Own workforce:
Education and further training

Overview

Motivated and qualified employees are the basis for the long-term success of the company. They are not just experienced experts but also the most important ambassadors of the company.

Geberit is an important employer at its production and sales sites; it has an open corporate culture and offers international development opportunities at the interface between the craft, engineering and marketing and sales sectors. Furthermore, the company is an important training company for apprentices.

Employees

From apprentice
to expert

Patrick Grünbeck is advancing recycling projects and production technologies at the plant in Pottenbrunn (AT).

to the highlight

The significance of the topic “Own workforce” in the value chain

Own workforce: Introduction

Definition and materiality

Geberit believes that its employees are of central importance to the long-term success of the company. Attractive working conditions, development opportunities as well as occupational health and safety make a major contribution to the satisfaction, performance and future of the employees.

The company’s own workforce comprises both staff employed directly and people who regularly provide services to Geberit. Staff employed directly refers to all employees with an employment contract at Geberit, including temporary employees, interns and apprentices.

As part of the double materiality assessment, material impacts, risks and opportunities were identified, which were then assigned to the sub-topics “Working conditions”, “Education and further training” and “Occupational health and safety”. A detailed examination of these can be found in the respective sub-section.

Roles and responsibilities

The highest management level is responsible for “Own employees”:

• The Board of Directors is responsible for the overall strategy, approves relevant guidelines and checks their implementation at least once a year.

• The Group Executive Board is responsible for operational implementation. They are supported in this by specialist departments.

The following topics are the responsibility of the respective departments:

• Corporate Human Resources (Corporate HR): fundamental human and employee rights, working conditions, education and further training.

• Corporate Sustainability: occupational health and safety in production and logistics.

The definition of measures and their implementation at the local level are the responsibility of the individual companies.

The relevant stakeholders are also systematically involved in strategic processes – for example through employee surveys or the Geberit Europe Forum. For further information on the involvement of employees and trade unions, see Stakeholder engagement.

Strategies and policies

The corporate and brand values are defined in the Geberit Compass. The Geberit Code of Conduct, which is binding for all employees worldwide, is the central instrument for preventing discrimination, human rights violations including child and forced labour, violations of rights at work and corruption, as well as for ensuring the protection of intellectual property and compliance with data protection. As a result, it serves as an important guide for ethical, environmentally friendly and socially responsible business practices.

An effective compliance system together with annual Code of Conduct reporting ensures ethical and legally compliant conduct, see Corporate culture and antitrust legislation.

Education and further training

In everyday working life, the personal and professional development of each individual employee in all areas of work, functions and age groups is encouraged in a variety of ways.

The local HR teams and the management of the respective Geberit companies are responsible for implementing the measures in the area of education and further training.

Impacts, risks and opportunities

The availability of vocational training and development opportunities affects employee satisfaction and their career prospects. Geberit contributes in many ways to the continuous improvement and availability of professional skills in society and to the creation of qualified jobs through its training and education programmes.

The identified impacts and opportunities in the sub-topic “Education and further training” are listed below together with their location in the value chain:

Management system

Strategies and policies

The basis for all measures in the area of education and further training are the Group-wide Compass as well as the Geberit Code of Conduct.

The topic of education and further training is explicitly incorporated in the Code of Conduct: Geberit is committed to the personal and professional further development of all employees, provides targeted support for managers and young professionals, and is actively involved in the vocational training of young people. In addition, the obligatory performance management process (valYOU) takes place every year, in which individual development needs and opportunities are systematically identified and discussed together with the employees.

Processes, measures and controls

Geberit follows a holistic and systematically established approach to education and further training, which is based on clearly defined processes, structured programmes and effective control mechanisms.

Onboarding and introduction

New employees are introduced to the company and its product portfolio through individually designed job orientation programmes and the multi-day Welcome to Geberit course on joining the company. These practical formats promote the understanding of the corporate culture.

Performance assessment and development

The performance management process valYOU launched in 2020 is a central element of the assessment. It is a modern instrument, which integrates performance assessment, professional development, succession planning and compensation management. valYOU is binding for all employees and takes place annually. Individual development needs are identified and discussed in a dialogue between the manager and the employee; appropriate measures are planned on this basis.

Internal development programmes

Geberit offers various structured programmes for the targeted training and further development of the employees:

• GROW and LEAD: These programmes are aimed at young talents and experienced managers. GROW promotes high-potential employees and prepares them for future managerial or specialist roles, while LEAD supports the further development of existing managers with a focus on leadership skills, strategic thinking and corporate activities. Find out more

• Operations Development Programme (ODP): The four-year talent development programme is geared towards university graduates with a technical or engineering background. The goal is qualification for management tasks in the area of operations (production, logistics, purchasing) through international project work, intercultural learning and close supervision by local management. Find out more

• Sales Development Programme (SDP): Launched in 2024, the SDP is aimed at talented external prospects with an economics or technical background. It starts with an introductory phase at a sales site and comprises at least one year of project work in international sales organisations. The goal is preparation for a future management position in Sales. Find out more

Vocational training

Geberit is committed to the vocational training of young people. Apprentices are trained in commercial, industrial or technical professions and given systematic support with modern learning methods, including digital ones. A particular highlight of the training programme is the six-month deployment abroad, which allows select graduates to gain practical experience and take part in projects at a foreign site once they have finished their training. Find out more

University cooperations and talent acquisition

Geberit is intensifying its cooperation with universities and institutes in order to actively counteract the skills shortage. The local companies maintain local cooperations for internships and theses. At Group level, Geberit is committed to international networks such as UNITECH, which connects students, companies and universities. Find out more

Individual further training and Geberit Campus

Employees who want to further their professional qualifications are supported through paid leave and financial assistance when taking part in Bachelor, Master or diploma courses.

The internal training platform Geberit Campus offers a wide range of face-to-face seminars, courses and free eLearning courses, which can be used flexibly depending on needs.

Measures and key figures in the reporting year

The Group-wide employee survey carried out in the reporting year focussed explicitly on development opportunities for the employees.

Development and assessment

As part of the standard global valYOU process for performance assessment, supervisors and employees also identify, discuss and plan development opportunities. In the reporting year, 94% of all employees took part in these appraisal interviews.

Internal and external education and further training

The project to replace the internal training platform Campus was launched in the reporting year. The new myHR Learning platform extends the opportunities available to date. The changeover should be completed by the end of 2026.

In the reporting year, employees attended on average 14.4 hours of internal and external education and further training per full-time position (previous year 14.0 hours).

Internal development programmes

In 2025, 90 employees (previous year 100) took part in the internal development programmes GROW and LEAD, of these 23 women (previous year 30). The internal development programmes are intended to help fill half of all vacant managerial positions with internal candidates. In 2025, this was achieved for 57% of all vacancies.

Vocational training and internships

Geberit employed 287 apprentices at the end of 2025 (previous year 283). The transfer rate to a permanent employment relationship was 51% (previous year 63%). Geberit offers apprenticeship positions in a total of 21 professions.