Own Workforce

We are committed to fostering a fair and safe workplace where every employee feels welcome, valued, and empowered to thrive

Employees by region

Further indicators on our workforce, including the fluctuation rate, are available in the ESG Performance Table.

ESG Performance Table

Employees by contract type (headcount)

Our approach

Respecting the human rights of our employees

At dormakaba, we are deeply committed to safeguarding and promoting human rights across our value chain, including our own organization. As part of our ongoing efforts, we continuously work to ensure the well-being and fair treatment of our employees at all levels of the company. Our human rights commitment established in the dormakaba Statement of Commitment on Human Rights extends to all individuals throughout our value chain. Our commitment is put into actions through our Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) process, as outlined here.

HRDD processes related to fair employment in our own operations are codified in our Human Rights Risk Management System. Each dormakaba location is assigned a social risk score based on compliance levels versus our Responsible Labor Directive and various indicators such as country risk, reported working hours, whistleblowing cases, types of manufacturing processes carried out and injury incident rates. These are weighted according to likelihood, severity, and remediability of associated risks, resulting in a classification of sites from extreme to low priority for additional due diligence measures, such as targeted training and on-site audits.

We are committed to timely and transparent remediation of any adverse human rights impacts in line with the UN Guiding Principles, and our Code of Conduct outlines the grievance reporting procedure. Our employees are also made aware of the whistleblowing system through periodic communication campaigns, including posters and training materials.

Key activities

Social audits in own operations

To uphold human rights and drive continuous improvement across our own operations, we conduct regular on-site audits in high-risk facilities. These audits, which assess key areas such as labor practices, health and safety, business ethics, and management systems, help us identify actual or potential issues. When findings emerge, we take prompt and targeted corrective action to address them and prevent recurrence.

During the reporting period, we conducted four initial on-site audits at our facilities in India, China, Colombia, and Brazil as part of our ongoing efforts to uphold our Group standards on employment practices. These audits were carried out by ELEVATE, our independent external service provider, and revealed areas needing improvement, particularly regarding working hours, compensation, and health and safety. Following the audits, each facility received hands-on support from ELEVATE’s experts to design tailored corrective action plans, and all of these facilities are actively working on implementing these improvements.

We also conducted three follow-up audits at our facilities in Taiwan and Malaysia, which showed significant progress. These sites demonstrated strong advancements in the implementation of our employment standards. Our facility in Chiayi (Taiwan) achieved the maximum score of 100 in the ERSA social audit. Furthermore, upon discovering that four migrant workers had paid recruitment fees in Taiwan several years prior, we reimbursed the individuals in line with our Zero Recruitment Fees Directive, even though such fees are permitted under local legislation. These actions and results reflect the positive impact of sustained oversight and close collaboration with both ELEVATE and our local teams.

Ethical recruitment training

Using the tools and training modules developed by the Responsible Labor Initiative (RLI), we achieved our target of providing ethical recruitment training for our labor agents in sending and receiving countries where we recruit foreign workers. This includes, but is not limited to, migration corridors between Nepal and Myanmar to Malaysia, and between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Following the launch of our responsible recruitment training in the first half of FY 2024/25, we are pleased to report that all labor agencies that recruit and transport migrant workers for dormakaba have completed the training. As a result, we have met our target — an achievement realized two years ahead of schedule.

Fair employment

Our approach

Our employees’ dedication to delivering excellent solutions to our customers helps us maintain and further develop our competitive global position. As a company with employees in over 50 countries, we aim to ensure an engaging working environment so that we are an employer of choice for current and prospective employees. We also ensure that we treat employees fairly and in accordance with our company values, and that we provide them with fair opportunities and remuneration. To codify this, we published a global Anti-Harassment and Anti-Bullying Directive in FY 24/25 to provide guidance to all dormakaba employees on preventing, investigating and managing any occurrence of workplace discrimination or harassment to promote a safe, respectful and inclusive working environment. Fair renumeration requirements are covered in our Total Rewards Directive.

Key activities

Engaging our employees

High employee engagement has been proven to lead to increased productivity, fewer workplace accidents, and improved customer satisfaction. A key method for supporting employee engagement is to ensure a culture of open dialogue across the organization. We are therefore committed to giving employees the opportunity to provide feedback to management through regular pulse checks and through our biennial global employee survey “dormakaba dialogue”.

We monitor any changes in the level of employee engagement against the Qualtrics Global Norm¹ and have set a target to maintain our Employee Engagement score at or above the Global Norm until 2027.

In FY 24/25 we conducted a pulse check survey, inviting employees from dormakaba Business Services Nogales, Bulgaria and India, along with colleagues from the product innovation and IT in Bulgaria to participate. Out of 514 invited participants, 307 responded, resulting in a 64% response rate. The average positive response was 85%. The two highest-rated statements were “Overall I am satisfied with my working environment” and “I would recommend dormakaba as a great place to work,” each receiving an 88% positive response.

The next global dormakaba dialogue is planned for November 2025.

Fair remuneration and benefits

We aim to establish fair compensation that is determined based on job function and relevant local market benchmarks. The global grading system ensures that functions are evaluated in a consistent manner across the organization. Our global Total Rewards Directive includes requirements on the transparency and fairness of wages at dormakaba, in addition to any locally applicable labor regulations. For example, wage dumping is explicitly forbidden, as are making compensation decisions on any personal attribute such as gender, age or nationality. Furthermore, the rewards system promotes alignment with a broad set of stakeholders and for certain levels of management, long-term incentives are included to support alignment with shareholdersʼ interests in long-term value creation.

Living wage

In FY 24/25, we carried out our first global living wage gap assessment across all our locations to verify whether even our lowest-paid workers are compensated enough to afford the necessities of life based on the local cost of living. We are committed to conducting annual living wage¹ gap assessments and developing actions to close any gaps that might exist. By and large, we have found that we are paying a living wage across our business in all locations except for Bangalore (India), Delhi (India), Casablanca (Morocco), Lima (Peru), Tocancipá (Colombia) and Singapore. The employees affected by these wage gaps represent only a small percentage of our global workforce, with an estimated total cost of CHF 13,701 to close the gaps. We are confident that we will be able to address these gaps in the next financial year.

Living wage gaps

In addition, we provide locally specific benefits and welfare programs. For a more detailed overview of employment-related benefits and measures across the Group, refer to the Employee Benefits table.

Social protection

Social protection against loss of income for certain life events is offered in accordance to local employment law or through additional company benefits as follows:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Our approach

At dormakaba, we are committed to fostering a culture where individuals can be their authentic selves, share diverse perspectives, and drive better decision-making and innovation. Our global presence reflects our dedication to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. We recognize the positive impact that a diverse workforce has on the culture and success of our organization. Diverse perspectives drive innovation, elevate performance, and strengthen our connections with each other, and especially with our varied customers and communities. Grounded in this commitment, we uphold the legal frameworks of every country in which we operate and apply our company policies, including our Code of Conduct, to foster inclusiveness and a sense of belonging in the workplace.

Through our global Talent Acquisition Directive, we ensure that our recruitment practices attract a diverse pool of candidates, while remaining free from bias and reflective of various cultures, backgrounds, and identities. Additionally, our local policies empower employees to achieve a better work-life balance.

As a signatory of the UN Womenʼs Empowerment Principles (WEPs) since 2022, we strengthen our commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and strive to empower all employees to realize their full potential, regardless of gender.

Our activities

Building an inclusive culture

We value the unique perspectives of each of our colleagues and strive to create a culture where everyone can be their authentic selves. Our inclusive culture is strengthened through open communication, training opportunities, and active support for voluntary employee resource groups. These bring together employees with shared interests or experiences to promote inclusion, celebrate diversity, and strengthen our culture of belonging. Since FY 22/23, we have trained 4,608 employees on unconscious bias, including 2,178 who currently hold managerial positions. In FY 24/25 alone, 123 managers and 964 non-managers completed the training.

Cultivating gender diversity

As part of our sustainability framework, we set global targets to improve gender diversity within our organization. Our aim is for one in three managers to be female (19% in FY 20/21) and to increase the ratio of women in succession planning for top management positions to 25% by 2027 (14% in FY 20/21).

Achieving these goals requires cultivating a strong internal talent pipeline and ensuring that all employees have equitable access to development opportunities. One way we support this is through our employee resource groups, including our Women and Allies’ Networks in the Americas, Australia, Spain, and Germany. These groups provide a platform for connection, development, and peer learning. To celebrate International Women’s Day in FY 24/25, the Women and Allies’ Networks led a global webinar highlighting the value of informal mentorship in advancing personal and professional development. The event drew more than 170 employees from 15 countries.

Our Women and Allies Networks are part of a broader community of employee resource groups across dormakaba that promote inclusion, celebrate diversity, and strengthen our culture of belonging.

Training & Education

Our approach

Employee development is key to enhancing our workforce’s skills and the quality of our offerings. In a dynamic, globalized world with growing skills shortages, particularly in IT and digitalization, it’s essential to invest in ongoing development. This not only prepares employees for change but also boosts motivation, performance, and long-term employability. We are committed to continuously investing in the growth of both our employees and business leaders.

Although this topic is primarily guided by local policies, the People Development Center of Excellence designs and implements consistent global training and development programs. Employees can access a wide range of training opportunities offered by the People Development Center of Excellence, through local HR and specialized functional academies.

We regularly gather and evaluate participant feedback after training sessions in order to maintain and continually adapt the quality of our training and education programs. In addition, our training programs are regularly evaluated as part of external audits for ISO 9001 certification. If a negative trend is identified through this audit process, management meets to review the root cause and determine any potentially required remediation.

Our activities

Our goal is to increase average training hours to 20 hours per employee/year by 2027 (baseline 12.7 hours/headcount in FY 20/21). In FY 24/25, the average training hours per employee was 15.6 hours.

To provide our staff with the competencies they require to perform their tasks safely and efficiently, as well as to support their career advancement, dormakaba focuses on the following areas:

Leadership development

In line with our strategy and ambition, we aim to have the best leaders in key positions. We therefore offer comprehensive leadership training portfolios for all management career levels.

• Leading for Success is our foundational leadership training for new or first-time people managers. It includes three days of classroom training plus three hours of virtual sessions, delivered globally in multiple languages. During FY 24/25, 160 employees participated.
• Leading Leaders is our advanced training for managers who lead other managers. This 4.5-day in-person program includes eight hours of pre- and post-training work and is tailored to the specific needs for the region. In FY 24/25, 72 employees participated.
• Advanced Management Program (AMP) and Talent Development Program (TDP) target potential successors for top management positions. Each program includes two 5-day modules with coaching, project work, and optional cross-functional or cross-country rotations. These programs are co-facilitated with strong involvement from the Executive Committee. In 2025, there were 18 AMP and 26 TDP participants from across functions and regions.

Besides AMP and TDP, Leading Leaders is also closely tied to succession planning for top management, preparing participants for future leadership roles.

Individual development

Employee development is vital to maintaining and improving the skills of our workforce and the quality of our products and solutions.

• 12,795 employees have access to our Learning Management System (LMS). 92% (11,725 employees) of these users completed at least one eLearning module in this financial year, compared to 88% in FY 23/24. This increase is primarily driven by a higher number of mandatory compliance-related trainings assigned during this period.
• Compliance-related training activities — including modules on the Code of Conduct, antitrust, anti-corruption, and information security — accounted for over 11,660 employees and more than 72,270 training completions, representing approximately 76% of all training completions. This marks a 4.5% increase compared to the previous financial year. Many of these topics were initially introduced in previous years and continue to be assigned to new employees.
• We offer a range of vocational and technical trainings across various topics. In FY 24/25, 1,383 training completions were recorded.
• Through LinkedIn Learning, we are fostering a culture of continuous learning and development and aiming for a more engaged and committed workforce. In FY 24/25 we had 3,649 active users, yielding a total number of 8,972 training hours.

Occupational Health & Safety

Our approach

We respect the human right to safe workplaces across the company and particularly at our manufacturing sites. A safe and healthy work environment not only reduces injuries but also enhances product quality, productivity, and employee morale. We prioritize both the physical and mental well-being of our employees, addressing not only machine safety and ergonomics but also mental health issues. Our goal is to create optimal working conditions while ensuring operational efficiency and long-term success.

Our Health & Safety Directive, based on ISO 45001 and ILO guidelines, defines the minimum global standards for occupational health and safety throughout all dormakaba operations. Across all our reporting sites — including offices —34% have a health and safety management system certified according to ISO 45001, and 60% maintain a health and safety management system.

In FY 24/25 we developed our Service Health & Safety Directive, addressing our service business. The directive sets minimum standards for work performed at customer sites and provides guidance to help technicians manage and reduce health and safety risks in the field. In FY 25/26, the directive will be implemented globally throughout our service locations.

Health & Safety committees

dormakaba employs designated safety personnel and a safety committee at every site, comprising a variety of employees from different departments and shifts and representing a cross-section of the facility operations. Their key responsibility is to ensure that workers comply with the site’s Health and Safety Management Plan and government regulations. They are expected to report unsafe observations and near misses, attend safety meetings, review accidents and investigations, suggest improvements to health and safety standards, promote safe practices, assist with inspections and audits, and evaluate the effectiveness of control measures to protect against workplace hazards. The committees meet at least twice a year to fulfill these duties.

Furthermore, in FY 24/25 the Global HSE team set up a new Top 10 Turnaround Program focused on the ten sites with the highest number of workplace injuries. An Incident Review Council (IRC) was established with experts in the areas of incident investigation and root cause analysis, and this body meets monthly with local management of the focal sites to review the injury incidents. The overall goals of this program include improving injury investigations, driving implementation of effective and sustainable corrective actions, promoting awareness and read across, and building a strong safety network. The Top 10 Turnaround Program will continue in FY 25/26 and the new sites will be chosen based on FY 24/25 injury results.

Our activities

During FY 24/25, our key focus was ensuring all locations meet the minimum requirements of the Health & Safety Directive. Each site continued implementing tailored action plans based on identified risks and gaps, now integrated into the newly established Site Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Strategy. This strategy consolidates all HSE-related activities, tracks key performance indicators (KPIs), and monitors progress on Directive actions. Any outstanding actions will be carried over into the FY 25/26 strategy.

As part of the HSE Strategy, we have implemented initiatives for five key programs — known as the HSE Focus Five — covering stored energy safety, machine guarding, powered industrial vehicles safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), and walking and working surfaces. Each includes a five-step maturity roadmap. The sites conducted initial assessments to determine their current level of maturity and subsequently developed action plans to progress.

For example, at our plant in Singapore, the paint shop team uses a closed-loop lockout/tagout (LOTO) system to ensure machines and electricity are safely shut off during maintenance. This approach is especially critical during ad hoc repairs, where supervisors play a key role in verifying correct procedures. Engineers and technicians have been trained to apply the correct LOTO devices, with regular audits to ensure proper use. A recent audit confirmed the use of LOTO devices to isolate electrical power and compressed air, ensuring safe servicing of robots in the paint booths.

Further activities included the development of written programs, employee training, assignment of program champions, completion of risk assessments, and implementation of inspections and annual program reviews.

A great example of our Safety First culture in action comes from Nogales (Mexico), where the team recently reached 2 million hours worked over 2.5 years without a single recordable accident. This impressive milestone reflects the dedication, teamwork, and shared commitment to safety shown by everyone at the site.

Employee engagement and training

Workplace safety training is vital for identifying and addressing health and safety issues. Each facility conducts weekly safety talks covering hazards (mechanical, electrical, chemical, fire, physical), proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), emergency procedures, machine safety, and reporting injuries. Employee engagement is key to addressing risks, with staff encouraged to report near misses, which are treated with the same importance as injury reports. Supervisors follow up on near misses to ensure corrective action is taken.

During FY 24/25, a global Safety First channel was established in our internal social media platform to provide regular communication and training resources. Weekly Toolbox Talks were created and shared on the channel for use by all locations worldwide. These talks were designed to address safety topics with production, service team members, and office staff. Monthly themes allow for deeper training on safety topics, with multiple talks focused on themes like PPE, ergonomics, and the safe use of hand and power tools. We also launched our HSE Champion Award to encourage employee engagement and recognize exceptional contributions to site level health and safety management.

Investing in safety and ergonomics

Our Health & Safety Directive defines the minimum program and procedure requirements that form the foundation for the safe operation of our facilities. These include requirements for machine guarding, PPE, safe walking and working surfaces, and the use of powered industrial vehicles, to mention just a few. Furthermore, all dormakaba facilities that work with hazardous materials must maintain a hazard communication and chemical management program, as well as a transportation compliance policy, if applicable. Our workers responsible for the storage, clean-up or disposal of chemical substances receive specialized training and equipment.

Several improvements took place to create safer and healthier working environments across our facilities during FY 24/25, including:

• In Reamstown (USA), a new cart has been introduced to ensure safe vertical storage and transport of long materials without compromising ergonomics. Key safety features were incorporated, including rubber-lined arms to secure materials, small pegs to prevent slipping, a yellow rubber-coated safety chain, and large wheels for stability and easy mobility.
• In Dyersville (USA), the MakeUsafe program was launched to enhance workplace ergonomics and safety in our manufacturing facility. The program utilizes wearable devices that track excessive push-pull movements during shifts, allowing our ergonomics team to analyze g-force data and make targeted improvements in how we manufacture movable wall panels. In addition to motion monitoring, the devices collect real-time data on air quality, temperature, heat index, sound levels, and lighting conditions. Associates check out the monitors at the start of each shift and return them at the end, with data reviewed daily. This initiative has prompted meaningful changes to long-standing work practices, making tasks safer and more efficient for our team members.

Our performance

Despite our efforts to provide a safe workplace, injuries can still occur in and around our facilities, including cuts, stumbles, burns in smelting operations, injuries due to heavy lifting, or exposure to toxic fumes in galvanization processes. We have been using root cause analysis of injury incidents at our sites around the world to identify and implement the corrective actions necessary to prevent repeated incidents. Our goal is that by the year 2027, we will decrease the recordable work-related injury rate by 33% (baseline 6.93 in FY 20/21).

This target has been achieved ahead of schedule in FY 24/25. We registered 128 occupational injury cases, compared to 164 in the previous reporting year. This represents a recordable injury rate of 4.61, which is 22% lower than in the previous reporting year (5.94)¹. The rate of high-consequence work-related injuries was 0.036². The severity rate³ was 17. There were no work-related fatalities⁴. Additionally, 12 recordable incidents affecting contract or leased workers occurred. Lacerations were the most common type of injury, and most injuries were sustained to the hands and fingers. Most accidents occurred in production plants, with the second-highest number occurring during installation or servicing at customer sites. The most common root cause has been reported as incidents due to ergonomic factors. Through our global injury incident reporting tool, we have logged the implementation of 183 corrective actions in FY 24/25.