Employees

Number of employees decreased

At the end of 2022, the Geberit Group employed 11,514 staff worldwide, equivalent to a decrease of 295 employees or 2.5% compared to the previous year. This decrease was due to – mainly temporary – capacity adjustments in production and logistics due to the decline in volume.

Based on the average headcount of 11,809, net sales per employee amounted to TCHF 287 (-2.0% versus prior year).

Broken down by business process, staff numbers were as follows: Production employed 59% of the staff members, with 27% in marketing and sales. Additionally, 8% of the employees worked in administration, and 3% in research and development. The share of apprentices was 3%.

In 2022, personnel expenses amounted to CHF 776 million. Once again, the employees were able to take part in share participation plans at attractive conditions, see Consolidated financial statements Geberit Group, Note 17 and Remuneration Report. In the reporting year, 3,455 employees took part in the employee participation plan at a discount of 50% (previous year 45%) on the share price. This corresponds to a participation rate of 31.2% (previous year 29.5%). The total costs borne by the company for the discount amounted to CHF 6.7 million. As of 31 December 2022, a total of 4,297 employees were Geberit shareholders.

Diversity and inclusion

At the end of 2022, Geberit employed 76% men and 24% women (previous year 76% and 24%). In senior management, the proportion of female employees was 11% (previous year 11%). The six-member Board of Directors has two female members.

An equal pay analysis carried out in 2021 at all Geberit companies in Switzerland confirmed that equal pay between female and male employees is upheld. The results were audited and confirmed by the certified auditors PwC.

15% of the workforce is under 30 years of age, 42% between 30 and 45 and 43% over 45. The goal is to have a good mixture of ages. Senior employees pass on their knowledge to the next generation, and in turn benefit from the new perspectives offered by the young talents.

Around 230 full-time positions are filled by employees with disabilities. Furthermore, assembly and packaging work at various sites amounting to around 185 full-time positions is consciously awarded to external workshops for people with disabilities. As a result, in total around 400 full-time positions are created for people with disabilities, corresponding to 3.5% of all full-time positions. The share of inclusive workplaces (internal and external workshops) should be further increased in the medium term.

Geberit has the goal of further reinforcing its position as a responsible and attractive employer. In the reporting year, a strategic review was carried out on the topic of diversity and equal opportunity. In a survey, more than 1,600 employees from over 30 countries shared their opinions on diversity, equal opportunity, the promotion of women and the reconciliation of family and working life in the company. Around 75% of those surveyed agreed with the statement that Geberit offers a diverse and inclusive environment. The survey is used as a starting point for drawing up a Group-wide diversity directive that should be supplemented by local standards.

With its commitment to qualified jobs and equal opportunities, Geberit makes a tangible contribution to Goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, which aims to promote productive employment and decent work for all.

High levels of employee satisfaction

An employee survey carried out in 2021 confirmed that Geberit offers attractive working conditions and that the employees demonstrate an above-average level of both motivation and loyalty. The Group-wide participation rate was 79%. An overwhelming majority of the employees identifies very strongly with Geberit. Four-fifths of all those asked are proud to work for the company and would recommend it as an employer. 80% plan to work at least another five years at Geberit. More than 90% of the participants believe in the future of the company and in its innovative strength in the area of product development. These values are significantly higher than comparative values from other successful industrial companies.

Among other things, there is potential for improvement in the work-life balance perceived by employees. The aforementioned new directive will also include measures in this area.

Concerted efforts in training and education

Together with an external training provider, a leadership development programme was developed in 2022 with the goal of strengthening leadership skills and establishing a consistent management culture.

A further focus was on the training offered to top management. The some 220 senior managers at the Group took part in management training in the reporting year. The goal was to give the managers new strategic and methodical impetus, to improve their own management skills, and to strengthen Group-wide networking and cross-functional cooperation.

Partnerships with universities and institutes were further intensified in order to counteract the increasing skills shortage. The local companies are in contact with institutes of technology and universities regarding project-related collaborations to supervise Bachelor and Master theses and to gain students for internships. In the reporting year, around 50 students were employed at the company as part of project work or theses. Geberit is also part of international engineer networks such as UNITECH, which unites renowned European universities, corporate partners and engineering students. Furthermore, the company also collaborates with BEST (Board of European Students of Technology). This non-profit organisation networks engineering students from 33 European countries.

In 2022, young talents again started out on their career paths at Geberit production sites as part of the Operations Development Programme. The goal of the programme is to ensure that the production locations and logistics sites also continue to have highly trained managers at their disposal in future, who have already gained experience at the respective site. The company is looking for talented external prospects with an engineering or technical background who want to head up strategic projects and take on responsibility during and following the four-year internal training.

The two internal Potentials Management Programmes – on a regional and Group level – aim to identify talents in the company and support them along their path to middle or senior management. In the reporting year, around 90 employees took part in these programmes. The development programmes are intended to help fill at least half of all vacant managerial positions with internal candidates. In 2022, this was achieved for 57% of all Group management vacancies (previous year 50%).

Geberit employed 283 apprentices at the end of 2022 (previous year 278). The transfer rate to a permanent employment relationship was 83% (previous year 85%). The apprentices should already have the opportunity to get practical insights at other sites during their training. During a six-month assignment at a Geberit site abroad, they work on various projects or support day-to-day business there. Geberit is convinced that experience abroad and the transfer of know-how are an advantage for both young employees and the company alike.

Worldwide training initiative for new appraisal process

At the end of 2020, a new performance management process (“valYOU”) was launched for performance assessment, professional development and compensation management. In the reporting year, valYOU was also rolled out at all production sites. The managers at these sites took part in two-day management training sessions carried out across the Group. The core element of these sessions was the combination of theory and practice through the simulation of practical examples.

Guiding principles for all employees

Geberit aims to act as a role model for ethically unimpeachable, environmentally friendly and socially responsible operations. The Compass – a guide for employees on the mission, values, operational principles and the success factors of Geberit – and the Code of Conduct for Employees serve as the applicable guidelines.

Focus on occupational health and safety

Occupational health and safety has a very high priority within the Geberit Group. The aim is to halve the number and severity of accidents by 2025 based on the reference year 2015. The AFR (Accident Frequency Rate) is to be reduced to a rate of 5.5 occupational accidents (with absences of one day or more) per million working hours. The ASR (Accident Severity Rate) is to be reduced to below 90 days lost per million working hours. In the reporting year, the accident frequency rose to a value of 8.2 (previous year 7.9), which corresponds to an increase of 3.8%. The accident severity increased by 3.1% to 157.5 (previous year 152.8) in the same period. There were no fatal accidents. Since 2015, the AFR has fallen by 28.1% and the ASR by 23.6%.

All production plants and the central logistics centre in Pfullendorf (DE) are certified in accordance with the occupational health and safety standard ISO 45001. The new plant in Stryków (PL), which started operations in 2022 and is affiliated with the production plant in Ozorków (PL), will be audited for the first time in 2023. The Geberit Safety System defines occupational health and safety concepts as well as processes that are applicable throughout the Group. There are safety officers at all production plants and the central logistics centre. The Group-wide Geberit Safety Team also plays an active role in developing occupational health and safety systematically throughout the entire organisation. In the reporting year, this team developed concepts for applicable Group-wide safety standards and for safety audits across plants. These are aimed at increasing the safety level and should be rolled out in 2023.

The creation of safe and clean workstations at the production plants is pursued consistently. Equipment and processes are constantly being optimised, hazardous substances replaced and dust and noise emissions reduced. Additionally, the increasing use of robots or lifting aids improves the working conditions in terms of ergonomics. As the majority of occupational accidents and time lost are still attributable to carelessness, great importance is attached to long-term training and raising employee awareness. An eLearning programme supports these efforts and helps to identify danger areas in the workplace and rectify them consistently.

It is a matter of great importance to Geberit that employee health should be actively promoted. With this in mind, diverse vitality programmes are offered at 18 production and sales sites in the fields of exercise, mental fitness, nutrition and the working environment. The most comprehensive programme “Geberit Vital” can be accessed by around 40% of the workforce.