Sustainability report 2021/22

Social

Future-oriented employment as a guarantee of success

Strategic positioning

The people directly and indirectly connected with KHS form the core of our responsibility to society. First and foremost, we focus on our employees and their families, our customers and suppliers and the communities where our production sites are located. We are convinced that the key to the success of our company lies in mutual esteem and fair cooperation. 

Here, our employees are our most precious commodity. They shape the future of our company; our success and progress depend on them. KHS thrives on the expertise, commitment and innovative spirit of its entire workforce. For us, good working conditions and an open environment defined by respect and appreciation are therefore a basic requirement. Flexible working hours, remote work options, an attractive and appreciative remuneration structure and a healthy and safe working environment are just a few examples of this. Another major focus lies in specifically involving our personnel in company matters. Our employees’ experience and many years of expertise help to shape our change and improvement processes to the benefit of all concerned.  

Comprehensive strategy

The central challenges to society we face today encompass not just climate change but also the development in our demographic, meaning that fewer much-needed qualified experts are available, plus digitalization and the resulting changes this brings to the world of work. 

KHS GmbH rises to these challenges in the context of its social responsibility. Embedded in its corporate personnel policy, the company has thus implemented a human resources strategy that defines four fields of action: 

  1. Digitalization and process efficiency 
  2. Modern working environment 
  3. Assurance of skilled labor 
  4. Personnel development. 

For each of these fields of action we have devised numerous measures that are being implemented step by step. These center on optimizing the recruitment of young professionals through qualification initiatives, fostering potential, strengthening employee loyalty and making HR processes as efficient as possible. A targeted change management system supplements the activities that result from the above fields.  

Our employees are at the core of our HR processes. Here, a perfect working environment protects the health of our personnel and encourages their performance, motivation and productivity. We specifically promote and make especial demands of our high performers and people with potential. The skills and knowledge of our workforce hold the greatest value for us. In this light, an excellent personnel development scheme and outstanding programs of basic and further training are valuable tools. We ensure a specific transfer of knowledge in order to keep our expertise in the company. In all of our activities we take the demands made of our employees specific to their stage of life into account and in doing so bring about a change in social priorities within the company. 

With our HR strategy we aim to further increase our company’s competitive edge and innovative skills, provide our workforce with optimum chances for advancement and shoulder our responsibility to society. 

Future-oriented employment as a guarantee of success 

For KHS, providing someone with a future-oriented, fair and secure job is of high business relevance and a guarantee of the success of our company. Some of our customers require that we hold certificates on sustainability and social responsibility, for instance. Here, we have been able to provide proof of consistent SEDEX SMETA certification since 2012 and an EcoVadis certificate since 2015.  

The working conditions at our company are a key deciding factor when attracting new employees. At a time of fierce competition in the drive to recruit and commit specialist workers, we find it both essential and elemental that we offer our personnel an excellent working environment, ensure fair working conditions and hold them in high regard.  

Our personnel can depend on us as their reliable and strategic partner at all times. Our work together is built on a performance culture based on trust, respect and esteem, with fair and cooperative partnership. For all of our futures we wish to continue to motivate our employees with this perspective and attract good, new team members to KHS. 

Trusting partnership  

It is important to our employees that their interests are represented across a broad spectrum. This is a basic prerequisite if we are to work constructively together on an equal footing. This is ensured by trade unions, work councils and other employee representative committees according to the legal basis. The Executive Management Board regularly confers with these associations on the company’s development and analyzes the working conditions that derive from this. This trusting and constructive cooperation has a positive impact on our social standards.  

KHS wishes to ensure that all regulations that must be observed during company activities are adhered to, such as the relevant laws and our in-house rules (for example, our code of conduct and compliance guidelines). To this end, our personnel receive instruction on topics such as compliance and data privacy on a regular basis.  

Our production companies outside Germany are included in the drawing up of our corporate guidelines and memoranda. This extends the range of application of our national standards. Internationally applicable standards/regulations thus respect the relevant local provisions. 

KHS is convinced that with our HR strategy and the measures derived from this we are well prepared for the challenges of the future. Under the auspices of our HR strategy we can rapidly adjust to all changes to society and always cater for the needs of our workforce in an appropriate manner. Only in this way can we meet our social responsibility. 

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