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Employeescbi:///cms/181258

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A company that places the customer at the centre of its activities needs dedicated, qualified employees to put this claim into practice every day. For this reason, our commitment to our own employees forms a central focal point of sustainability management at GROUP. Through our forward-looking and innovative personnel concepts, we are addressing the challenges of demographic change and growing multicultural societies while supporting the development of our employees’ talents and performance. cbi:///cms/190031

METRO GROUP is an economically significant and attractive employercbi:///cms/190033

Retailing is one of the most labour-intensive of all industries. In Europe, one in every seven jobs is related to retailing. In 2010, the number of employees at METRO GROUP grew as well. Excluding trainees and apprentices, 252,258 people on average worked for the company in 2010. The number of employees in Germany declined slightly due to adjustments to the portfolio of locations as well as internal restructuring programmes. In all other regions, the number of employees increased considerably as a result of the continued international expansion of METRO GROUP. cbi:///cms/190034

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METRO GROUP pursues an active diversity management to tap the social diversity of its workforce while addressing the challenges arising from demographic change. cbi:///cms/191066

Work-life balance improvedcbi:///cms/190035

All METRO GROUP sales divisions have launched targeted personnel programmes to significantly increase the number of women in management positions and to improve the overall work-life balance. W omen already fill 18.6 percent of our management positions, and we will continue to strive to significantly increase this share. cbi:///cms/190037

We place a special focus on women during the recruitment process and in professional development. This includes regular assessments on performance and potential. In context of our Development Centre programs, we offer targeted coaching and mentoring. In addition, we have launched measures to help employees to better balance their family and professional lives: our headquarters in Düsseldorf already has two day-care centres with 142 full-time day-care slots. In 2012, we will open a third day-care facility, increasing the existing child-care opportunities to over 230 bilingual day-care slots. At these facilities, we will guarantee day care for single parents starting in 2012. And, we offer child care for the children of employees during school holidays. Moreover, our sales divisions are planning cooperative partnerships with the operators of local daycare centres. W e also support employees who are caring for close relatives, allowing them to take a leave of absence for up to two years after the end of the statutory nursing period, and we cover the costs of their social-security contributions - for even longer in individual cases. cbi:///cms/190038

METRO GROUP promotes flexible working hours in all sales divisions: in consultation with superiors, we offer such arrangements as part-time work, trustbased working hours and home office options. cbi:///cms/190039

Turnover rate reduced by 3.4 percentage pointscbi:///cms/190041

Recruiting employees for long-term employment with our company is a central objective of METRO GROUP’s employment strategy. In 2010, the global turnover rate was reduced by 3.4 percentage points to 16.6 percent. Long-term employee retention concepts have resulted in a noticeable decline in employee turnover, particularly in Germany and Western Europe. In contrast, the turnover rate in Asia increased as a result of the special local labour market situation and flexibility. cbi:///cms/190042

To learn more about the expectations of our employees and what they think about their jobs, METRO GROUP regularly conducts surveys on employee commitment. The aim of these surveys is to identify potential for improvement and to create a positive work environment. After all, motivated, dedicated employees play a key role in contributing to the success of our company. cbi:///cms/190043

Number of Vocational trainees remain highcbi:///cms/190044

Once again in 2010, many young people showed a large interest in the vocational training opportunities offered by METRO GROUP. In Germany, the company helped 2,371 school-leavers begin their professional lives. The company remains one of Germany’s leading providers of vocational training, employing a total of 7,894 apprentices in more than 25 occupations. Despite the challenging market environment and some store divestments in Germany, METRO GROUP sets the pace in the industry with an 8.4 percent share of apprentices. In addition, two in three apprentices were offered regular jobs in the 2010 financial year. cbi:///cms/190045

Our trainees also engage with the topic of social responsibility early on. Young employees can participate in internal company competitions by submitting their ideas on such sustainability issues as "Healthy diets" and "Saving energy at work". cbi:///cms/190047

Programmes combating youth unemployment launchedcbi:///cms/190048

As Germany’s largest retail and wholesale company, METRO GROUP not only carries a responsibility for its own employees, but also for society as a whole. The high rate of unemployment among young people in European countries is a challenge that can only be solved within an alliance between government and business. METRO GROUP actively assumes its responsibility and each year offers underprivileged young people the opportunity to receive additional qualifications and become integrated into the working world. In the programme called "Job-starting qualifications for young people" (Einstiegsqualifikation für Jugendliche - EQJ) carried out in cooperation with the German Labour Agency, long-term unemployed youths with few or no qualifications are targeted to receive the opportunity to perform an internship in a company. METRO GROUP is involved in similar programmes in other European countries as well. cbi:///cms/190052

Employee qualification and development structures further extendedcbi:///cms/190053

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Participants of the "Metro Education" programme in the Czech Republic receive their certificate. In these programmes, students spend several months learning about business theory and the business practice of an international trade and retail group. cbi:///cms/191069

The systematic qualification of its employees is a key priority for METRO GROUP, particularly in light of demographic change and the resulting competition for qualified workers and executives. To identify potential young executives and systematically prepare them for their management responsibilities, the company has created a Group-wide system for career and succession planning. This includes regular assessments on performance and potential, Group-wide Development Centres, and targeted coaching and mentoring programmes. Individual development plans for employees and opportunities for life-long learning are conceptually anchored in all company units. Employees can also take advantage of the multifaceted further-education opportunities offered at numerous locations across the globe as well as online. The House of Training at Metro Cash & Carry offers learning platforms that teach specialised knowledge and new management methods. Through the Saturn Online Academy of the Saturn sales division, employees can directly access various learning modules online. By taking this approach, needs-oriented, individual qualification modules ensure that our employees have the most current knowledge available and are supported in performing their continuously changing tasks. cbi:///cms/190054

Diversity as a competitive advantagecbi:///cms/190058

Active diversity management has been a firm fixture of our corporate culture for many years. METRO GROUP believes that the different cultural backgrounds and skills of its employees help it gain better access to the markets and customers in the 33 countries the company does business in. Multicultural differences hold many opportunities for differentiation and create the necessary conditions for finding ideal solutions for the global competitive environment. cbi:///cms/190059

As part of a forward-looking and sustainable personnel policy, diversity embraces cultural aspects as well as the social and demographic diversity of the workforce. For example, METRO GROUP values the expertise of its employees who have ample professional and life experience and systematically supports them. All sales divisions are committed to creating age-appropriate working conditions and offer a wide range of qualification and development programmes. This also includes the company’s health-management efforts, which have been continuously enhanced over the course of past years. cbi:///cms/190060