Human resources

Our HR work puts our employees at the forefront. After all, committed and satisfied employees are more capable, healthier and stay at Zeppelin in the long term. They develop innovative products and provide great service, which helps ensure our customer satisfaction – the “people” focus is therefore central to our business success.

The organizational structure within Human Resources is closely interlinked. The operational work of the companies is organized into independent HR departments. Depending on the size of the company, there is not only operational HR management, but also HR development. With the introduction of various software applications (e.g. ATOSS, Workday, and PeopleDoc) in recent years, HR processes throughout the HR value chain have been standardized and digitalized across the Group. Regular discussion panels ensure adherence to the processes and enable the sharing of best practices. Group HR Development is responsible for the creation and further development of the HR strategy as well as for overarching topics relating to leadership and management development. These measures are supplemented by company-specific HR development processes that are embedded in the overall strategic concept.

In the interests of a sustainable HR policy, it is important to regularly review the existing HR strategy with regard to internal and external challenges and to adapt it if necessary. This is why the HR strategy was revised as part of the Group-wide strategy call for 2023. At the core of the new HR strategy are the dimensions of Attract, Develop, and Retain, to which the diverse initiatives and programs in human resources can be categorized. Moreover, the must-win battles include defined focal issues which are central to securing in the long term the company’s success in light of current challenges: Employer branding, expansion of development and career opportunities, ensuring fair remuneration and benefit packages, and developing a KPI concept for measuring success.

As of December 31, 2023, the Zeppelin Group had more than 10,000 employees. These were divided into six strategic business units. The breakdown of employees by business unit is shown by full time equivalent (FTE). From 2022 to 2023, the number of Zeppelin employees in the Construction Equipment Eurasia SBU decreased significantly due to the reduction of jobs in Russia.

The Rental SBU recorded a 16% increase in the number of employees, and there was also a slight rise in the number of employees in the Construction Equipment Central Europe, Construction Equipment Nordics, Power Systems SBUs and the holding company, Zeppelin GmbH. In 2023, the Group hired 1,602 new employees worldwide. Growth is steady and healthy: Every new hire is well considered and the deployment of an employee is something that is planned for the long term. Therefore, new employees usually receive a permanent employment contract: In 2023, the proportion of permanent employees was 98%. The use of contracts for work, temporary workers and freelancers plays a subordinate role in terms of sustainable personnel planning.³

³ No significant proportion of the company’s activities are carried out by employees who are employed outside Zeppelin.

The average age of the employees in 2023 was 42.1 years. Further information on the breakdown of the age structure can be found in the appendix under “Overview of non-financial KPIs”. Demographic change in Germany, and the competitive situation with other companies require additional measures to recruit and retain employees to counteract the shortage of skilled workers and secure the company’s success in the long term. To ensure Zeppelin is even more effective at positioning itself as an attractive employer, a Group-wide employer branding project was launched in 2023. After a comprehensive status quo analysis, specific recommendations were developed, including strengthening cross-company collaboration, optimizing recruitment processes and sharpening the employer message. The revision of the employer promise, including its key messages, is scheduled for completion in 2024.

For Zeppelin, it goes without saying that employees should have a stake in the financial performance as they are the ones who make the company successful. The models vary from Group company to Group company and depend on the respective position of the employee. There are models with contractually defined monthly remuneration plus annual profit sharing or models with a fixed salary and variable remuneration, which also contain a performance-related component.

The very good economic performance of recent years is reflected in personnel costs. These increased due to the rise in the number of employees in high-price regions and also to the profit sharing paid out.

Given the increasing importance of pensions for retirement, the Zeppelin Group offers employees in Germany the opportunity to save for a supplementary pension. There are different pension plan models in the individual companies, such as direct insurance, pension fund or plans stipulated in collective bargaining agreements. The company finances the company pension scheme with tax-free contributions. But employees also have the option of concluding a self-financed company pension scheme in accordance with the statutory provisions (deferred compensation). The respective framework conditions for provision by Zeppelin are regulated in the company-specific arrangements of the subsidiaries. The reduction in long-term employee benefits is largely due to the actuarial effects of the higher interest rates for discounting liabilities.

Collective bargaining agreements

The majority of Zeppelin Group companies in Germany are not subject to collective bargaining agreements. However, Zeppelin follows many of the regulations of the collective bargaining agreements for wholesale and foreign trade in the companies in Germany that are not bound by collective wage agreements and generally adopts the agreed wage agreements (see second table below). The majority of branches of Zeppelin Systems GmbH in Germany are bound by collective bargaining agreements for the metalworking industry, just like some employees of Zeppelin Rental GmbH are part of the construction collective agreement. In Austria, employees of Zeppelin Österreich GmbH are subject to the collective agreements of the metalworking industry and Zeppelin Rental Österreich GmbH & Co. KG is subject to the collective agreements of the metal industry, trade and commerce as well as those of retail. At Zeppelin Systems, the majority of overseas companies are not bound by collective bargaining agreements; two countries are in a structure similar to that of collective bargaining agreements. The individual collective agreements and agreements based on them are presented below.

Management culture in the company

As a company steeped in tradition, Zeppelin feels connected to its history and is committed to a management culture based on our core values of integrity and excellence. Societal and economic trends such as demographic change, digitalization and new work, a change in values and lifestyles, as well as the shortage of skilled workers are constantly changing the world of work. Zeppelin’s leadership principles developed in 2021 take into account current social and economic trends and challenges in the world of work, preparing Zeppelin for a successful future. They embody our shared understanding of leadership, provide guidance, and clearly convey what we expect of managers at Zeppelin. The management principles provide employees with guidance on what they can expect and demand from their managers. Management at Zeppelin should be characterized by communication, reflection, and trust and should put people at the center of what they do.

The first Zeppelin “Leadership Gym” took place in 2023 to further promote the anchoring of the five leadership principles in the Zeppelin Group. The aim of the pilot event, attended by 60 managers from different SBUs, was to make tangible the leadership principles by means of practical exercises. Based on the excellent feedback which followed, the format will be further rolled out in 2024.

In addition, workshops were held for managers on the topic of “healthy management”, focusing on the health of employees in everyday management activities. Following a pilot in the Finance department, 270° feedback for managers – which is based on the leadership principles and incorporates the perspectives of the individual’s own manager, employees and peers – will be integrated as part of the development landscape and further rolled out in 2024.