Employee satisfaction and corporate culture

The employee satisfaction survey is conducted every two years. If no survey has been conducted, the key figure “Follow-up workshop implementation rate” is used.

In accordance with the motto “Participate – be involved,” about 340,000 employees in 83 countries were able to participate in the fifth DB employee survey. We have been carrying out a Group-wide employee survey every two years since 2012. We measure employee satisfaction with work, solidarity with the company, and employee motivation and commitment. In 2020, we also collected information on how Strong Rail and the compass for strong teamwork are anchored in everyday working life.

A total of 198,579 employees took part in the 2020 employee survey. The participation ratio was 58.5 % (2018: 60.0 %). The employee survey was once again conducted and evaluated by the independent external service provider Ipsos (formerly GfK). The evaluation shows that employee satisfaction has risen sharply compared to previous years. While the employee satisfaction index has remained constant at 3.7 points since 2014, in 2020 there was a jump of 0.2 index points. An increase can be seen for all employees and across all business units. Optimism about the future is particularly positive. Employees are more confident about the future, which is reflected in the significant increase in approval for the corresponding question to 65 % (2018: 52 %). The Group’s Strong Rail strategy is also a success. Altogether, 62 % of respondents stated that they know the Group strategy (2018: 53 %), and 60 % confirmed that they believe in it (2018: 45 %).

The compass index was first collected in 2020. This measures how the principles of the compass for strong team­­­­work are perceived within DB Group. It is a key indicator for the trans­­formation of the organization under the Strong Rail strategy. Overall, the compass index for this first measurement is a value of 57 %. Out of the five compass principles, “You can do it” was rated the best at 66 % approval.

In mid-January 2021, all executives received the aggregated results reports and shared them with their employees. From March 2021, we will begin cross-divisional cooperation workshops, which represent the core of the follow-up process to the 2020 employee survey. For most employees, the Strong Rail strategy and the implementation of the principles of the compass for strong teamwork in this format will play an important role in 2021.