Talent Attraction and Retention

The OMV Group is committed to building and retaining talent for international growth. Effective succession planning contributes to the management of business continuity risk by ensuring the preservation of human capital – OMV’s most valued asset. As described in our Code of Conduct, OMV strives to build long-lasting employment relationships and to employ people from the countries where we operate.

Management and Due Diligence Processes

Talent Acquisition 

Our employees are selected exclusively based on their qualifications, suitability, and professional experience. Internally, we focus on job rotation, promotions, and upskilling to tackle challenges (e.g., transitioning to a low-carbon business) and develop innovative solutions to enhance our workforce. In the OMV Group, we use joint internal job boards to offer a wide range of internal job opportunities to our employees.

Externally, we concentrate on building robust talent pipelines through cooperation with key universities in our locations. In addition, we offer internships and apprenticeship programs, which are mainly focused on the technical and commercial aspects of our business. We aim to build a talent pool by providing apprenticeship programs and internships. For instance, in Romania, 24 students joined the Petrochemical School program in 2022. The Petrochemical School is a dual-system program supported by OMV Petrom. The future petrochemists benefit from professional training in the field of petrochemicals and internships at the Petrobrazi refinery. The students receive monthly scholarships of up to RON 700 from OMV Petrom, plus RON 200 from the Romanian government. Upon completion of the three years of vocational education (petrochemical operators’ qualification), students will acquire a recognized professional qualification and will have employment opportunities within our Company. The Petrochemical School program is a pilot project with the aim of assuring a constant and sustainable flow of a high-quality pipeline of blue-collar workers.

To dispel the negative perceptions of the oil, gas, and plastics industries, it is important to proactively inform the public and our target groups (such as current and potential future employees) about the benefits of the products we produce, as well as sustainability challenges and how we address them. Being visible on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn enables us to show potential candi­dates the inner workings of the OMV Group, including what it is like to work for our Company and the fact that joining us means being part of the solution for a more sustainable future.

Performance Management and Career Development 

OMV strives to maintain a uniform organizational structure that provides clarity and transparency in relation to responsibilities and the hierarchical classification of positions. We have developed Company-wide career paths that outline the experience and skills required for a position.

OMV has an annual review process in place to support our employees and managers through structured, systematic planning of performance and personal development within the Company. Employees and their managers work together to set performance and development goals, review progress, and evaluate achievements, with employees ultimately being rewarded and recognized annually.

“Personal Impact x Potential” is used as an evaluation tool to provide structured feedback in performance reviews and in succession planning. Managers evaluate their employees on personal impact and potential and identify successors for business-critical positions. Based on this, an employee’s development plan is created so they can improve the skills needed for their future role.

Rewards 

In order to promote and support OMV’s strategy optimally, OMV aims to ensure competitive compensation and benefits packages within relevant labor markets in the oil, gas, and chemical industry. Annual remuneration reviews are conducted to ensure this.

OMV continuously monitors market trends and international best practices in order to attract, motivate, and retain the best-qualified talent from around the world. Base salaries are set in accordance with internationally accepted methods for determining market levels of remuneration, and comply with the relevant legal regulations, for example collective agreements. Base salaries are market oriented, fair, and tailored to the position and expertise of the employee. OMV encourages equal pay at all career stages, for instance by setting standardized entry-level salaries that are reviewed each year in line with the local market situation.

OMV strives for long-lasting employment relationships. We ensure the fair and objective evaluation of positions consistently across all divisions and countries by applying a clearly defined methodology and process, validated by external consultants for specific roles. The outcome of the evaluation forms the basis of the remuneration decisions for every employee. The remuneration includes a balanced and transparent mix of fixed and variable monetary and non-monetary components.

As part of the annual performance review process, Company goals, including the achievement of sustainability goals (e.g., HSSE, GHG emission reductions, diversity), are cascaded down to employees in the relevant departments and form part of the annual evaluation and subsequent bonus awarded. Individual monetary and non-monetary rewards are granted on top of this for extraordinary achievements.

The portfolio of benefits is further customized for each of the countries in which OMV operates to meet the needs of the local employees. Depending on local circumstances, additional incentives may include the following: retirement plans, subsidized cafeteria, health centers, kindergartens (childcare facilities), summer kids camp, and anniversary payments.

Talent Retention and Leadership Development

One of our People & Culture Strategy priorities is to strengthen leadership capabilities. We aim to ensure that our leaders continually grow and develop. To this end, we have leadership programs in place that are designed to support both those employees who take on new management roles as well as current leaders who want to upgrade their basic knowledge of leadership. We also offer mentoring to provide employees with guidance on key career issues.

Employee Engagement 

We involve our employees in key People & Culture strategies via initiatives such as quick polls and employee events with Executive Board members and other senior management. Topics of engagement include flexible working arrangements, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and performance management. This is a key part of our due diligence to ensure our strategies are meeting employees’ needs.

2022 Actions 

In September 2022, our Group-wide People & Culture Strategy was launched. The P&C Strategy is a shared Group strategy across OMV, OMV Petrom, and Borealis. The core of the new People & Culture Strategy is our purpose: “Re-inventing essentials for sustainable living.” Four strategic drivers were developed for this strategy: Employee Experience, Growing Talent, Organizational Evolution, and New Ways of Working, plus one additional pillar, Transformational Leadership. Some of the initiatives to support these strategic drivers included:

• In 2022, we worked specifically on our work-from-home concepts to give employees more flexibility. Working from home is now offered to a broader group of staff and the number of work-from-home days per month was significantly increased.
• In September 2022, a Group-wide Pulse Check survey was performed throughout the OMV Group. The Pulse Check is one of our most important tools for measuring the engagement of our employees. It is an essential part of our new People & Culture Strategy relating to Employee Experience. We achieved a very high response rate of 70% on Group level, and conclusions and subsequent actions were agreed within business units by year-end for implementation in 2023.
• During the coronavirus pandemic, which continued to affect our employees in 2022, many implemented employment-related measures were continued to protect the health, well-being, and economic situation of our employees.
• In March 2022, our Group-wide purpose, “Re-inventing essentials for sustainable living,” was launched. To bring our purpose to life, a change agent and volunteering network has been set up. We also introduced Purpose Learning Weeks, focusing on the three purpose enablers, namely Advancing Circular, Working Together, and Stimulating Transformation. With the Purpose Learning Weeks, we want to create deeper insight into each of our purpose enablers. The first Purpose Learning Week on Advancing Circular took place in June 2022 and addressed various topics relating to the circular economy. For more information on the Purpose Learning Weeks, see Skills Development and Training.

Outlook

In line with our new People & Culture Strategy and its four strategic drivers – Employee Experience, Growing Talent, Organizational Evolution, and New Ways of Working, supported by Transformational Leadership – the coming years will see us focus on:

• Defining a shared set of values across OMV, OMV Petrom, and Borealis, which we will use to guide us through this transition and in the future. These new values have been co-created together with our employees to help shape the future of the OMV Group and how we all work together. The new values will then be launched in 2023 alongside a campaign.
• Developing leadership competencies closely linked to the newly defined values, to help in identifying and developing future and present leaders
• To further improve the “always-on employee experience listening” and check on the success of the implemented measures, we will continue the Pulse Check survey on an annual basis.
• Providing overall change management guidance and supporting interventions through a Group-wide Change Management Toolkit, which will be launched in 2023. With this toolkit, we want to make sure that people within the OMV Group are well prepared for changes within their working environment.