Employee retention and development
New approaches and efficient processes for employee retention and development are crucial to the assumption of greater responsibility, cooperation and performance at DB Group. We support employees in several key areas:
- Employee retention: The emotional bond between our employees and DB Group is crucial to our success. It has positive effects, such as higher productivity, while also reducing the risk of “internal dismissal” and potentially reducing employee turnover. Analysis of internal and external data shows that further development opportunities, appreciation, perceived self-efficacy (e.g. in terms of one’s own working conditions), management behavior and financial framework conditions are important drivers of loyalty and staff turnover. They have a decisive impact on the long-term retention of our employees – in every phase of the employee life cycle. Our analysis of the critical success factors for employee retention forms the basis for our targeted measures to strengthen employee retention. For this reason, we began by creating transparency about the Group-wide tools and best practices for improving employee retention in our Retention Guide. We also support executives in their role in employee retention. Additional target-group-specific measures to improve employee retention will be derived from 2024 onwards on the basis of further in-depth analysis.
- Perform: “My Performance Management” focuses on honest dialog about performance with the objective of continuously encouraging better performance. With the introduction of a mandatory contribution to performance in the “Women in leadership” dimension for all executives from the level of the so-called leading managers, “My performance” is also an important tool for achieving our target figure of 30% women in leadership by 2024.
- Learning: In 2023, the diverse portfolio of training offered by DB Training and DB Academy included about 780 learning opportunities on topics ranging from strategy and leadership to digitalization and innovation, right through to the environment and sustainability. The DB learning environment (DB Lernwelt) offers access to many of these learning opportunities as a Group-wide learning management system with more than 260,000 users. As part of the project “Learning@DB,” we are also developing a modern and sustainable learning infrastructure that is oriented towards the goal of establishing a Group-wide learning environment. All employees have access to learning opportunities. The actual decision on booking and participating in training is the responsibility of the executive and is subject to existing employer/works council agreements or company regulations.
- Monitoring qualifications and qualifying: Qualification shortfalls for qualifications requiring verification are identified in a system-supported manner. Qualifications that do not require verification are monitored by executives to date. The new personnel data system currently being introduced creates the prerequisites for monitoring qualifications that are subject to mandatory verification and those that are not, for identifying shortfalls and for documenting the qualifications acquired. This applies both to a change of job and to obtaining qualifications over time. Gaps in qualifications are often filled by completing internal (or, alternatively, external) qualification courses (vocational training, continuing education/refresher course, regular advanced training, instruction, monitoring/review). Scheduled employees (e.g. train or workshop staff) are booked in and receive the relevant information about their duty roster. Non-scheduled employees are either booked in as well or book the relevant training courses themselves in consultation with their executive. Information on mandatory digital training courses that do not require a booking, for example on IT security, is sent via automated notifications, together with information from executives.
- Developing and appointing: The purpose of strategic succession planning is to identify succession risks at an early stage, plan succession scenarios and speed up appointments. The aim is to increase the quality and diversity of appointments and to orientate employees towards Group-wide professional development. In 2023, succession planning was in place for about 2,100 positions. With our three career pathways – leadership, expert and project careers – we are positioning ourselves powerfully and offer attractive alternatives to traditional management careers (focus: German-speaking countries). The DB subject-matter expert career path was introduced on January 1, 2023. The DB Career Lab focuses on personal initiative and individuality and offers all employees in German-speaking countries a blend of guidance, networking and visibility formats to explore their career options, including leadership, on their own initiative. “FrauDich!” services focus on the target group of women.
- Onboarding and transfers: With our onboarding platform, we provide relevant information in 12 languages about how to get started. Modern learning, qualification and discussion formats also promote initial orientation in DB Group and Group-wide networking. Personal support from executives and colleagues plays an important role in integrating and retaining employees in DB Group. Our Group-wide mentoring program and intergenerational management promotes integration in Team DB and mutual learning for experienced and new employees. The controlled transfer of knowledge also secures valuable DB know-how and settling into tasks, processes and the Integrated Rail System. The quality of onboarding and onboarding tools is evaluated in a regular onboarding survey. In addition to helping new employees get started, the reentry management system supports employees during and after a limited period of absence. In this way, we help retain women in executive positions and women with leadership ambitions. To enable early analysis and identification of retention measures, a Group-wide exit and transfer survey provides information on what motivates employees to leave the company or transfer to other positions.
Training and continuing education
As an intra-Group partner for learning, development and change processes, DB Training, Learning&Consulting conducts the vast majority of training, professional development and continuing education with some 31,000 events for about 290,000 participants per year. DB Group employees have more than 3,000 training opportunities available to them. Qualifications are offered for in-person, digital or blended learning schemes. A modern infrastructure provides space for creativity, new solutions and new digital learning formats, such as virtual reality (VR) training. Existing training formats have been further developed and adapted to a more digital everyday working environment.
Practical-oriented vocational training plays a crucial role in ensuring that employees can act with confidence, particularly in safety-related areas. Against this backdrop, we are investing in the expansion of practical facilities: for example, the new ICE 3neo full-mission simulator, a state-of-the-art training medium, has been in operation in Fulda since the beginning of 2023. Around 80 instructors, who are also certified as examiners, accompany the (prospective) traction unit drivers on their training, supervision and test journeys. Around 21,000 traction unit drivers go through training on the 20 full-mission simulators every year.
DB Academy is responsible for the qualification of about 11,600 executives and (chief) experts. The portfolio offers them training according to their individual career and development stages, enabling them to apply leadership standards and implement strategic areas of action at DB Group.
DB employees have the opportunity to study part-time at DB University and continue their academic education. The DB Bachelor’s program (46 students started in 2023) and the DB Master’s program (45 students started in 2023) serve as qualification programs for DB employees. The part-time study program at DB University receives financial support and is supplemented by a framework program and study support. Annual networking events serve as a forum for cross-business unit dialog and encourage professional networking. In 2023, around 120 program participants took advantage of this offer.
Vocational training is an important lever for meeting the challenges of a shortage of skilled labor. The number of apprenticeships offered by DB Group has increased steadily in recent years. Accordingly, the training workshops in the industrial-technical sector have been and will be expanded. Since 2023, it has been possible to train more than 600 additional vocational trainees due to the relocation to the new premises.
DB Academy and DB Training also developed additional online services to support employees and executives during the Covid-19 pandemic, which are now being continued. With “Gemeinsam in die neue Arbeitswelt” (Together in the new working environment; GinA), we have created virtual learning opportunities for current challenges, such as virtual (collaborative) work. This is in high demand. It was used by 48,643 employees in 2023.
DB Training supports and advises the CareNet organization, a voluntary institution of DB Long-Distance and DB Regional, in the care of those affected by major incidents or violent assaults. DB Training also trains and upskills the almost 1,200 CareNet helpers. In 2023, around 180 employees underwent new training and some 300 employees went through refresher training. The DB Training network of around 50 emergency psychologists can also provide emergency psychological intervention for passengers and employees within a day, if required.
DB Training is an approved provider for the promotion of training and is certified in accordance with the Accreditation and Approval Ordinance for Employment Promotion (AZAV) and has been working in the subsidized education market for many years. DB Training offers career changers a new professional home at DB Group, thereby helping to counteract the shortage of skilled labor. More than 9,000 participants across the Group have been supported on the basis of the Qualification Opportunities Act since 2019, including 3,316 in 2023.
DB Training also provides numerous professional exchange formats. The main topics range from the European Train Control System (ETCS) and the latest developments for railway chief operating managers to discussions on experiences with digital and modern learning formats and best practices.
Training and continuing education costs for employees | 2023 | 2022 | Change | 2021 | |
absolute | % | ||||
Total (€ million) | 340 | 289 | +51 | +17.6 | 262 |
Per employee (FTE) (€) | 1,479 | 1,294 | +185 | +14.3 | 1,181 |
Germany, including vocational trainees and dual-degree students.
Training and continuing education days in customer-oriented job families / days | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Per employee (FTE) | 11.8 | 10.6 | 11.5 |
Per female employee (FTE) | 7.5 | 6.2 | 6.5 |
Per male employee (FTE) | 14.5 | 13.2 | 14.4 |
Germany (companies with approximately 77% of domestic employees).
Includes only training and continuing education days in customer-oriented job families for permanent employees, excluding vocational trainees and dual-degree students.
The training and continuing education costs for our employees rose again to a new record high in 2023, which demonstrates the importance of initial vocational training, continuous professional development and the qualification of experts at DB Group.
Performance management
The “My Performance Management” tool aims to support employees’ professional and personal development to boost their personal performance. Regular feedback based on key questions from different perspectives helps employees to compare how they see themselves versus how others see them, and encourages them to reflect on their working habits in a targeted manner. Regularly reviewing key figures and how each employee contributes to achieving objectives also shows individuals and teams their strengths and areas for improvement. Supervisors give employees clear guidance on performance development once a year. In 2023, 95% of employees and executives in the Integrated Rail System in Germany received a performance appraisal from their direct executive. If the annual overall evaluation gives cause for a more detailed assessment of competence, this can be carried out, if necessary, with reference to the skills profile of the function in question.
In addition, a spontaneous feedback tool makes it possible to request and send feedback across all hierarchies at any time and, if the user so wishes, give a visible award.
Developing employees and filling vacancies
The DB role model combines specifications for different career paths (such as executive, expert and project careers), duties and responsibilities and the necessary experience, expertise and attitude from an internal standpoint. It forms the basis for staffing and diagnostic processes, among other things.
Key elements of our talent management are easy access for employees and executives, attractive offers for orientation, networking and visibility for all career paths based on initiative and individuality. The “Frau Dich!” (Woman up!) initiative also plays a role in inspiring and motivating women to aim for executive positions with individual career advice for women.
Getting (back) into work
Key elements of our return-to-work management to better support employees who are temporarily absent primarily include the provision of pooled information to improve orientation, opportunities for communication and discussion to strengthen self-reflection, and personal further development opportunities. With the Group employer/works council agreement on work, family and career path, we further optimized the operational framework for work-life balance in the previous year. Digital learning units primarily support executives, but also employees putting the lessons they have learned into practice. As an additional source of information to help plan family time and careers, the brochure “Dein starker Wiedereinstieg” (Your successful reentry) offers pregnant employees an overview of the tasks and deadlines they will come to face, helpful checklists and a summary of DB services. With JobSharing@DB, we have created an opportunity to be able to fill management positions even on a part-time basis, with two executives sharing responsibility for one role.
Knowledge transfer
New ways of working and working environments require a different approach to knowledge, staff turnover can lead to a loss of knowledge critical to success, new employees need specific knowledge to carry out their tasks, and the increase in digitalization means more knowledge for more employees. For this reason, we use various methods and processes to assist those involved in the process to transfer knowledge. At the same time, we also promote continuous knowledge transfer and support executives and employees in identifying, securing and continuously sharing knowledge in their area of responsibility. In the previous year, we transferred three building blocks on the topic of knowledge transfer from the 15 employee building blocks to the strategic personnel development processes.
Securing employment
To avoid dismissals, for example, in the context of restructuring or order losses and/or changes in performance capability of individual employees for an indefinite period, there is an employment guarantee at DB Group, which is anchored in the collective bargaining agreement. Under the employment guarantee, most of the affected employees are once again directly employed within DB Group. If this is not successful, the employees in question will move to DB JobService GmbH for an indefinite period of time, where they will be further developed as part of a professional reorientation process in order to be placed in a role in their chosen field if possible at a later date.
