Employees and Community
We support these Sustainable Development Goals
with our measures:
Employees
Trainees
Employees with disabilities
Nationalities
- Women 13.23%
- Men 86.77%
Figures as at 31.08.2021
Long-term diversity
Just like nature thrives from its diversity, the BPW world is of course also varied and diverse – this is what lies behind the company’s success and its sustainable culture. The BPW Group employs around 7,000 employees in over 30 countries, with more than 1,400 employees from 21 nations working at the headquarters in Wiehl. Regardless of their nationality, gender, skin colour or sexual orientation, all of these people can be themselves at BPW and they are valued, respected and encouraged with their individual strengths and talents.
The optimum conditions for vocational training
A profession is an important part of life and can have a long-lasting influence on our personalities. Training young people is therefore a task with a great deal of responsibility – and one that is given the attention it deserves at BPW. This is reflected by the recognition regularly gained by the company, for example as one of the best national companies for training in Germany or as ‘Germany’s best vocational training companies’. There are currently 95 young people training for a career at BPW, with aspirations including the roles of technical product designer, mechatronics engineer or cutting machine operator. Their instructors teach them the best specialist content and they can make use of an ideal infrastructure with high-quality workshops and even a robotics training centre. BPW also offers the apprentices an extensive range of other training options, supports their personal development with formats on politics and finance or with etiquette courses, offers the opportunity to spend time living, studying and working abroad, organises sports activities and entrusts them with independent projects.
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‘Political Education’ programme is being extended
Apprentices at BPW don’t just learn a profession, they also gain personal development. As part of the ‘Political Education’ programme, they acquire a fundamental understanding of democracy and politics is brought to life for them with activities such as discussion groups or a session at the town hall. They look at party manifestos, draw up concepts themselves, for example for a nursery, or discuss issues such as illegal car racing and pensions. This commitment, which began in 2016, has earned BPW an award in the ‘Apprenticeships and Further Training’ category from the industry magazine VerkehrsRundschau. So far, a total of 139 apprentices have taken part in 13 modules.
The programme has had to be cancelled in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictions for events, but this break is being used well. At the suggestion of Achim Kotz, personally liable managing partner at BPW, further societal issues are being added to the concept, including social and sustainability topics.
Jump-start for career choices
The transition from school to a career is a particularly sensitive time when young people need support. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia has created a system to ensure help is provided at an early stage with the initiative ‘Kein Abschluss ohne Anschluss’ (KAoA), which aims to ensure that there is a next step for every qualification that is completed. Its objective is to introduce school-leavers as quickly as possible to prospective next steps for vocational training or study and to avoid unnecessary waits through effective coordination.
BPW has been supporting this initiative for many years and regularly invites school pupils to visit the company for an introduction to occupations that training can lead to. Over the course of four days, BPW apprentices then present various professions that can be accessed through an apprenticeship at BPW, from mechatronics engineer to cutting machine operator, industrial mechanic to logistics manager. The event was still held during the pandemic with an online format via Microsoft Teams. Participants were able to ask their questions remotely and the BPW apprentices were on hand to respond personally and live in various creative formats.
KURS scheme partnership with Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium
‘Social Economy’ project course
Students at Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium in Wiehl can focus their learning profile towards social economics and engineering. The school works closely with BPW to offer the ‘Social Economy’ project course as part of this. BPW offers the participants workshops and work placements and also supports their project work. The course was held online in 2021, with apprentices hosting a live stream from the BPW ideas workshop. The digital format went down very well and benefited from lively interaction on-screen.
logistics at school
How does logistics work? Even school pupils can now learn all about this. Apprentices and instructors from BPW are passing on their knowledge as part of a KURS (regional company and school cooperation network) scheme partnership with Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium in Wiehl. A three-part series of digital workshops taught them the basics of the world of logistics, about materials planning and warehouse logistics, as well as shipping and goods issuing. For example, Lea Patzwald and Ben Klein, who are both studying for a dual degree programmes in logistics management, told the participants about what is involved in careers such as logistics manager or agent for freight forwarding and logistics services. Content on the topic of logistics was presented using the supply chain and Stefan Wolfslast and Stefan Keilberg were on hand to provide expert answers to questions. And there were plenty of them to answer: the students were very interested and also amazed by how versatile and exciting logistics is. The feedback on the workshop opportunity was positive in every respect.
BPW also collaborates with Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium on the ‘Kein Abschluss ohne Anschluss’ (KAoA) initiative and supports the Social Economy project course.
Employee Health
Company Health Management
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Healthcare
The coronavirus pandemic has put the topic of health in the spotlight. In spring 2021, BPW launched a crisis committee that has since been continually monitoring the latest developments and drawing up suitable measures. As well as wishing to keep administration and production up and running, the safety and well-being of all employees was of course a central concern. A range of healthcare options was quickly developed, including rapid tests for the virus available to employees, visitors and guests. When colleagues were considering whether foreign travel or a long deployment abroad was possible, the company’s medical department provided advice. Coronavirus vaccines have also been being administered since spring 2021 and flu vaccinations will be given in autumn 2021.
Healthcare
The coronavirus pandemic has put the topic of health in the spotlight. In spring 2021, BPW launched a crisis committee that has since been continually monitoring the latest developments and drawing up suitable measures. As well as wishing to keep administration and production up and running, the safety and well-being of all employees was of course a central concern. A range of healthcare options was quickly developed, including rapid tests for the virus available to employees, visitors and guests. When colleagues were considering whether foreign travel or a long deployment abroad was possible, the company’s medical department provided advice. Coronavirus vaccines have also been being administered since spring 2021 and flu vaccinations will be given in autumn 2021.
Significantly fewer accidents
The stated aim at BPW is that workplace accidents should never happen. The company wants to reduce the number of accidents to zero, including with the initiative called ‘0 accidents at the workplace’. This includes training for team leaders, who learn how to encourage preventive behaviour with the help of a guideline for discussions and thus promote the right attitude among employees at the workplace. BPW also appoints safety officers who inform employees about risks and continually raise their awareness of these dangers. The pandemic meant that fewer training sessions could take place, but the absolute number of workplace accidents at the company fell significantly: from 32 incidents in 2019 to 21 in 2020. The preventive training and discussions about how to adapt behaviour to avoid risks are to be revived after the pandemic. The aim remains: zero accidents.
Serious accidents
2017
2018
2019
2020
Compliance
Responsible and lawful conduct
Occupational health and safety is another important topic that is not only legally relevant for BPW: a risk assessment serves to protect the health of employees and also functions as a crucial verification document. BPW has systematically expanded the relevant documentation, associated measures, checks and controls in recent years.
Social Involvement
Quickly finding medical assistance on the road
When cargo needs to get to the recipient on time, there is a huge amount of pressure on drivers. If they encounter health problems during a job, they therefore often put these on hold because it is difficult to find a doctor’s surgery on the road, let alone park a 40-ton truck nearby. As a member of the DocStop initiative, BPW also helps to ensure that it is easy to find medical care when on the road. The Europe-wide hotline 00800 03627867 provides drivers with immediate assistance, quickly finding the nearest DocStop location and giving them an appointment with a doctor. Many driver apps also show the locations, including nearby parking options. The BPW company headquarters in Wiehl is also registered as a location: Dr Gunnar Heymer, the BPW company doctor, has been treating ill drivers since March 2020.
#Logistikhilft initiative
To the website
BPW fire service
The BPW unit was called to 50 deployments in 2020. Among other incidents, they helped to extinguish the large forest fire in Gummersbach.
