Home About Bayer Innovation Products Sustainability Media Investors Career HomeSustainabilityEmployees Print Share Overview Strategy Focus Issues Management Management and Corporate Governance Employees Product stewardship Ecology Social Commitment Report Ratings, rankings and awards Employees Sustainable human resources policy Bayer is committed to promoting a performance-oriented corporate culture. To realize our growth strategy, we rely on our employees and their continuous development. We actively encourage regular feedback between supervisors and their employees, greater cultural and employee diversity within the Bayer Group, and innovation in all areas. Zoom image Employee survey: more than 70 percent of all Bayer employees seized the opportunity to put across their viewpoint about the company and their working conditions. Bayer pursues a sustainable human resources policy. The objectives and principles are based on our corporate values, known by the acronym LIFE, which are valid throughout the world. LIFE stands for Leadership, Integrity, Flexibility and Efficiency. These values encapsulate the core elements of our corporate culture, which combines a strong focus on performance and development with a high degree of social responsibility. At the same time, they are a simple and practical guide for employees in their work. On December 31, 2013 Bayer had 113,200 employees worldwide, 107,700 of whom had permanent employment contracts, while 5,500 had temporary contracts. Thus the headcount showed a slight increase of 2.4% from the prior year. In Germany we had 35,300 employees (2012: 34,600), who made up 31.2% of the Group workforce. Respecting employee and human rights As a socially responsible company, Bayer has long been committed to upholding and supporting human rights at various levels. The Bayer Human Rights Position is rooted in a binding Group-wide directive. We respect the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights and are a founding member of the UN Global Compact. Our mission, life values and Corporate Compliance Policy commit all employees around the world to fair and lawful conduct toward staff, colleagues, business partners and customers. more Employee feedback We believe regular feedback is necessary for the continuous development of our employees and our organization and that it helps us adapt to changing requirements. Alongside our performance management system, we use 360° feedback. This insight from colleagues and business associates is designed to foster the performance and leadership behavior of our employees and support their professional development. Our most important feedback tool at the corporate level is our Group-wide employee survey. Every two years, this gives us competent feedback from our employees on our strategy, culture and working conditions. Since the last survey in 2012, we have launched a variety of initiatives and improvements worldwide to overcome the shortcomings identified in specific areas. The next employee survey is scheduled for spring 2014. more Diversity and internationality Workforce diversity is vital for our company’s future competitiveness. This is particularly true for our management. Diversity improves our understanding of changing markets and consumer groups, gives us access to a broader pool of talented employees, and enables us to benefit from the enhanced innovative and problem-solving abilities that are demonstrably associated with a high cultural diversity within the company. We pursue this aim especially in the emerging countries of Asia and Latin America, where we intend to significantly increase the proportion of local people among our managerial employees in the medium term. Of the members of our Group Leadership Circle, in which 31 nationalities are currently represented, around 67% come from the country in which they are employed. The Bayer Group currently employs people from 144 countries. Another focus of our diversity strategy is on improving the gender balance, especially in management. We view a male / female ratio of between 30 to 70 and 70 to 30 as acceptable and have therefore set ourselves the voluntary target of raising the proportion of women on the five highest management levels throughout the Group toward 30% by 2015. Women currently account for 25% of employees in this management segment worldwide, while men account for 75%. Since we set this target in 2010, the proportion of women in managerial positions has therefore risen by 4 percentage points. The ratio of female to male employees in the Bayer Group as a whole was 36.5% to 63.5%.more Recruiting for the future Bayer endeavors to appeal to the most talented people worldwide and to retain employees for long periods by providing good development opportunities, a modern working environment and competitive compensation. In 2013 we again attracted more than 4,900 academically qualified specialists and managers worldwide. We recruited approximately 660 university graduates in Germany, 520 in Russia, about 420 in Brazil and more than 340 in India. In 2013 we hired more than 19,400 new people across all occupations throughout the Group. more Talent management We are convinced that systematic people development is exceptionally important for the future success of our company. Group-wide talent management, in other words measures and tools to further our employees’ professional and personal development, is therefore a key element in our human resources policy. The basic principle is that every employee has his or her own individual strengths and talents that deserve recognition and development in the workplace. Vacancies in the Bayer Group, from non-managerial right up to senior management level, are advertised via a globally accessible platform. In 2013 we posted over 9,900 vacancies in 61 countries via this platform. more Links Integrated Annual Report Mission & Values Corporate Compliance Jobs and Career BaySEN Publications At a Glance – Sustainability at Bayer Publications Overview Downloads Stakeholder Dialogue Follow us facebook google plus twitter youtube linked in RSS Last updated: August 12, 2014 Copyright © Bayer AG Print Share Top Conditions of Use Privacy Statement Imprint Technical Details Contact us Sitemap Deutsch About Bayer Profile and Organization Mission & Values Bayer Employees Bayer Worldwide Corporate Compliance Corporate Governance Political Positions History Board of Management Supervisory Board Calendar Innovation Science For A Better Life Tour Research at Bayer Inventive Talent Otto-Bayer-Medal Products Product areas Service areas Products from A to Z Sustainability Strategy Focus Issues Management Management and Corporate Governance Employees Product stewardship Ecology Social Commitment Report Ratings, rankings and awards Media News Biographies Speeches Photos TV Footage Publications Video Center Social Media Channels Apps Events Stories Media Contact Investors Bayer Group Stock Bonds Reports Annual Stockholders’ Meeting 2014 Events News Handouts Downloads Career Why Bayer Working at Bayer How to join us Video Center Contact us