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Companies have an important role to play in mastering the demographic challenges of the future. By the way in which they address these challenges, they can actively shape the social environment in which they operate while at the same time securing competitive advantages.
BASF is also influenced by the effects of demographic change worldwide, and especially in Germany. The shrinking population, steadily rising life expectancy and the growing proportion of older employees represent special challenges for human resources management.
The GENERATIONS@WORK program was launched in 2006 to prepare BASF to respond optimally to these changes. Its aim is to further improve BASF's competitiveness and maintain its productivity and innovativeness amid the changing background conditions.
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The fields of activity of GENERATIONS@WORK
Employability
The physical and mental capabilities of employees are to be maintained into retirement age through a combination of company support and individual initiative. New tasks and qualifications are no longer a question of age. Rather, lifelong learning must become an established part of working life. With its new Learning Center in Ludwigshafen, BASF has set an important signal in this area. This facility provides individual counseling for all employees on all questions relating to qualification, assembles needs-based learning packages and teaches the use of state-of-the-art learning media.
With a view to maintaining the employability of workforce members, increased focus will also be placed on preventive health care. Through the introduction of preventive occupational safety and preventive measures for all age groups, BASF has already done much in the past to positively influence employees' health. Examples include targeted screening examinations and a wide range of sporting activities available to all employee groups. In the light of current demographic trends, existing provisions in these areas are being re-appraised and extended. Working time schedules are also being re-examined and optimized to more fully meet the needs of older employees.
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Sustainable recruitment
Sustainable human resources management for us means continuously training and recruiting qualified young professionals even in times of low replacement needs. This applies equally to academic, technical and commercial positions.
The competition for talent now being intensified by demographic trends will in future also include increasing pressure of competition for qualified women. Attractive policies that help employees to combine the demands of family life and work therefore sustainably contribute to BASF's attractiveness as an employer. BASF already offers a range of facilities for child care, family caregiving programs and part-time working models which will be needs adapted in future.
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Competitive productivity
The valuable experience of older employees is an asset we must utilize to increase productivity and competitiveness. One contribution to this goal is performance-related salary components which we, as one of only a few industrial companies, already offer to all employee groups. Remuneration systems are already linked to entrepreneurial success and individual performance. Salary components can also be converted to a later supplementary retirement pension or into shares - in this way we motivate our employees to increase individual arrangements for retirement provision.
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Culture change
The performance potential of the BASF team also depends on how it deals with the issue of age. BASF has set itself the goal of creating a motivating working environment for all age groups. Management must be sensitized to the topic of demographic change in order to better cope with the resulting changes in human resources management and to optimally utilize the potential of older employees.
A change of awareness encouraging a positive approach to aging and individual career planning is also essential among employees.
Social commitment
Fostering the development of young people is a main focus of our activities within the communities in which our sites are located. By investing in education we will remain competitive in the long term and secure our future. This is why we are intensifying our commitment in education in the host communities of our sites and are supporting activities worldwide that provide and promote access to education.
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Financing of pensions
Higher life expectancies will also mean an increase in the funds allocated for company pensions. In spite of demographic change we shall continue to do everything necessary to guarantee our employees a secure financial situation in old age. One important step towards this goal was the establishment of a contractual trust arrangement through which pension contributions exceeding the basic rate of the BASF pension fund are financed externally.
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