Time spent at work is also time spent living

• A total of over 160 unsolicited applications in 2022 speaks for our attractive employer brand.
  
• The average length of service for permanent employees is 9.4 years.
  
• Our most recent employee survey, the VAUDE Employment Barometer, conducted in December 2020 confirms above-average levels of satisfaction.
  
• We have a healthy fluctuation rate of 5.8% and 4.8% respectively (formula of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations – BDA; with vs. without marginal employees).
  
• Transparency and participation are among the most important aspects of our corporate culture.
  
• Our interdisciplinary "culture board" provides platforms for all employees to meet in person, strengthen our community and convey appreciation.
  
• We promote not only the professional development of our employees, but also their personal development.
  
• Our employees’ passion for sports and their physical needs can be optimally integrated into their work day with programs such as our company health and sports program "Auszeit". 
  
• Our work spaces are designed to be modern, healthy and to encourage communication.
  
• Our employees are motivated by their identification with our corporate values and our sustainability mission. This is demonstrated, among other things, by the active, passionate participation in joint events such as the "Friday for Future" climate strikes.

In late 2020, we conducted our second comprehensive employee survey as part of the "Employee Barometer" in cooperation with the Institut für betriebliche Gesundheitsberatung and the Techniker Krankenkasse. The differentiated results from this survey, confirmed that in general, our employees’ level of satisfaction with their work at VAUDE (in comparison with the German average and with selected comparable companies) is above average and that their employer loyalty is far above average. 

The democratically elected body consists of five representatives from different areas of the company (technical/vocational and administrative), who initially remain in office for four years. Our employee representatives are in close contact with the management, are involved in decision-making processes, are committed to representing the concerns of the employees and take on a mediating role in conflict situations.

VAUDE employees can become actively involved and participate in the company in a number of ways. We believe that well-informed employees who participate in internal company communications will become more motivated and competent.

Within our culture of trust, we communicate transparently regarding as many operations and decisions as possible throughout the company, sometimes via company-wide events, but primarily using our internal communication platform Camp. This platform offers many ways for our employees to participate actively on issues and to contribute their own content.

We are grateful that, especially in years of multiple challenges such as the Corona pandemic and increased inflation, we were able to provide stable employment for our employees and even increase our hires. In 2022, we hired a total of 121 new employees and four new trainees, 65 of whom were female and 59 male. This excludes short-term temporary employees and interns. We filled a total of 20 more positions than in the previous year. Including temporary employees and interns, we hired 254 people. Of the newly hired colleagues, 49% were under 30 years old, 41% between 30 and 50 years old and 10% over 50 years old.  The average length of service of permanent employees, i.e. excluding trainees and temporary staff, was 9.4 years in 2022. We are pleased about the great loyalty and long-standing commitment of many of our employees  

Turnover is an important metric for VAUDE because it can provide information about employee satisfaction. As a general rule, the lower the rate, the higher the level of employee satisfaction. At the same time, we consider a certain degree of change to be normal and also healthy, as it gives us the opportunity to develop our personnel structure as needs change. One example of this is our goal of achieving an even better gender balance in the filling of management positions – more on this under "Diversity and Equal Treatment".

The turnover rate initiated by employees is calculated using the “BDA-Formel” (a formula from the Association of the German Federation of Employers: [resignations initiated by employees / average number of employees]*100) and is of particular interest to us because it is considered an important indicator of employee satisfaction.

In the period under review, if the departures of marginally employed persons (mainly temporary staff) are excluded in order to increase the informative value, the ratio is 6.4% (Status 2021 4.8). Including part-time employees, the rate in 2022 was 8.4 %. We attribute the increased values compared to the previous year to the fact that during the Corona pandemic in 2020 and 2021, an increased need for security and less willingness to change jobs was observed; as the effects of the pandemic fade, the turnover rate is back at the level of 2019. In addition, the labor market, which is very employee-friendly in our region, is making itself felt.

The work of our "culture board" plays a significant role in the satisfaction and sense of belonging of all our employees and managers. The interdisciplinary team provides opportunities for intensive personal encounters that strengthen familiarity and trust and allow fun to come into its own alongside work. In the years marked by the Corona pandemic, in which a great deal of work was done virtually, it was a particular challenge to make social networking and the associated support among colleagues effective and tangible. With a great deal of creativity and empathy, our culture board designed formats both in the digital space and, as soon and as far as possible again, together at our location.

We have long known that employees expect more from their work places than just the salary they receive, and this is all the more true for a value-oriented, sustainable brand like VAUDE. The development of professional skills, but also personal growth and the assumption of responsibility are important motivators for our employees.

One focus of our professional training measures is to examine one's own motivational structure, one's own understanding of values, one's own strengths and opportunities to act (self-)effectively. More information on this can be found at Training and Professional Development. We also want to offer as many career development opportunities as possible for our employees. For example, vacant management positions are in the vast majority of cases filled with internal candidates. At the same time, we are open to lateral entries by employees in other divisions.

Exercise, recreational sports and relaxation directly connected with the workplace is a special feature at VAUDE – one that our employees really appreciate. In addition to our company sports and health program "Auszeit", which is you can read about at "Health Promotion", our large climbing wall, a mountain bike pump track, free e-bike rental and our numerous shower facilities are just some of the things that keep our active employees happy and also make it easier to get started in new sporting activities.

Recreational highlights include tours organized by VAUDE for small groups, where activities such as mountain biking, ski touring or others can be tried out under professional guidance or - depending on the level of challenge - one's own performance limits can be tested anew. These events, which usually last one or two days, bring our employees together and lead to even greater identification with our "outdoor" theme. For this reason, participation is supported with a predetermined amount of special leave.

While we enjoy the high standard of our working environment at our corporate headquarters, we are also moving with the times and constantly evaluating our space design in the age of New Work and mobile working (a high proportion of our tasks are now performed from alternative work locations, such as from home). Our goal is to create the best opportunities for inspired and productive work for our employees, depending on their job profile, life circumstances and personal preferences.

See "Future-oriented Working Environments" and “Our Political Stance” for more information.

* Source: http://www.haygroup.com/de/press/details.aspx?id=38211

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