Value added through appreciation

From people for people – employees and their commitment to the customer play a special role in the trade and retail sector. Around the world, highly motivated employees stand behind the success of METRO Group. In order to remain competitive, METRO Group is working with far-sighted personnel concepts. The key measures include the management of demographic change, the development of group-wide corporate health management, an active Diversity Management, and the improvement of work-life-balance for company employees.

The employees play a key role in the value added process in retailing: they represent the company in their daily contacts with the customers and suppliers. Their motivation and their engagement for the customers also stand behind the worldwide success of METRO Group. In order to maintain and support this dedication, METRO Group has developed innovative and far-sighted personnel concepts that take into account the demographic, technological and sociocultural change worldwide.

People are getting older and birth-rates are sinking. This demographic development is changing the structure of Europe's population. In the coming years, companies will have fewer qualified workers and executives at their disposal. In order to remain competitive under these altered parameters, METRO Group is working with far-sighted personnel concepts. One key measure is the implementation of a corporate health management system. It includes all aspects of circumstantial and behavioural prevention, as well as of integration and rehabilitation. A Group-wide corporate health management also includes a health promoting corporate and management culture because one of our strategic goals is to sustainably maintain and support the performance capability and employability of all staff members throughout their entire professional life.

In light of the rising retirement age and foreseeable reductions in retirement benefit levels, it is becoming increasingly important to plan for retirement. Our "Future Package" helps employees build their supplemental pension plan. The Group-wide pension programme provides additional voluntary benefits that go beyond the stipulations of collective-bargaining agreements and has been embraced by employees. In 2007, nearly 63,000 employees signed up for this programme in Germany.

Worldwide, METRO Group employs people from 159 countries. In Germany alone, 138 nationalities are represented. With our "Advantage: Diversity!" initiative, we enable each employee to grow according to his or her performance and abilities. Multicultural differences harbour extraordinary opportunities. To tap special expertise even better, in 2007 METRO Group established an integration programme for new employees that is aimed particulary at migrant employees.

"The METRO Group sees maintaining its employees' health as a significant part of its social responsibility and a crucial requirement for its companies’ competitiveness. Workplace health promotion in METRO Group companies is an investment in strengthening and maintaining all employees' productivity and employability throughout their entire professional lives. This investment will take on added significance as the workforce grows older and as the actual age of retirement is expected to rise in the medium term."

Dr. Jürgen Pfister, Head of Personnel and Social Affairs, METRO AG