Metrics and targets

S1-5 – Targets related to managing material negative impacts, advancing positive impacts and managing material risks and opportunities

Gender distribution at management level – increasing the proportion of women

Gender equality and equal pay for equal work; diversity

Contents: The “Gender balance at management level – increasing the proportion of women” initiative aims to increase the number of women in management positions, promote a more balanced gender distribution, strengthen the corporate culture and improve equal opportunities.

Stimulating material positive impacts: Targeted support programmes and mentoring for women (ongoing); encouraging participation in management training (ongoing); promoting an inclusive working environment, including through recognition and appreciation of performance regardless of gender, e.g. through the “strength-led employee dialogue” (annual or ongoing)

Expected outcomes: Higher satisfaction and loyalty; lower employee turnover.

Preventing and minimising material negative impacts: Reducing gender discrimination through training to raise awareness of gender bias.

Exploiting material opportunities: Strengthening the company’s reputation as an employer (ongoing); participating in and applying for diversity awards and certifications (ongoing).

Expected outcomes: Reduction of opposition; increase in acceptance.

Mitigating material risks: Communicating the benefits of gender balance (ongoing); involving all employees in the change process (e.g. DEI survey – annual and ongoing); improving women’s qualifications: Targeted training and development programmes for women (e.g. Women (Power) Conference – annual and ongoing).

Expected outcomes: Increased attractiveness as an employer, positive media coverage.

Stakeholder involvement: Employees were involved in workshops (e.g. Equal Opportunities Network), surveys (e.g. DEI survey in January 2024) and employer branding actions (scholarship for female engineering students). The priorities identified by the Management Board were taken into account in the consultation process (regular meetings) and at events.

Scope:

• Responsibilities: Recruitment and promotion: Focus on women in management positions; mentoring and training: Programmes and workshops for female employees; communication and raising awareness of the benefits of increasing the proportion of women in management; inclusion initiatives: Promoting an inclusive corporate culture
• Upstream and downstream value chain: Not currently implemented in the upstream or downstream value chain
• Geographic boundaries: The target includes the entire Energie AG workforce at all locations.

Indicators:

• Defined target: Increasing the share of women working in management positions.
• Target type: relative target
• Unit of measurement: per cent (%)
• Benchmark: 2023/2024 fiscal year

Methods and assumptions:

• Selected scenarios: Analysing the current gender distribution in management positions combined with planned actions (mentoring, training)
• Data sources: Internal HR databases; results of internal employee surveys
• Alignment with political targets: Alignment with Austrian gender equality targets and laws
• Consideration of the broader context: Promoting equal opportunities as part of sustainable development; adapting actions to meet regional needs and legal requirements

Timescale: This is a long-term goal.

Monitoring and assessment: The strategic targets aim to achieve the long-term goal of increasing the proportion of women at management level. Operational actions and specific key figures are used to regularly review and adjust the policy to guarantee continuous and sustainable improvement.

Output: Increasing the share of women working in management positions.

Monitoring: Regular review by Personalmanagement GmbH and annual reporting in the non-financial report.

Trend analysis: Increasing the share of women working in management positions.

Tracking performance: Rate of participation in DEI awareness training; DEI survey (participation rate); feedback from training participants; key figure percentage of women in management positions; key figure hours of training for women.

S1-6 – Characteristics of the company’s employees

The number of employees in the Group includes all employees with a relevant employment contract. This headcount as of 30 September 2024 is the basis for calculating other metrics for the company’s own workforce.

Employees by gender

Employees by country

Employees by contract type and gender

Employees by contract type and country

Employee turnover rate

Employee turnover includes all employees who voluntarily left the company or left due to dismissal, retirement, death, resignation during their probationary period or who were under a fixed-term contract during the reporting period. The employee turnover rate is defined as the number of departures divided by the average number of employees.

S1-7 – Characteristics of external employees

Non-employees within own workforce

Alongside the salaried employees, there are temporary staff who are not employed by the Energie AG Group but are engaged on limited-time projects and to assist during peak periods. Energie AG is responsible for issuing work instructions and for monitoring as well as defining and shaping the work area.

In the Czech Republic Segment, non-employees are engaged under “agreements”. They perform both technical and auxiliary activities (such as consulting activities in the areas of the General Data Protection Regulation, IT, water and wastewater calculation or heat and water meter readings). Non-employees are both external persons and employees within the company or from another company in the Czech Republic Segment who are already included under key figure S1-6. As of 30 September 2024, 76 individuals and 12 FTEs are included in the number of non-employees, who are also grouped under the key figure S1-6 as employees.

S1-8 – Collective bargaining coverage

Collective bargaining coverage

88.2% of all employees, corresponding to 4,470 employees, are covered by collective labour agreements.

Any employee relationships not covered by collective agreements are subject to voluntary contractual arrangements (works agreements, individual agreements).

Individual “collective agreements” apply to all Czech water companies. This does not apply to VHOS a.s., where the working and employment conditions for permanent employees are regulated by statutory collective agreements. Energie AG Teplo Vimperk s.r.o., in which an “employee council” operates in accordance with Czech labour law, follows a similar approach.

Some rights under Czech collective agreements apply partially to non-employees. At VHOS a.s. (no trade union representation), a “works council” negotiates with the company’s management board.

S1-9 – Diversity indicators

Employees at the upper management levels by gender

The second management level comprises managing directors and holding company managers. The third management level comprises department heads and managing directors from sub-subsidiaries. In the Czech Republic Segment, the second management level includes managing directors, chairpersons and chief executive officers of the respective entities. This level also includes three members of the Management Board of the Czech Republic Segment who do not have an employment contract and are therefore not employees according to the definition under Czech labour law. For this reason, these three people are not included in the other key figures in section S1 Own workforce. The third management level includes specialist directors in joint stock companies and operations managers in limited liability companies.

Employees by age and gender

S1-11 – Social protection

All employees in the Group are covered by social security programmes that protect them against loss of income as a result of significant life events such as illness, unemployment, accidents at work and disability, parental leave and retirement.

S1-13 Key figures for training and skills development

Employees with regular performance reviews by gender

In the Czech Republic Segment, only 8.2% had a performance review. Implementation of a standardised performance review for each employee will begin in the 2024/2025 fiscal year.

Employee training hours by gender

S1-14 – Key figures for health and safety

Health and safety management system

Fatalities

Work-related injuries and LTIF

Days lost

It has not been possible to record work-related ill health and the resulting fatalities.

S1-15 – Key figures for work-life balance

Entitlement to family-related leave

All employees in the Group were entitled to family-related leave in the reporting period:

Use of family-related leave

This list includes all employees who took parental leave (including compulsory maternity leave), “Papamonat” (dad month) leave or carers’ leave during the reporting period.

S1-17 – Incidents, complaints and severe human rights impacts

Discrimination including harassment

Grievances

Fines, penalties and compensation