Responsible Employer

2022 was a year of intense activity for Oerlikon in human resources (HR). As companies around the world began relaxing COVID-imposed constraints, the global workforce emerged eager for new experiences and opportunities, which fueled turnover.

Employment

GRI 3-3; GRI 2-7,8; GRI 401-1,2; SASB RT-IG-000.B

That trend, combined with increased interest in openings at Oerlikon, led to a very busy year for our HR team. In total, we processed 22% more job applications in 2022 than in the previous year.

At the same time, we maintained our commitments to expanding our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, working toward our 2030 gender diversity targets and nurturing promising careers through our professional development programs for employees identified as having a high degree of leadership potential.

An Employer of Choice for Global Talent

Oerlikon’s global workforce numbered 12 184 fulltime equivalents (FTEs) at the end of 2022, an increase of 3% compared to the previous year. 56% of FTEs were based in Europe, followed by 29% in Asia-Pacific and 15% in the Americas. The majority of Oerlikon’s employees (>95%) are permanent employees.

Further employment data, including breakdowns by permanent, temporary, full-time and part-time, as well as by regions and gender, can be found on pages 83 to 86 in the report. Data for employees with non-guaranteed is not available since this group is very small and thus Oerlikon does not track this information.

As an equal opportunity employer, Oerlikon offers attractive compensation and benefit packages to all employees, including temporary and part-time employees, as well as apprentices and interns, in compliance with local labor laws and practices. Parental leave is also part of the employment package according to local labor regulations and practices.

Forbes World’s Best Employers 2022

For the past three years, Forbes has partnered with market research company Statista to compile the ranking for Forbes World’s Best Employers 2022. The ranking is ascertained by surveying 150 000 full-time and part-time workers from 57 countries working for multinational corporations and institutions to determine which ones excel in impact and image, talent development, gender equality, social responsibility and more.

Survey participants were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their employers to friends and family. They were also asked to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stood out either positively or negatively. This year’s list comprises the 800 companies that received the highest scores. Oerlikon is proud to be listed among these 800 companies.

Employee Engagement Positively Impacting Culture

We conduct periodic surveys to assess employee engagement and identify opportunities for continued improvement. During 2022, we conducted such an employee engagement survey, under the same slogan, “Your Voice Matters”, which saw a strong 72% participation rate and is on a par with our overall participation in 2019.

The open comments received numbered 10 600, which is a 59.3% increase compared to 2019. More than 50% of those comments offered clear, specific feedback for strengthening employee perception of Oerlikon as a company that:

Supports the development of new and innovative ideas;
Ensures that its executive team’s actions are consistent with their statements;
Is a source of employee pride across the organization’s sites and areas of business.

Participants’ positive feedback showed that we are gaining traction on topics such as safety, environment and diversity, as well as on our culture initiatives launched in recent years. In some other areas, we see that we are not at the level that we want to be and we need to improve. Using the results as a starting point, a robust follow-up at a team level started and is ongoing until June 2023, where teams reflect on the results, their strengths and areas that can be improved. Where needed, deep-dive workshops and training were organized. In addition, we aim to further facilitate best-practice sharing across the organization to grow and continue to learn from one another.

Embedding Desired Behavior in Our Culture

We continue to build on the progress that began in 2020 with the launch of a global initiative to strengthen and align our culture. Inspired by thousands of comments submitted during the preceding two employee engagement surveys along with input provided in targeted interviews, we created the six brief statements of the Oerlikon Success Model.

During 2022, we further embedded the principles of the model within our organizational processes. Our SuccessFactors System, which has been implemented by approximately 40% of the company to structure annual reviews, has now replaced the former Behavioral Competencies standard. We support that shift with additional classroom and leadership training to reinforce the expectations reflected in reviews. These training modules address soft skills and behaviors as a means of reinforcing understanding of our culture, and review results aid us in identifying who has embraced our culture and values and where we need to invest further in bringing each employee, team or region to that level.

The performance review system is available in 10 languages to ensure transparency and accessibility across the organization. In addition, we implemented the use of visual aids, such as posters and stickers, in 2022 to further reinforce understanding of the Success Model. Throughout the company, posters in 23 languages ensure that employees come into regular contact with the Success Statements that capture the path to an optimal Oerlikon career.

Talent Acquisition

The global recruitment landscape was marked by unprecedented dynamism during 2022 as employers in many countries contended with a higher turnover following the “the great resignation”. Oerlikon was not excluded from these trends, but their net impact was positive: while our turnover rates rose, so did our recruitment rates, and we saw a 22% increase in application volume. For the year, we hired a total of 2 449 new employees, which represented an increase of 42% compared to 2021.

The combined impact of each of these factors made it essential to achieve greater organization in talent acquisition. We met that challenge through a combination of several tools, technologies and strategies. The use of HireVue, an AI-powered video interviewing, assessment and scheduling platform, played a key role in our continued implementation of remote and virtual recruitment and onboarding processes.

In 2022, over 50% of our acquisitions were sourced over online platforms such as Glassdoor and Indeed, and nearly 20% of new hires are from these digital platforms. The switch to a more digital approach for recruitment has led to significant savings compared to conventional recruitment methods.

To further enhance efficiency, we centered many talent acquisition activities at the regional level, where decision-making on hiring could be accomplished more quickly than if it were centralized. This required us to expand the global talent acquisition team during the first three quarters of 2022, when turnover and recruitment activity were at their peak.

Diversity and equal opportunity

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Oerlikon is committed to creating a workplace where all employees feel comfortable and safe and are able to be their true selves.

During 2022, we rolled out the “Inclusion in Action” internal training program piloted in December 2021. Its goal is to raise individual understanding of inclusive thinking and recognition of unconscious and unintended bias by using inclusion sequence analysis of workplace practices and processes.

A total of seven virtual Inclusion in Action training sessions took place, with around 70 participants. Inclusion in Action is now a permanent entry in our training catalog and is available to be booked on demand for either a team or regionally. Continued precautions with regard to COVID have delayed offering in-person training to employees on the factory floor, but once we are in a position to fully roll it out, we expect it to become a component of our compulsory training. The timetable for reaching that goal is by the first half of 2024, but we will continue to encourage employees to complete the training on demand in the interim.

To promote diversity at our Polymer Processing Solutions Division, a pilot program with 30 Diversity Ambassadors was identified, each responsible to take care of a cluster of around 50 employees. Their role is to foster diversity and to raise any issues around DEI. As a next step, the division plans to roll out this program across its sites in Germany.

Senior management in local community

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We have long recognized the direct link between our internal diversity, our capacity to innovate and our market position. Cultural and geographical diversity align not only with our values, but also with our value proposition as a company that derives strength from the different backgrounds, experiences and areas of expertise within our workforce.

Our global workforce in 2022 was represented by 102 nationalities (2021: 94). Among our leadership team, 18% of our designated Global Leaders were non-European (2021: 21%). It is Oerlikon’s aim to continue to strengthen its regional diversity and accelerate its regional expansion, particularly in its Surface Solutions Division, so as to realize upside sales potential in the regions by leveraging the competitive advantages of its integrated offering and broad technology portfolio.

The regional decision-making framework also supports Oerlikon’s goal of facilitating more cross-team and cross-business collaboration. By doing so, we are able to achieve business and personnel benefits in tandem. Customers gain access to a more comprehensive portfolio of materials, technologies, equipment and solutions, while employees gain exposure to a greater range of perspectives, expertise and ideas. The net effect is a more engaging and satisfying working environment.

Diversity Conference

In November, we hosted our second Diversity Conference focused on visible and invisible disabilities. For further details on this successful conference, see the case study below.

Gender and Sexual Diversity

We remain committed to strengthening gender diversity on the Board, at the senior management level and across the company. In 2022, one out of seven members (14%) of the Board was a woman, while one out of five members (20%) of the EC was female. During 2022, Oerlikon’s global workforce (FTEs) increased by 3% to 12 184, of which 24% is female (2021: 23%).

Achieving gender balance remains challenging given the predominance of men in engineering. Our overall workforce is largely male (85%) (2021: 85%), and women account for 13.4% of management and leaderships roles (2018 baseline: 12%).

We actively work on improving gender diversity and making Oerlikon an attractive workplace for women and to increase the number of women in leadership positions within the company through a number of initiatives.

In October, Oerlikon participated once again in the Top Women Tech Summit, where we attracted 120 talented and ambitious women with a background in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to our session and had the chance to introduce them to Oerlikon.

For International Women’s Day, we hosted a virtual event that included a presentation by Oerlikon’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Anna Ryzhova, on our commitment to fostering gender equality and an introduction to the Oerlikon Women’s Council, who shared the group’s plans and how they connect to our business. The event concluded with a “Become Gender Fluent” training session.

Members of the Oerlikon Women’s Council represent all regions and diverse job functions within Oerlikon, including manufacturing, sales, digitalization, procurement and HR. The group’s goal is to achieve a gender-neutral and inclusive workplace, and although it is run by and for women, male members are welcome.

During the event, we also took the opportunity to thank all the talented women who contribute to Oerlikon’s record of innovation and market position. In particular, we drew attention to Irina, who has been with the company for an impressive 44 years, and Iris, who at just 15 years of age is the youngest female member of our team – anapprentice physics lab technician at Balzers, Liechtenstein.

In July, we celebrated Pride Month with a first internal pride month newsletter. We also organized joint sessions with our external partner Proud at Work, did multiple LinkedIn posts on a transgender rights campaign and went live with our employee resource group, Proud@Oerlikon. The two virtual pride month sessions (one in English and one in German) saw a total of more than 1 000 participants.

From feedback received during Pride Month, we could see that diversity, equity and inclusion is recognized as an important topic at Oerlikon, and although more than 75% of the surveyed participants could imagine talking at work about their partners, many of them still have reservations or fear of being ridiculed for being gay. This highlighted even more the importance of such events to raise awareness, acceptance and inclusion.

Another diversity initiative in 2022 was Oerlikon becoming a signatory to the Equal Voice agreement, as one of ten Swiss companies, to promote gender equality in the media, at the workplace, in working conditions and in salaries.

Age Diversity

At Oerlikon, employees of all ages collaborate, cooperate and support one another with respect. A healthy mix of established experience and fresh perspectives working in concert is essential for the exchange of ideas and creation of innovations. Our Horizons program and Success Model are some of the initiatives that facilitate the interactive exchange between employees of different ages.

In 2022, more than 16% of our workforce was aged 30 or younger, 60% were between the ages of 30 to 50 and more than 23% were over 50 years of age. Nearly 53% of new hires in 2022 were under 35. Among our designated Global Leaders, 24.6% were aged 45 or younger.

We continue to have more than 13% of employees who have been with Oerlikon for more than 20 years (2022: 1 702; 2021: 1 543). This clearly demonstrates our appreciation of long-established talent and the long-term opportunities we offer our employees. The average employee tenure at Oerlikon remains at nine years (2021: nine years) – notably longer than the industry average. Together, our people build on our traditions while bringing in new perspectives to forge new paths forward.

Training and education

GRI 404-1,2,3

Employee Training and Development

Skills enhancement and professional development programs are as essential to our market success as they are to our employees’ ambitions. Oerlikon’s employee training and development programs include in-person and online learning and career development options, such as workshops and courses designed to upgrade existing skills and sessions that provide transition assistance.

Training for employees is part of the individual’s career and personal development planning, which is built into the performance reviews conducted at least twice a year between employees and their line managers. During these developmental conversations the line managers can connect to the online training catalog to discuss, for example, formal training options and/or review other on-the-job development and growth opportunities or special projects. Our training catalog focuses mainly on soft skills for leaders and office workers. The training of technical work, such as machine operation, is handled locally according to the operating procedures of that country. The reviews are documented in the SuccessFactors system or in manual individual development plan templates, where SuccessFactors is not implemented.

In the US, we use the RedVector Learning Management System for health and safety training. In 2022, we expanded its usage to leadership development lessons. With RedVector, employees have access to a library of e-learning courses and opportunities to link with additional vendor libraries. There are plans to utilize the system for assigned prework with our production manager training in 2023.

In 2022, we continued to use digital training tools and platforms, such as Udemy, to offer employees the chance to learn remotely from any location, on any device and at any time.

Apart from specialized training, Oerlikon launched an Adaptive Resilience Program in 2022. The program aims to help employees build behaviors, mental habits and practices that promote personal resilience while building a resilient culture within teams. The program is highly interactive and provides the tools to manage stress, while staying motivated and focused, grow mindsets and adaptive skills and to learn how to thrive in a changing culture by growing empathy, trust and psychological safety in teams.

Apprenticeships

Oerlikon continued to seek out the next generation of talent even before future young professionals have entered the workforce. In cooperation with a number of schools, colleges and universities worldwide, we make hands-on, intensive apprenticeships and internships available to emerging innovators.

High-Potential Talent Programs

Launched in 2018, Oerlikon’s career accelerator program, Horizons, continues to nurture emerging talent over the course of an 18-month program. In addition to offering career path assistance, its focus includes developing leadership and business skills, creating visibility at senior levels and building networks.

The first 37 graduates completed the program in December 2019. The second wave, with 25 participants, enrolled in September 2020 (in a program modified to ensure pandemic safety compliance) and completed the program in May 2022. The third wave will be enhanced, with nominations beginning toward the end of 2023, and the program starting in Q1 2024.

A part of the Horizons programs, teams forms to work on a specific business project over six months. The projects they worked on are based on current and real-life business topics, which see them contribute to ideas for the business and products or identifying solutions to address challenges. At the end of that time, they present their ideas and explain how they would tackle the project. These are then applied to the business.

Since its launch, more than 65% of the graduates have been promoted or received additional job responsibilities.

At the Polymer Processing Solutions Division, the OMF+ program had a total of 93 high-potential participants in 2022. Loop 4 of the program concluded at the end of November with 57 graduates. In September, loop 5 commenced with 36 talents. Over the course of the year, work on strategic projects, webinars, on-site trainings and mentoring took place during the programs and at different locations.

OERLIKON RISE

A major new development in 2022 was the launch of our RISE program, which seeks to develop high-potential talent at the regional level for growth into positions in country or regional management teams. RISE is run by each region (Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe) and accepts participants via self-nomination following a series of interviews with line and divisional management.

In the inaugural program, 156 individuals registered their interest and were invited to go through a three-gate validation process, which involved: (1) line manager permission, a self-assessment and an online test, followed by (2) validation via a video application, line manager evaluation and a structured interview; and ending with (3) approvals and endorsements by HR and leadership. A total of 57 participants made it to the final: 26 from Europe, 15 from the Americas and 16 from Asia Pacific), and 20% of them were women.

The program kicked off in summer 2022 and is scheduled to be completed toward the end of 2023. On the agenda are conferences, virtual workshops, local business project work and presentation and disruptive experiments.

Labor management relations, freedom of association and collective bargaining

GRI 402-1, GRI 2-30; GRI 407-1

Oerlikon has operations in 37 countries and respects the legal rights of its employees to form, join or refrain from joining worker organizations, including labor organizations or trade unions. Oerlikon complies with applicable local laws worldwide regarding employee and third-party involvement, and will not discriminate based on an employee’s decision to join or not join a labor organization.

Oerlikon respects the rights of employees to organize and makes managers at all levels aware of those rights. The company’s long-standing belief is that the interests of Oerlikon and its employees are best served through a favorable, collaborative work environment with direct communication between employees and management. Oerlikon endeavors to establish these kinds of favorable employment conditions, to promote positive relationships between employees and managers, to facilitate employee communications and to support employee development.

Oerlikon also respects its employees’ rights to take part in collective bargaining. We abide by legally binding collective agreements. We also take care that employee representatives do not suffer discrimination and that they have open access to members in the workplace.

For its employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreements, Oerlikon determines their working conditions and terms of employment based on local employment conditions in line with local laws and regulations.

An estimated 45% of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements in 2022 (2021: 45%).

Pertaining to minimum notice periods regarding operational changes, we are not providing more detailed information as each local agreement is subject to local laws and regulations. Overall, we satisfy the minimum legal requirements in each respective country, and in some countries we even exceed the minimum requirements set by local laws.

Infrastructure investments and services supported

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Oerlikon has a global footprint of 205 sites in 37 countries. Oerlikon’s presence in communities throughout the world gives us a global outlook on how social and service needs vary from one country or community to another. We rely on our local teams to identify opportunities for Oerlikon to be a good neighbor and give back through a combination of fundraising and volunteer efforts that improve life in the communities where we operate. This approach also serves to assure our employees that we applaud and support their local giving initiatives.

Giving back at the local level aligns with our core values, and we live those principles by making financial contributions to charities or serving as active local volunteers. During 2022, Oerlikon performed an initial analysis of how we can formalize the process of gathering, consolidating and reporting on our community engagement efforts to ensure data completeness and integrity.

At the same time, we continued to encourage volunteer initiatives, both worldwide and Group-wide, to respond as needs arise. In 2022, we saw many examples of local engagement by our employees.

In India, we contributed CHF 46 354 in 2022 on projects implemented in partnership with organizations such as Rotary International and NGOs. Among these were sponsoring scholarships in textile technology at select universities, providing a toilet block to a rural school, supporting the Prime Minister’s relief fund, planting trees, underwriting programs in skills development and fostering preservation of India’s culture, heritage and arts. In addition, we are exploring further projects such as working with the Shiksha Foundation in support of education for girls and supporting the planting of indigenous foliage and fruit trees.

To provide aid and comfort to children in need, a team of employees at Oerlikon São José dos Pinhais in Brazil organized the collection of toys for donation to the NGO Respeito Não Tem Cor, which hosted an event that featured games, snacks for the children and toy distribution. The employees at Oerlikon’s Jundiaí plant also decided to take a similar initiative. A team there collected toys, food and clothing for Casa de Nazaré, an association that provides assistance and protection to children and teenagers through institutional care.

In Switzerland, we held a charity auction for two Fiat 500s, which were used corporate carpooling cars. The auction was opened to all Oerlikon employees who reside in the Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and generated CHF 6 900. The money was donated to the Aladdin Stiftung, which is dedicated to helping the families of children affected by illness or disability.

Continuing their good work from the past five years, team members in Italy further engaged in regular fundraising activities to aid the work of I Bambini delle Fate. This community organization provides economic support to help people who are living with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions.

In the US, Surface Solutions employees in Dayton, Ohio, completed two projects during 2022. As it has for many years, Team Dayton competed in the Battle of the Businesses, the city’s number one fundraiser for the Special Olympics. More than 30 businesses took part in 12 athletic events, including miniature golf and bowling. The Oerlikon team placed at the top of its division, won the tug-of-war for the second time and raised USD 1 000 for the charity. The American Cancer Society was the beneficiary of a second event that included representatives of Dayton’s Component Supply (Friction Systems) team, which walked three miles in support of the fundraiser.

Given how many lives are touched by cancer, many of our employees are eager to support efforts to fund research into treatments and an eventual cure. In Manchester, a Surface Solutions team’s participated in the Cancer Research UK's 10k Manchester Shine Night Walk and raised more than USD 1 200 in support of cancer research.

As these examples (among many others) demonstrate, philanthropical activity and charitable work are not just core corporate values at Oerlikon. They are also central to the feelings of personal responsibility to society found in many of our employees. We admire their generosity in providing services to communities in need, and we are proud to partner with them in these endeavors.

Diversity Conference: Disabilities inclusion and awareness

Case study: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Following the success of its first Diversity Conference in December 2021, Oerlikon decided to make the Diversity Conference an annual event to raise awareness and understanding of different diversity topics.

On November 30, we hosted our second Diversity Conference, focused on disability and on ensuring that we offer a welcoming, supportive environment for employees, candidates and other stakeholders with disabilities.

We sought to raise awareness of the topic, including understanding of “invisible disabilities” that create unique challenges but may go unnoticed by coworkers and managers.
The event’s morning session, which featured an expert speaker, examined how we at Oerlikon approach disability and how we can foster a more inclusive environment. During the afternoon session, external experts shared their insights on best practices. Our goals for the event included giving participants an opportunity to learn from one another and to “unlearn” language, behaviors and thought processes that are counterproductive to maintaining an inclusive environment and a safe space for all.

More than 1 400 employees took the opportunity to take a listen to the views from the external guests and leadership on this topic. The participation and feedback from employees is a confirmation for the company that it is on the right path in its efforts to continue building a safe and inclusive environment for all.

Rising to help those in need due to the Ukraine war

Case Study: Reduced Inequalities

The outbreak of war in Ukraine prompted Oerlikon to launch a global, company-wide fundraising campaign to support humanitarian action for internally displaced people and refugees driven abroad. The resulting initiative was a true fusion of individual and corporate commitment to a cause that drew the support of our employees throughout the world.

We ran a two-month employee donation campaign on behalf of UNICEF’s work supporting children affected by the war in Ukraine. In that time, members of the Oerlikon team donated CHF 62 000 to the program. Oerlikon, which had promised to double the total of the amount donated by employees, exceeded that commitment and ultimately increased the total donation to CHF 200 000.

These donations funded UNICEF’s work establishing Blue Dot Hubs – protection centers within Ukraine and along the migration routes in Poland, Moldova, Romania, Belarus, Hungary and Slovakia. Each hub offers initial support to 3 000 to 5 000 people daily. For children, the hubs are a refuge where they can rest, play and simply be children under extraordinary circumstances.