Our responsibility to our employees

Motivated individuals who identify with the company and its core values are the driving force behind the company’s quality, ability to innovate, and sustained growth.

Employees as a factor for success

In an era of increasing globalization, companies depend on skilled and dedicated employees to gain an edge rather than merely keep up. Bertelsmann has long recognized that creativity is the foundation for creating successful media content, and flexibility is a prerequisite for customer-oriented solutions in the services business.

Partnership is one of the cornerstones of Bertelsmann's corporate culture - for the benefit of employees and the company. Each day, more than 100,000 people in over 50 countries dedicate themselves to the success and ongoing development of our company. Responsibility for our employees is a very high priority at Bertelsmann. Our goal is to create a fair and motivating working environment for all employees. This aspiration is firmly rooted in the core values of our corporate culture, the Bertelsmann Essentials.

Following principles

Our philosophy of leadership through partnership is based on mutual trust, respect for the individual, and the principle of delegating responsibility. It benefits everyone involved: Bertelsmann’s shareholders, management, and employee representatives share the recognition that an approach based on partnership promotes employee satisfaction and identification with the company and their jobs.

At the same time, partnership is one of the most important prerequisites for entrepreneurial success. This has been proven by various analyses. Our regular employee surveys reveal that the main factor driving employee identification and motivation is the freedom the company grants them and the responsibility we delegate to them, even ahead of remuneration. From these analyses we also know that companies with happy, motivated employees also enjoy the greatest amount of commercial success.