluctuations and quickly increase
the workforce as needed.
Diversity management
The statement “Daimler’s success. Your benefit. Our responsi-
bility.” underscores the importance of diversity management
as a strategic factor for success at Daimler. The various skills,
expertise and composition of our workforce enable us as a
global company to effectively reflect the diversity of our cus-
tomers, suppliers and shareholders around the world.
Increased proportion of women employees
Our instruments for supporting the targeted promotion of
women include special mentoring programs, special seminars
for women, and women’s networks. We also support both
men and women who are managing a career and a family through
numerous company agreements, flexible working time
models, daycare services and sabbaticals.
In this context, we consider not only the new legislation for
equal participation of women and men in management
positions. Already in 2006, Daimler committed to raising the
proportion of women in senior executive positions at the
Group to 20% by the year 2020. The proportion of women in
such positions has continually risen over recent years to
reach 15.4% at the end of 2015 (2014: 14.1%). Because we are a
technologically oriented company, the targets take into
account sector-specific conditions and women’s current share
of our workforce. At the Daimler Group, the proportion of
women in the total worldwide workforce increased to 17.3%
(2014: 16.8%). At Daimler AG, women accounted for 15.2% of all
employees at the end of the year under review (2014: 14.9%).
Around the world, we have combined in-house services such
as those for financial processes, HR, IT and development
tasks, sales functions and certain location-specific services
into shared service centers. Some of the shared service
centers are not consolidated because they do not affect our
profitability, cash flow or financial position; those companies
employed more than 6,800 men and women at the end of 2015.
The Group’s workforce also does not include the employees
of companies that we manage together with Chinese partners;
on December 31, 2015, they numbered approximately 19,000
people.
Number of years at Daimler
The average number of years our employees have worked
for Daimler was close to the prior-year level at 16.0 years
(2014: 16.1 years). In Germany, employees had worked for
the Group for an average of 19.4 years at the end of 2015
(2014: 19.4 years). The comparative figure for Daimler AG was
19.9 years (2014: 19.8 years). Daimler employees outside
Germany had worked for the Group for an average of 10.9
years (2014: 11.0 years).
Attractive compensation
We continually strive to further enhance our appeal as an
employer – both within the company and externally on the job
market. Our employees receive market-rate wages and salaries
and additional benefits, such as company pension plans, which
also conform to market practices. We also let our employees
share in our success. For example, in April 2016 eligible employ-
ees of Daimler AG will receive a profit-sharing payout of up to
€5,650 for financial year 2015 – the highest such payout in the
company’s history. In April 2015, we issued a profit-sharing
payout of €4,350 for financial year 2014.
High degree of employee commitment
We regularly conduct employee surveys to determine how sat-
isfied our employees are and the extent to which they identify
with the company. The feedback we receive helps us improve
our organization and further develop our management culture.
Our level of employee commitment is well above the global aver-
age as determined by benchmark studies. The results of the
2014 employee survey were carefully analyzed and used to iden-
tify areas where action was subsequently taken to achieve
sustained improvements for the benefit of the Group and its
employees. The next Group-wide employee survey will be
conducted in 2016.