Supportive and motivating working

Aging societies in developed countries, a shortage of skilled workers in many parts of the world, increasingly digitalized workplaces, global competition for well-qualified engineers and the younger generation’s expectations of employers – these are just some of the challenges faced by Vossloh in the area of human resources. The company, therefore, attaches great importance to providing its employees with a positive work environment. Being a green company in a crisis-proof industry is a vital component of our employer branding activities.

Modern IT facilities, fresh fruit, free mineral water, surprise gifts on special occasions, i.e. Christmas, Easter – and Thanksgiving (U.S. only), sports groups and team building are all clear incentives for employees at Vossloh.

Vossloh practices a life phase-oriented HR policy. The issue of work-life balance is discussed between employee representatives and management in a constructive manner. The German Vossloh companies have all successfully passed the „Work and Family“ audit.

In March 2022, a social pact was introduced to improve the work-life balance at all of the French companies in the Vossloh Group. The guidelines include a ban on sending emails or making phone calls outside regular working hours. Employees with care responsibilities have also been granted certain privileges. Special rules about working from home have been put in place at all locations in order to improve the work-life balance of our employees. Part-time working models and additional schemes have been set up for parents to help them balance their professional and personal obligations. All corresponding regulations are required to comply with the legal requirements of the respective countries.

Topics that further strengthen Vossloh’s sustainability approach are also incorporated into the company’s bonus system. The continuous improvement process (CIP) in place in some business units was transformed into the Group-wide Fit 4 Future ideas program in 2021 in close cooperation with employee representatives and the Executive Board. All employees can submit ideas via an app available in several languages and support their implementation across all business units. The express aim is to reduce the use of materials and energy as well as manpower and time in all areas of the company, thereby cutting costs. The best projects resulting from the submitted proposals are entered in an annual competition. Three projects selected by a jury each receive the Eduard Vossloh Award. The finalists present their ideas at the annual Leaders‘ Lounge meeting, with attendees deciding on the order of the winners. In 2022, projects from Luxembourg, Germany and Australia were selected as finalists.

During the year under review, employees or teams from all business units submitted almost 1000 ideas (previous year: over 650 ideas), of which just under 300 were implemented in 2022. Twelve proposals were nominated for the prize named after the company’s founder – consisting of a cash sum as well as training and team building opportunities. A team from Vossloh Switch Systems in Rumelange, Luxembourg received the €15,000 first prize.

Vossloh Group companies assess employee satisfaction by means of regular surveys regarding various focal issues. Improvements and changes are identified on the basis of these surveys. In 2022, employee surveys were conducted at the Chinese sites (on working conditions in each case; a number of suggestions were implemented directly) and Polish sites (with a focus on online training, the quality of which was assessed as good) of the Vossloh Fastening Systems business unit along with a number of other sites. Vossloh was again awarded the „Training Company 2022“ seal of quality based on the positive assessments of its apprentices in Germany. In the Customized Modules division, Vossloh Nordic Switch Systems is a pioneer in terms of employee surveys and conducts regular surveys on motivation levels and other issues. The same procedure is due to be adopted by the other units of the division in 2023. Vossloh Rail Services goes one step further when it comes to employee satisfaction: satisfied employees who recruit skilled workers to join Vossloh receive a bonus.