We engage with our employees and workers’ representatives through direct engagement and value creation initiatives, annual Pulse Check surveys, and quarterly events with top management. These quarterly events include discussions of financial results and Q&A sessions, while town hall meetings facilitate open communication. Additionally, OMV uses collective bargaining to effectively represent and protect employee interests and rights.
Employee Engagement
At OMV, gaining an insight into the perspectives of our workforce, particularly those who may be marginalized or vulnerable to impacts, is crucial to our commitment to DE&I. To achieve this, we have established DE&I volunteer networks and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that actively engage with employees across various levels and functions. OMV has six different Employee Resource Group workstreams that provide insights and share what is needed to reduce marginalization: Accessibility, Gender, Generations, Intercultural, LGBTQ+, and Parenting/Caregivers. These groups are complemented by DE&I Ambassadors within the business, who serve as advocates and ensure that DE&I principles are integrated into daily operations and strategic decisions.
This year’s annual Pulse Check contains a new standard on inclusion, and at the OMV Group, 64% agree that we strive to include and fully utilize the diverse talents, experiences, and backgrounds of all employees. Additionally, we host Group-wide events with dedicated Q&A sections to provide a platform for open dialogue and address any concerns or suggestions from our diverse workforce. Generations focus group discussions are organized to understand and address the specific needs and perspectives of different age groups within our Company. To further facilitate communication, we have established a dedicated email address for all employees where they can share their experiences and ideas related to DE&I.
Our commitment to transparency is reflected in our DE&I reporting, which provides detailed information on gender, age, and nationality. These reports are shared during the talent management process at our annual Group People Days, ensuring that our progress and challenges are visible to all stakeholders and guiding our ongoing efforts to foster an inclusive and equitable workplace. Through these comprehensive steps, OMV strives to create an environment where all employees feel valued and heard.
Pulse Check Survey
Based on the feedback we receive from the Pulse Check survey, focus areas are defined at Group level to be followed up in the next year. This feedback is also integrated into action plans, which are communicated back to employees through meetings, internal communications, and updates. This ensures transparency and continuous engagement. Reflecting on the results of the 2023 Pulse Check (64% engagement score), we introduced several initiatives in 2024. For example, to increase clarity on our purpose and strategy, we have rolled out strategy engagement sessions across the Group, ensuring that everyone is informed and can actively participate. Additionally, in response to feedback about employee development, we have encouraged line managers and employees to create individual development plans. This has resulted in an increase in development plans of 44%, which demonstrates our commitment to continuous learning and growth.
The Pulse Check is one of our most important tools for measuring the engagement of our employees and it is an essential part of our People & Culture Strategy relating to Employee Experience. It is also a chance for our employees to have their say and an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. The Pulse Check assesses several key indices, including Safety, Innovation, Line Manager, Employee Development, Strategy, Empowerment/Involvement, Well-being, Values, Sustainability, Transformational Leadership, and Inclusion. The Pulse Check is conducted annually at Group level. Quarterly webcasts on financial results, which are available to all employees and non-employees, address key focus topics and allow for questions. We host loyalty ceremonies for long-serving employees and dedicated “North Star” sessions provide a more personal setting for pre-registered employees to engage directly with the Executive Board. There are Fuels & Feedstock and Energy quarterly updates with the respective Board members.
OMV allocates substantial financial and human resources specifically to engagement activities with our own employees. This includes funding for engagement activities such as the Pulse Check, training programs and workshops, and dedicated personnel. Although the P&C team organizes the yearly Pulse Check with an external provider, its main purpose is to enable line managers to discuss with their teams how to improve engagement. Each line manager receives access to the reporting tool, enablement sessions, and a practitioner’s guide to not only support understanding of the results but also best practices to improve our ways of working. Line managers usually organize workshops with their teams to share the results and develop an action plan of improvements for the next year. Functional and divisional leads gather these action plans and look into what can be done to improve on an organizational level. Each year we share the results, the actions taken, and the improvements that were instigated by each organization and division on the intranet. Although the external costs are a fraction of our yearly P&C budget, the impact of the Pulse Check on OMV as a whole is pivotal.
As OMV is undergoing its transformation, the Pulse Check allows us to keep a critical eye on not only the engagement of our employees but also the extent to which they feel they can contribute to the strategy, that they receive the right skills for the future, and understand the sustainability goals we are all pursuing. In 2024, we achieved a 3% increase on Strategy, a 3% increase on Employee Development, and a 2% increase on Sustainability at Group level, based on the respective key indicators.
An indication of the effectiveness of the measures the organization takes can be given by the Pulse Check response rate, as employees feel that we listen and take action. In the Pulse Check 2024, we achieved a very high response rate of 86% at Group level. Compared to 2023, 3% of employees in the OMV Group (OMV 7%) moved from actively disengaged/passive to moderately/highly engaged, meaning a 3% increase in the overall engagement score for the OMV Group. This positive trend can be seen across both gender groups. Since 2022, disengagement has been consistently decreasing, and the disparity with the benchmark for the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels sector is narrowing. All divisions have implemented several measures, including promoting bottom-up business development initiatives, creating individual development plans for each employee, and holding Values workshops to reinforce our commitment to a culture of integrity and respect.
In addition to Employee Engagement, the key indices we have chosen for the Pulse Check, Safety, Employee Development, Well-Being, and Inclusion, are indices for which the OMV Group actively has measures in place to prevent risks related to our workforce.
- Safety: HSSE training is a well-developed preventive standard for each employee in the OMV Group. Every year, these programs are updated for specific job families. In 2024, HSSE piloted the use of virtual reality for the first time to expand the group that could practice how to respond to dangerous situations.
- Employee Development: as discussed in the Employee Development section, specific programs have been developed to prevent a situation in which employees are not ready for the future.
- Well-being: the OMV Group has a comprehensive learning program for employees to prevent physical, mental, or social difficulties in their work environment. In addition to this, the OMV Group offers external psychological services for additional support.
Inclusion: to prevent vulnerable employees or employees from minorities from feeling excluded or discriminated against, the OMV Group has several preventive measures in place. These focus on creating an inclusive culture through DE&I awareness events and foster learning about International Women’s Day, Pride Month, accessibility, generations, and intercultural days. In addition, we have set management KPIs for gender balance as well as international experience and nationality. Finally, several processes are in place to prevent discrimination in recruitment, talent identification, and succession planning.