Employees
We offer our employees demanding and challenging tasks. Boehringer Ingelheim needs employees who innovate – the future of our company depends directly on its innovative capability.
Our employees are the guarantors of this capability and our most important corporate asset. They form the core of our corporate culture as a family-owned company that lives out its responsibility and builds on mutual respect and fairness.
Our employees – our greatest asset
Responsibility for employees
Our company’s social responsibility has always been expressed in its core business and social benefits have always been an important part of the culture of the family-owned company Boehringer Ingelheim.
During our company’s early years, founder Albert Boehringer introduced remarkably progressive and generous social measures for his employees. The first works health insurance scheme was established in 1902. A 14-day holiday with subsidised travel, graded according to years of service, was introduced in 1910. And in 1912 a company pension scheme was added for all employees after 20 years’ service.
The company pension scheme steadily expanded and now includes a company-financed pension and employee-financed, or partially employee-financed, pension.
Boehringer Ingelheim actively contributes to statutory pension insurance and private provisions; its benefits support the social system. A very special corporate culture and working environment have developed on the basis of mutual respect and fairness – values constantly fostered by Boehringer Ingelheim during its more than 125-year history.
Change management – a competitive workforce a key success factor
The external environment of the pharmaceutical market is changing rapidly. The company has therefore defined securing a competitive workforce as one of a number of key success factors and a corporate strategic topic of top priority.
It has therefore successfully implemented a systematic approach to manage change at the company. This well-structured change process will help and support all employees to better understand the common Boehringer Ingelheim culture, values and the overall corporate vision.
Change management encompasses both organisational change management processes and individual change management models, which together are used to manage the people side of change.
This involves:
- analysis and planning of change
- communicating change
- winning acceptance of new behaviours
- changing from the status quo to the desired situation
- consolidating and institutionalising the new situation
Example of successful change management
One example of a successful change management process is the integration of employees from Fort Dodge Animal Health, the US business from which assets and facilities were acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2009. Boehringer Ingelheim welcomed some 900 new colleagues working in highly motivated teams in all functions. An overall change process has been put in place to facilitate mutual understanding and create a joint workforce to be prepared for a successful future.
Talent management – development of employees
Talent management is about ensuring that the company has the best people in the right position at the right time.
By adopting a global talent management approach as a strategic priority we aim for a competitive advantage.
This will mean greater stringency in how we
- develop our people
- sustain their employability and
- develop the capabilities of our high-potential and highly professional experts for current and future roles.
In 2010, Boehringer Ingelheim continued to roll out and implement its globally integrated talent management approach.
The aim of talent management is that all employees should be able to develop within their job or towards new roles. They shall be enabled to grow through new challenges and the company will achieve improved results. The overall talent management cycle of Boehringer Ingelheim is comprised of several core elements. (see graph)
By end of 2010, around 2,500 employees worldwide have been discussed at cross-validation meetings. As a result, actionable development plans aligned with business needs have been initiated, relevant staffing decisions have been made, and cross-moves have been implemented or planned.
To support the development of the global leadership competencies, we have evolved a leadership development landscape. Global, regional and local leadership development programmes will be available to leaders at all levels in the organisation. Our leadership capability will be a strategic differentiator for Boehringer Ingelheim.
Boehringer Ingelheim’s human resources programmes are also focussing on young people. Every year in the German operating units a multiplicity of young people receive vocational training within the highly regarded and well-established Boehringer Ingelheim apprenticeship programmes.
