UNITED INTERNET AS AN EMPLOYER

Management Approach

Materiality, Impact, and Risks

  • GRI 103-1

As an internet and telecommunications company, United Internet shares the typical features of this sector: a rapidly changing environment, short innovation cycles, and intense competition. Our dedicated and highly skilled employees and managers are a key factor in mastering these challenges.

United Internet aims to be a fair and attractive employer.

This means we place great value on a sustainable, balanced strategy encompassing all core human resources areas: from recruitment through customized onboarding and training formats for specific target groups, job-specific qualification programs, and support for individual career paths, down to the development and long-term retention of managers, high potentials, and top performers.

Our staff and applicants expect nothing less. Highly qualified, well-trained employees are the cornerstone of United Internet’s business success. It is therefore vital for us to meet our short-, medium-, and long-term staffing requirements and ensure that our workforce has the necessary specialist skills. If we fail to do this, United Internet might not be able to do business effectively or to achieve its growth targets.


Goals and Measures

  • GRI 103-2

In line with this, United Internet aims to be a fair and attractive employer. Our goal is to recruit managers and employees with specialist skills and technological know-how, to support their continuing development, and to retain them at the Company.

One core principle of our human resources work is always to see our staff as individuals first, and not just as employees. We create a high-performance culture by ensuring our corporate values are reflected in strategic human resources issues such as compensation, continuing education and training, and work safety.

We work constantly to enhance and expand employees’ skills and managers’ leadership qualities alike. We do this using focused professional development training, mentoring and coaching programs, and special offerings for high potentials, among other things.

We are also convinced that the diversity of our workforce creates the conditions needed for creativity and productivity. We make the most of this wealth of potential ideas and innovations by promoting diversity and equal opportunities through a variety of formats.

We also aim to use our employee health management program and our work safety and preventive measures to promote staff health.

Personnel issues are the responsibility of the heads of Human Resources at the business segments concerned, who report regularly to their management boards.

Results and Assessment

  • GRI 103-3

We use a range of performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of our human resources work in different areas; these are generally calculated by HR Control and reported regularly to the Management Board. Indicators include employee satisfaction with professional development opportunities and measurement of our “return on education.” Further details can be found in the following sections.

Contribution to the SDGs

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.