Social Contribution

In order to make the appropriateness of our remuneration transparent and measurable, we launched the Compensation Grid" project in the 2023 financial year. With this project, we also want to comply with the provisions of the EU Pay Transparency Directive. The project aims to analyze the salaries of our employees according to their positions and hierarchies. A benchmark comparison of salaries is also intended to ensure that remuneration is in line with the market. In the course of the project so far, we have started with prerequisites for the analyses. For example, the employees of the German companies in 2024 were classified according to uniform job levels and assigned to career paths. This assignment forms the basis for subsequent comparisons and benchmark analyses. The compensation grid is currently still in the project phase. We will continue to pursue the project in 2025 in order to be able to report valid figures on the appropriateness of our remuneration in the future. 

We want to continue to be seen and rated as an attractive employer and offer our employees a safe and appealing working environment. As part of our annual satisfaction survey of all employees, we determine the grenke engagement score. We use this to measure employee satisfaction and summarize the results from the areas of engagement, identification and loyalty as well as overall satisfaction with the company in a score. The score is measured on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 corresponding to high satisfaction and 7 to low satisfaction. The participation rate across the Group was 67.8% (2023: 68.4%). Based on all responses received, the engagement score for the 2024 financial year is therefore 2.1 (2023: 2.1). The employee survey is anonymous and includes both quantitative surveys and the opportunity for qualitative feedback, suggestions for improvement and complaints. In addition, our employees have the opportunity to share their thoughts with their manager during the annual performance reviews. The results of the employee survey are directly incorporated into the further development of the HR and sustainability strategy as well as the corporate strategy.
We want to attract, promote and retain the best employees in the long term - regardless of culture, nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical/mental abilities, faith, political beliefs, age or experience and in compliance with international human rights. By signing the Diversity Charter, we are committed to diversity as a cornerstone of our organization. To strengthen diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities, we launched an interdisciplinary project in 2023. The aim of this ongoing project is to further develop our measures and strengthen our corporate culture.

We promote the well-being of our employees and ensure that workplaces are safe. A prerequisite for safe behavior is informing employees about hazards in their workplace and encouraging them to behave in a safe manner. In line with the increased use of remote working, we have expanded our range of training courses to include content on occupational health and safety when working remotely. We summarize our approach and the requirements for protecting the health and safety of our employees in our health and safety policy (OHS policy). This applies to all companies in Germany. We also comply with the applicable health and safety regulations in the respective countries at our subsidiaries and offer appropriate measures. These health and safety precautions therefore apply to 100% of our employees.  

In Germany, company officers are appointed in the areas of occupational medicine, occupational safety and fire protection in order to maintain, promote and improve health and safety in the workplace. The requirements for the appointment as well as the tasks and content of the grenke company representatives are based on the German Occupational Safety Act (ASiG) in conjunction with DGUV Regulation 2 (German Statutory Accident Insurance), the building regulations of the federal states, relevant official requirements and ISO 9001. On average, our employees were off sick for nine days in the 2024 financial year (2023: 7 sick days per employee Group-wide). In the 2024 financial year, 13 work-related accidents (2023: 6 accidents) were reported to our accident insurance by HR in Germany, but no serious cases were reported.

For us, corporate responsibility also means giving something back to society and supporting organizations or projects that are not directly related to our value creation. Always with a view to the respective region and our brand values - simple, fast, personal and entrepreneurial. These criteria are set out in our "grenke Corporate Sponsorship & Donation Guidelines". As part of our corporate responsibility and social commitment, we support sport, culture and education as well as projects that promote children and young people: Social commitment at grenke. In the financial year, we supported projects, institutions and various associations with a total of around EUR 2.2 million (2023: EUR 1.8 million).  

Our aim is to provide entrepreneurs with the best possible support for their investments through financing. Our customers include over half a million small and medium-sized enterprises. In our more than 30 countries, market access is achieved through both indirect sales and direct sales. In indirect sales, individual leasing contracts are concluded through cooperation with specialized retail partners. In contrast, in direct sales we generally agree financing frameworks with our lessees over a term of twelve months. The approved investment volume can be used by our direct customers over this period for leasing investments that arise.
The regional structure of our sales organization enables direct and personal dialogue with our customers and partners. We receive further feedback from our SME customers and specialist retail partners through their participation in central surveys. In addition, information can be communicated to us via our whistleblower system, the grenke Integrity Line.   
In the 2024 financial year, we conducted the first Germany-wide survey of our customers (lessees) and specialist retail partners. The survey covered the topics of partner satisfaction and willingness to recommend us to others, as well as our image and relevance as a financing partner.  
In summary, both our customers and specialist dealers showed a high level of satisfaction with grenke as a partner. On a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), the answers from our partners resulted in an average rating of 4.0. The answers from our customers resulted in an average rating of 3.85.
Our specialist retail partners use grenke's financing solutions as a sales support tool for their own business development. Effective onboarding and training for dealers ensures that they understand our products and the leasing-specific processes and provides scope for individualized cooperation.