Success only comes from working together: E/D/E’s long-term personnel strategy is based on this credo. Processes and workflows are changing from the ground up in many areas, which also has an impact on previously familiar forms of organisation and collaboration. We promote these developments by lending additional flexibility to the working environment, expanding continuous individual development and increasing diversity in the individual teams. We are preparing for the future by transforming ourselves into a contemporary management and corporate culture that also addresses far-reaching changes – such as the introduction of artificial intelligence into our professional lives at an early stage. With our EVOLUTION strategy and organisational development process, we have laid the foundations for managing the numerous changes in an intelligent manner.

The year 2023 was characterised by numerous challenges that had a major impact on personnel management at E/D/E and the world of work as a whole. The promotion of health to maintain a person’s ability to work – adapted to the consequences of demographic developments, and to increase the well-being of our employees – is a priority, especially in times of a shortage of skilled labour. Health programmes have therefore been continuously expanded, and health days with individual measures have been implemented with tremendous success. The intention behind this is to create a modern, motivating and healthy working environment and to prevent possible psychosocial stress.

The gradual conversion of office space into new working environments continued in 2023 – geared towards the needs of the respective teams in order to optimally fulfil the requirements of the hybrid working model. We have expanded flexible working conditions, particularly for fathers, mothers and “best agers”, in order to meet the changing demands of their respective life situations. We are also very proud that the E/D/E canteen has taken on a completely new look since April 2023, presenting itself as a meeting place with a healthy and modern range of food.

Geopolitical uncertainties have had an indirect impact on our employees, not least in the form of high inflation and the rising cost of living. Funds from our relief fund were used specifically where assistance was most needed, in particular, to partially offset the rise in energy costs.

The E/D/E has been offering its employees a “JobRad” commuter bike since 2023, and more than 80 users have already opted to use this. In addition, employees can obtain the “Deutschlandticket” commuter ticket at discounted rates, which has also met with a great response.

The E/D/E has once again stepped up its efforts to attract and retain talented specialists. Numerous measures – such as the participation in the “Wuppertaler Schwebebahnlauf” charity run, the attendance at training fairs and the “Bergische Expo”, combined with targeted social media campaigns, were key focal points of activities in the year 2023.

The aim of employer branding is to strengthen E/D/E’s image as an employer in the region, and to provide authentic insights into the working world. The combination of personal contacts at events and a targeted presence on social media helped increase the quality of the applicant pool. The newly created recruiting video and the new recruiting tool – which has considerably simplified and accelerated the application management processes – have also made a positive contribution here.

We have stepped up our activities in the areas of digitalisation, automation and the additional use of artificial intelligence, in order to counter the consequences of the ongoing shortage of skilled workers. Automation has not only increased efficiency in various E/D/E business areas, but also improved the quality of work. Simultaneously, digitalisation and AI serve to de-burden employees with regard to those time-consuming routine tasks, and to give them more room to support our members and develop innovative ideas. To support this, we have initiated training programmes and a new exchange format to support employees in using the new technologies and expanding their digital skills.

We will build on these focal points in 2024, in order to offer employees an attractive working environment, meet the ever-changing demands of the labour market and further strengthen our performance towards members, suppliers and collaboration partners.