Responsible employer

Responsible employer

Because we take openness and honesty seriously, the opinion of our employees is key to evolving our culture.

In 2014 and 2016 we conducted extensive surveys among around 140,000 employees throughout the Group to find out more about working at thyssenkrupp. Most recently 78% of them took part. Since then we have been working to draw the right conclusions from the results and implement thousands of improvements in teams worldwide. Leadership, trust, feedback culture, but also work organization and customer focus: These are topics which are particularly important to us.

Building on good traditions, we evolve our company responsibly

Our motto “engineering. tomorrow. together.” unites us all at thyssenkrupp. We are all committed to the engineering of sustainable solutions, and we are convinced that we can produce the best results by working together. A corporate culture with shared values like team spirit, communication, commitment, a success mindset, and respect for colleagues, customers, investors, and competitors is one of our key success factors.

We live this culture every day. thyssenkrupp does business in accordance with very clear guidelines:

Fair employer

Fair employer

We belong together, at every workplace, in every plant, in every country. We can all be counted on.

thyssenkrupp also lives through our talent for collaboration. We trust, help, and respect each other in our work – as a matter of principle, and because it makes us more successful. To us values and actions are inseparably linked. We are fair. We do what we say and say what we do. Transparency and consistency are important to us as people, colleagues, and active members of society. We take responsibility – also in times of change.

This is reflected in our good relationship with employee representative bodies and trade unions (as evidenced by the International Framework Agreement of 2015 between thyssenkrupp AG, the Group works council, the metalworkers union IG Metall, and the “IndustriALL Global Union.” The Agreement contains, for example, principles on occupational safety and health, opportunities for professional and personal development, the right to fair pay, the prohibition of child and forced labor, and the prohibition of discrimination of all kinds. And we go further, by monitoring implementation of the Agreement globally: thyssenkrupp has created a central office for reporting suspected infringements, and set up an International Committee with representatives of the Group works council, European works council, and the union, whose remit is to intervene and develop solutions in the event of infringements or disputes.

Participation

Participation

We foster our relationships

For thyssenkrupp close and trusting cooperation with the employee representatives is a must. The basis for mutual trust and support is an open and constructive dialogue characterized by mutual respect.

For thyssenkrupp close and trusting cooperation with the employee representatives is a must.


In Germany the system of codetermination allowing employees to participate in corporate decisions is subject to the Works Constitution Act. At thyssenkrupp it is practiced on two levels. In the Group companies, employee interests are represented by the local works councils and joint works councils. The works council/joint works council and the management jointly negotiate appropriate tailored solutions for the company. At Group level we maintain an active social partnership with the Group works council (GWC). The GWC holds monthly meetings, which are regularly attended by the CHRO and appropriate further decision-makers. In addition we discuss various topics with the relevant specialist committees of the GWC and jointly develop Groupwide agreements and policies.

Beyond the requirements of the Works Constitution Act, we have also set up works council unions at business area level, whose members we keep up to date on matters relating to the relevant business area.

Codetermination is practiced in such a way that employee interests are represented on the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG by ten employee representatives (one of whom represents the executive employees) in accordance with the statutory requirements. This means that half of the members of the Supervisory Board are employee representatives (the other ten members are shareholder representatives).

The European works council (EWC) is the body responsible for promoting social dialogue and representing the interests of employees at European level. It is the mouthpiece for thyssenkrupp’s European employees. Based on the “Agreement on European Dialogue and the Provision of Information to and Consultation with the Employees of the European Group Member Companies” we inform the EWC in advance of significant operational changes with cross-national significance. Two meetings of the EWC and four meetings of the EWC executive committee take place each year. Members of the Executive Board regularly attend meetings of the EWC and are available to answer questions and participate in discussions.

To us values and actions are inseparably linked. We are fair. We do what we say and say what we do.