S1-2 – Processes for engaging with own workers and workers’ representatives about impacts

Participation as an integral part of the corporate culture

Rentenbank fosters a corporate culture in which employees are regularly and systematically involved in decision-making and change processes that affect their working situation and the organisational environment. The involvement of the workforce reflects a fundamental commitment to transparency, dialogue and shared responsibility, and serves to incorporate different perspectives and to support change jointly.

Structured participation processes and co-determination

Employees are involved both through institutionalised co-determination structures and through direct participation and dialogue formats. The Staff Council, the Equal Opportunities Officer, the representative body for employees with severe disabilities and the occupational health and safety committee perform key functions and bring the interests and views of employees into relevant decision-making and change processes within the scope of their respective responsibilities. Operational responsibility for engaging with the workforce lies with the Head of the People Management department.

Rentenbank also uses structured dialogue sessions to capture feedback from the workforce in a systematic manner. These include regular employee surveys, organisation-wide information and dialogue sessions (e.g. town hall meetings) and topic-specific workshops in connection with organisational or work-related changes. Feedback from these formats is taken up and reflected in the ongoing refinement of working conditions, working methods and cultural initiatives.

Rentenbank also uses additional internal communication formats to promote transparency and organisation-wide understanding. These include a monthly internal podcast that provides insights into the structure, responsibilities and ways of working of different areas of Rentenbank.

In the reporting year, a new business strategy was developed and presented to all employees as part of a virtual town hall event. Managers subsequently discussed the strategy and the sub-strategies relevant to their respective areas with their teams.

In addition, a comprehensive employee survey, the “Culture Check”, was conducted in 2025. Following the survey, all teams analysed their respective results and discussed them in structured workshops. The aim was to reflect jointly on what conclusions should be drawn for day-to-day work and collaboration, and on how personal responsibility is put into practice within the respective teams. To support this process, internal moderators were trained to facilitate the workshops.

In the reporting year, the Equal Opportunities Officer conducted an employee survey on meeting culture. The purpose of the survey was to gain insights into the extent to which existing meeting times are compatible with employees’ different life situations and private commitments.

There is currently no centralised, cross-format assessment of the effectiveness of the participation formats. However, feedback is systematically collected in formats such as employee surveys and is used as appropriate for reflection and further development.

Inclusion of specific groups of employees

Rentenbank takes into account the different life situations and protection needs of its employees in designing participation and decision-making processes. Particular attention is paid to employees with disabilities and employees with caring or nursing responsibilities.

The interests of these groups are represented in decision-making processes in particular through established contact points such as the representative body for employees with severe disabilities, the Staff Council and the Equal Opportunities Officer. These bodies act as interfaces between the workforce and the organisation and ensure that specific concerns, perspectives and potential burdens are taken into account appropriately. In addition, awareness-raising measures relating to diversity and different life situations help to strengthen awareness of diversity within the workforce and to make participation processes inclusive.

Employee participation forms a central basis for transparency, dialogue and cooperation. For situations in which concerns, burdens or conflicts cannot be addressed through participation or dialogue formats, supplementary and clearly defined procedures are in place for the confidential reporting and handling of information and grievances.