Deutsche Wohnen regularly conducts employee surveys to determine how happy the employees are and what wishes they have regarding their place of work. To follow on from the spring 2018 survey, we approached our employees with such questions again in December 2019. And the results are impressive.

The first impressive result is the number of participants, which was once again above average at 71%. Of those who participated, 77% are satisfied with Deutsche Wohnen as an employer – this is a very good result. The participants rated the company’s good welcome culture especially positively, from which all those who join the company benefit.

They rated their own, individual situations predominantly positively too, with approximately 80% stating that they appreciated the support they get within their own team. In addition, there has been a noticeable increase in satisfaction with occupational health management. This year, 74% of those surveyed said the measures to promote good health were helpful, compared with 51% who rated these positively in the previous year.

The employees’ view of management likewise improved. 72% of the employees and managers considered their supervisors to be able to deal with conflict. This equates to an increase of six percentage points. The extensive managerial development measures implemented contributed to this development. In addition to a junior employee programme and psychology for managers, these included media and communication training as well as personal coaching. The course adopted of active management support is to be pursued in the future too.

The 2019 reporting year was characterised by intensive and fierce debate regarding the tight rental accommodation market – especially in Berlin. Deutsche Wohnen frequently found itself at the heart of the public debate. In view of this, it is all the more pleasing to see that the vast majority of our employees – 82% to be precise – have faith in the Management Board regarding the company’s future development.

There are, however, also areas in which there is still potential to be tapped. In addition to a better information flow between the levels and the divisions, these include the further development of an open feedback culture within the company. Stephanie Krumnow, Human Resources Director, Staff and Organisational Development, explains why this area specifically is important for Deutsche Wohnen: “Deutsche Wohnen is always changing: there are new districts, new business fields and new employees. There are now also four different generations working together at the company’s locations. Each generation has its own expectations in terms of the work, the workplace, the work methods and cooperation. Ongoing feedback is a key prerequisite in order for us to be aware of these expectations and respond to them in day-to-day work.”

To shed even more light on this topic, Stephanie Krumnow’s division ran two separate workshops in 2019; one with employees and the other with managers. They focused on two questions: “What aspects make up a good feedback culture?” and “What determines feedback acceptance?” As a result of the workshops, measures were developed which have already been implemented. These include a new concept for the annual performance reviews and training videos for different target groups and different occasions. New territory is to be explored in this area in the near future with the development of our own chatbot as part of the improved feedback culture.