Standing up to discrimination and promoting equal opportunities
Our employees are as diverse as the work we do. We believe that the interplay of a wide range of views, opinions, cultural backgrounds, experiences, and values enables us to exploit the creative potential that makes us successful as a healthcare company. This is the reason we promote international and interdisciplinary cooperation, and diversity and inclusion throughout the entire Group.
More than slogans: Promoting diversity and equal opportunities
Diversity and equal opportunities are fundamental values of our corporate culture, and a key component of our business success. As a Group operating on the global stage, we and our subsidiaries have operations in more than 60 countries, and we have a workforce of more than 190,000 employees. They all represent a wide range of diverse cultures, generations, genders, sexual orientations, and skillsets.
150
nationalitiesare represented among our employees.
These different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences help us to provide a better response to the individual needs of our patients, employees, customers, and partners.
That’s why we actively oppose any form of discrimination and strive to create a working environment where everybody – regardless of their skin color, origin, faith, political views, age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, cultural background, sexual orientation, physical condition, appearance, or other personal characteristics – is respected and supported. We are aware of our responsibility to uphold diversity and boost equal opportunities.
At the same time, we know that diversity also entails challenges. Our initiatives – derived from the management and the workforce – are intended to create a secure environment where everyone is able to develop their full potential.
A robust foundation: Our training and awareness program
We are working on raising awareness within the Group concerning the topic of diversity, the opportunities and challenges it offers, and how we treat each other fairly and respectfully. Research has shown that none of us is entirely free of prejudices and assumptions, and that these can influence our thoughts and actions. We therefore offer training sessions and awareness programs that encourage everybody to look critically at their own attitudes and to learn from each other.
The foundation for all our actions is our Code of Conduct, which defines the ethical principles and standards of our company. The Code highlights how we put our responsibility for diversity into practice, how we want to engage with each other and our business partners, and what we in turn expect from them. We provide regular training on this Code for all employees so as to ensure it remains a living document and is consistently put into practice.
Overcoming unconscious assumptions
During the reporting year, a special focus was directed toward the topic of Unconscious Bias, in other words underlying assumptions that we have about other people or groups. These unconscious biases can lead to us favoring or excluding certain people or perspectives without realizing it. This may not simply negatively impact our decisions and our behavior, but also the performance and well-being of our team.
We offer various learning formats directed toward recognizing and overcoming these blind spots. They raise awareness of this issue and provide concrete strategies on how we can become fairer and more inclusive. These formats include measures like online courses, workshops, webinars, and Peer-Group-Coaching. Some of these formats are targeted specifically at managers, who have a special responsibility to promote a diverse and motivated team.
Diversity in practice
We promote diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion through a variety of concepts and measures. Employees are also encouraged to be creative and have already launched their own initiatives. Our promotional measures are continually being adapted to the specific requirements of the relevant business models and regions.
For diverse management levels: Women in management positions
The promotion of women in management positions is an important concern for us. We are well aware that women are still underrepresented in leadership positions within the healthcare sector, and throughout society at large. We are convinced that a well-balanced gender distribution at management levels enhances the performance and innovative strength of our company and also sends out a signal highlighting a modern corporate culture that is oriented toward the future.
To achieve this, we have defined the following goals. By 2025, the proportion of women in the first and second management levels below the Group Management Board in the Corporate segment should be more than 30%.
Status in 2023:
Share of women of
30
%at the first management level in the Corporate segment
Share of women of
24
%at the second management level in the Corporate segment
To determine the proportion of women in management positions throughout the Fresenius Group, we use the Group-wide variable compensation program (Long-Term Incentive Plan 2023 – LTIP). The LTIP is primarily aimed at management positions that are no more than two levels below the Executive Board.
Share of women in the LTIP in 2023:
27
%In addition, we are working on putting measures in place that are designed to offer our employees the best opportunities to continuously develop and prepare for taking up management roles. In 2022, we launched the learning program Leadership for Women – Boost your Self-Positioning. The female participants are able to boost their self-positioning using various topic modules, and network across divisions by means of peer group coaching. 260 women have already participated during the first two years.
Voice of inclusion: Representatives of the severely disabled
The Fresenius Group employs people with disabilities and people who are severely disabled. These include people in wheelchairs, individuals with a mental disability, people who have survived cancer, and those who live with diabetes, rheumatism, or depression. We want to enable all our employees to apply their knowledge and skills, and we implement the relevant local legal requirements in this context.
In Germany, elections for representatives of the severely disabled are held every four years at Fresenius facilities where at least five severely disabled persons are employed on a more than temporary basis. All employees there can stand for election to this office. We also have corresponding committees at our hospitals in Spain.
The representatives of the severely disabled assist employees in answering questions about workplace design, health protection, and participation in working life. They work closely together with the works council, the management, and the departments in order to guarantee the rights of severely disabled people, and support for them.
Work and impact of representatives for the severely disabled
Helios concluded an overarching inclusion agreement with the division’s representative body for people with severe disabilities:
The agreement promotes equal opportunities by strengthening the participation of (severely) disabled people and employees at risk of disabilities. Furthermore, it aims to prevent employees with (severe) disabilities from being discriminated against or socially excluded.
More than 1,100
senior executives at Helios completed online training courses dealing with the topics of severe disability law and the Corporate Inclusivity Agreement in 2023.
Representing common interests together
Employees have built up various employee networks to represent common interests. The networks offer employees at different locations a platform for exchanging information, for networking, and for further training. They also support the aspiration of Fresenius to create a work environment throughout the Group where diversity and respect go hand in hand. This aim is also reflected in the Diversity Charter which Fresenius signed in May 2023.
Employee networks at Fresenius
The Women’s Initiative is committed to networking, mentoring, and supporting women. The initiative was established in 2022, initially with a focus on Europe, and now has members worldwide, e.g. in Australia, Taiwan, and the United States. It regularly organizes events, workshops, and mentoring programs for interested employees.
At Fresenius Kabi in the United States, there are currently five Employee Impact Groups: Voices of African Descent, Women’s Voice, Pride, Alliance of Asians and Pacific Islanders, and іHOLA! (Hispanic/Latin American employees).
Equal opportunities in talent management
Equal opportunities at Fresenius already start with an inclusive and fair application and appointment process – most importantly for people who are potentially likely to be disadvantaged by experiences of discrimination.
Support for international employees
We offer special advice packages and support for international staff in order to make it easier for them to settle in Germany.
In 2020, Helios already started to train employees as integration managers. They support international nursing staff when they arrive in Germany, assist them in dealings with the authorities, and help generally in other situations. The goal is not only integrating them professionally and with respect to language proficiency, but also socially. This is complemented by local initiatives at individual hospital sites. In order to go a step further with achieving cultural openness and mutual understanding within teams, we train responsible employees to be cultural ambassadors.
Quirónsalud has developed a procedure to help employees recruited from abroad to arrive in Spain smoothly. The function for labor law and employee services also supports the international nursing and medical staff in obtaining residence and work permits.
We also promote diversity in the course of the working day and provide employees with a variety of offerings that are intended to promote intercultural competencies and communication between the different locations. These include language courses, international training programs, and exchange platforms. We are convinced that these measures increase the satisfaction and motivation of our employees, while also enhancing our innovative power and competitiveness as a company.
Alongside promotion of diversity, we attach great importance to equality and fairness. We treat all our employees in the same way and offer them the same opportunities and advantages. This is ensured not least by collective and local agreements.