New award recognises BPW as fairest employer in automotive supply industry

• Pole position for BPW in new ranking produced by Focus Money, Deutschland Test and Faktenkontor
• Highest score among shortlisted automotive suppliers
• BPW also reconfirms status as one of the best German employers
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Wiehl, 23.02.2018 --- For many years BPW Bergische Achsen KG has ranked among Germany’s top employers, as recently reconfirmed by the magazine Focus Business. It has now been recognised as the fairest employer in its industry. The accolade is the outcome of a new ranking produced by Faktenkontor with academic support on behalf of Focus Money and Deutschland Test. The survey assessed not only fair pay and promotion opportunities, but also working climate, corporate culture, commitment to senior employees, inclusion and diversity management.

BPW is a small-to-medium family-owned business that was established 120 years ago and is now an innovation leader in the transport and commercial vehicle sectors. It employs around 7,000 people worldwide. The company has been championing humanitarian and environmental causes for a long time, and last year published its first sustainability report in compliance with the criteria of the United Nations Global Compact. The topics it covers include BPW’s numerous initiatives to ensure fair and inspiring working conditions. Among the focal points are working conditions for the over-50s, striking a balance between work and family life, and a commitment to children and young adults. One of the groups supported by BPW consists of youngsters who didn’t count among the high-flyers at school but wish to qualify for training. The company’s training syllabus also encompasses political education. Its trainees not only learn how democracy operates in theory, but also visit the municipal council chamber to discuss actual local issues in public.

HR director Barbara Höfel comments, “BPW is a family business whose perspective spans generations, not just the short term. Human decency, sustainability, and entrepreneurial agility are not mutually exclusive aspirations for us. In fact, we owe the position we have built as a quality and innovation leader to a long-term approach and our employees’ trust and enthusiasm. These attributes have also been instrumental in our most recent successes in emerging business segments, such as e-mobility and the internet of transport. Our recognition as the fairest automotive supplier is not only most welcome, but also validates the findings of our own regular employee surveys.”

Academic support for the assessment of the country’s fairest employers was provided by Prof. Werner Sarges. Among other methods, social listening was used to capture 22 million mentions of the evaluated companies in 2017.

Apart from the new award, Focus Business has also recognised BPW again as one of the top employers in the automotive supply industry. The ranking, published by the magazine in collaboration with Xing and kununu.com, identifies the companies whose employees are especially satisfied with their jobs. According to its findings, BPW is one of the 1,000 most popular employers in Germany.

Note: More information on BPW as an employer is contained in the company’s current annual report and sustainability report.