As a service provider, KAEFER is a people business – and our people trust us to support and promote their interests across a range of issues including employment, training, diversity, anti-discrimination, and freedom of association. The majority of our employees works on clients’ sites where we deliver services. As a result, 85% of our people are site personnel working directly at our clients’ locations.

We can only succeed if our people are engaged, motivated and skilled – and if we provide the right support and career development opportunities. KAEFER’s company culture demands leadership through example, dialogue, and zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment.

We are committed to the protection of labour and human rights, to identifying and promoting talent, and to providing education and training opportunities designed to realise the full potential of every employee.

The starting point for designing effective and targeted measures is understanding the current situation. Therefore, in 2022, KAEFER made a co-ordinated effort to add numerous new data points to the information we regularly collect on our activities, allowing us a more granular view of our workforce in terms of diversity and training activities.

We also made changes to KAEFER’s grievance mechanism, improving our processes around discrimination claims and ensuring that all parties involved have a clear understanding of their options, rights and responsibilities.

Employment

At KAEFER, our goal is to provide employees around the world with secure, long-term employment. Our approach foresees the employment of our own operational workers. However, due to the seasonal nature of our business, we also rely on subcontractors. In 2022, approximately 5,000 additional personnel worked for KAEFER during periods of peak demand.

Freedom of association and collective bargaining agreements

Direct dialogue with employees and their union representatives helps to ensure our people take a personal interest in determining the conditions for their future. It also ensures that all employees are fully involved in our corporate objectives. We have regular discussions on working conditions and health and safety.

In accordance with national laws, KAEFER respects the right of all employees to form and join a trade union without fear of intimidation. In addition, we see this as an important part of building a culture of mutual respect and trust within our company, especially as we support a fairer and more ethical work environment.

KAEFER respects the rights of workers to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining. Due to the nature and global spread of our business, a variety of levels and local differences exist. Overall, 67% of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements worldwide.

Non-discrimination

Ensuring a fair, respectful, and compliant working environment is our underlying principle. KAEFER has zero tolerance for human rights violations, inhumane working conditions, or child labour. We respect and support human rights and do not permit discrimination or the denial of collective bargaining rights.

KAEFER entities have active human resources departments, driving progress across employment, training, and diversity within specific cultural and legal environments. As a group, KAEFER also sets an overall framework of rights and responsibilities, applicable wherever we operate. This framework is subject to a constant process of revision and improvement. In 2022, for example, we supplemented KAEFER’s Code of Business Conduct with a standalone global Human Rights Policy.

The policy follows international standards and principles such as the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and is designed to reinforce our commitment to:

• Equality and freedom from discrimination
• Health & Safety
• Freedom of association and collective bargaining
• Labour rights
• Freedom from harassment or bullying
• Prevention of forced labour and child labour

Following this policy, we created a Human Rights Risk Management System in 2022, including the following components:

• Formalising a policy statement
• Setting a framework for annual Human Rights Risk Analysis
• Ensuring preventive and corrective measures to be taken whenever necessary
• Implementing a monitoring and public reporting system
• Extending our grievance mechanism

Training & Education

We can only succeed if we ensure that everyone is engaged, motivated and skilled, thus it is our intention to promote life-long learning. KAEFER wants to develop people skills by enabling a prosperous career and foster ambitious talents within the organisation. Therefore, we offer a variety of different trainings for our employees. Talent development tools such as Annual Performance Reviews, Succession Planning as well as Development Plans for high potentials are integral parts of our people management approach.

Today’s apprentices and trainees are tomorrow’s experts and leaders. Depending on the field of activity, we offer comprehensive programmes and opportunities for young people with talent, drive, and determination. And in some countries, we have been training tomorrow’s talent for decades.

Diversity

KAEFER operates in traditionally male-dominated industries. While we have made significant progress in improving the diversity of our white collar workforce in recent years – both in terms of age and gender – we want to keep the level high on providing equal opprotunities on site and in workshops.

As well as formalising our responsibilities towards employees, for example through our Code of Business Conduct and Human Rights policies, we provide trainings at various locations designed to reduce inequalities. We are conscious of how important it is that we communicate effectively about our aspirations not only with employees, but also with potential new recruits – through our website, our company magazine, job advertisements, social media, and at careers fairs.

We take pride in being different and foster a culture that embraces the many facets of diversity inherent in our workforce. That brings out the best in our people, who epitomise our values and live them every day. Diversity enriches our lives in many ways. An overview on current best practices can be found on the bottom of this page.

For the upcoming years, our focus will be on further developing activities and strategic approaches that have already been initiated mainly in areas of gender pay, diversity programs, and extending our reporting approach in line with new laws and regulations.