2020 Sustainability Report

61 Equal treatment, equal opportunities and equal pay Only if our employees are committed and motivated can we bring competitive products to market and have satisfied customers. That’s why ensuring that our employees are motivated and identify themselves with the company is always our most important priority. The 2019 and 2020 reporting years brought very different challenges. Whereas in 2019 the focus in Bützberg was on consolidating the new structures following the reorganisation that was required for economic reasons in 2017/2018, in 2020 both sites were hit by a global medical emergency – the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the working conditions being made considerably more difficult, Girsberger was able to rely on its employees, who proved themselves to be very loyal and highly commit- ted. They accepted unconditionally the targeted measures that we had to take, such as the safety protocol that we introduced immediately and kept adapting and extending, as well as the introduction of short-time working in some cases. This meant that we did not have to cope with either an above-average number of absences or with increased turbulence or production stoppages. We intend to maintain and strengthen this stable, safe environ- ment for our employees in the future. We also want to reinforce Girsberger’s image as an attractive employer and share it with the outside world through our corporate citizenship programme. Our main objectives and activities in this regard fall into various categories as described below. We strengthened the sense of togetherness during the pandemic by being open in our communication and introducing a safety protocol that worked very well. Being attentive and caring towards other people, showing mutual respect and flexibility and offering opportu- nities for personal development have proven to be key factors in boosting employees’ feeling of identification with the company. We attach particular importance in our daily work and dealings with other people to tolerance, flexibility, an open-minded attitude and mutual respect. We regard diversity as an opportunity and a valuable resource that brings us a wealth of new ideas and innova- tion. Our corporate culture is characterised by our shared passion for what we do and by cooperative teamwork: the basis for a high degree of identification with the company. Girsberger has people of 18 different nationalities in its workforce. This diversity enriches us all and promotes cultural exchange. Safeguarding and supporting equal opportunities and equal treatment are firmly rooted in our quality commitment. Employees are always appointed, promoted, assessed, paid and laid off exclusively on the basis of their work and performance. Their ethnicity, religion, skin colour, country of origin, age, gender and sexual orientation are never considered in our decision-making. At the Bützberg site, we assess the state of pay equality regularly, at least once a year, using the online tool “Logib” provided by the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE). By making gradual changes to pay scales, equality has also been largely achieved at the Endingen site and the process will be completed in 2021. We will continue to carry out checks at least once a year at both sites to ensure that equality between men and women is maintained, including on pay. Nadine von Burg, Manuela Kurbjuhn Social affairs Our employees and corporate citizenship Nadine von Burg Head of Human Resources, Girsberger AG and Girsberger Holding AG Manuela Kurbjuhn Head of Human Resources, Girsberger GmbH