Employee retention and development

New approaches and high-­­performance processes in employee retention and development are crucial to the assumption of greater responsibility, cooperation and performance at DB Group. Here, we are fully relying on our Strong Rail strategy. We support employees in five topic areas.

• Perform: The focus is on an honest dialogue about performance, in order to continuously promote high per­formance. The “my Performance Management” project has developed a solution that makes goal-­­setting more responsive, focuses on feedback, and makes performance a continuous topic of discussion.

Further INFormation on performance management

• Learning: A wide range of DB Academy and DB Training, as well as measures implemented directly in everyday working life, help to expand employees’ own skills. The DB Learning World was further expanded as a central learning platform of DB Group. More than 115,000 employees are already using the learning opportunities and also have access to learning content free of charge on the topics of digitalization, lean management, change management and communication. This means that the DB Learning World offers all employees the opportunity to learn independently and in a self-­­organized way and thus to develop professionally and personally.
• Develop: Succession planning makes a significant contribution to reducing the risk of longer vacancy periods, overcoming silo limits and co-­­defining clearer perspectives for further development with the executives and employees. The process for strategic succession planning, which was introduced in the year under review, stipulates, among other things, that interested candidates can express their interest in succession to executive functions and those with know-­­how through a mouse-­­click on their own initiative. In the future, seamless transitions in personnel changes will be better ensured and succession risks will be made transparent.

Further Information on succession planning 

• Boarding and switching: When a hiring decision is made, onboarding management supports the new employee in preparing for the new tasks in the best possible way. We support onboarding management both digitally and through personal accompaniment. Intergenerational management promotes integration and mutual learning by experienced and new employees.

Employees are responsible for each of these five subject areas themselves. In addition, the respective executive supports their teams as the first personnel developer. The compass for a strong coexistence is a common benchmark for all these areas. The five basic principles for management, cooperation and culture described therein are enshrined in performance assessment, career development, staffing decisions, learning and onboarding management.