Schindler performs an employee engagement survey every two years. In 2014, 89% of all Schindler employees worldwide took the time to complete the survey, showing amazingly high response levels.
Safety was confirmed as Schindler's number one priority, with safety awareness levels very high at all levels throughout the Group. In addition to its internal and external risk and safety management system, Schindler launched a comprehensive behavior-based safety initiative more than seven years ago that covers all employees worldwide.
In 2013, Schindler reduced its lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) by 15% compared to the previous year, resulting in an improvement of over 84% since the start of the behavior-based safety initiative. High safety awareness is the key to this success and was well reflected in the 2014 employee engagement survey.
A second highlight of the survey results is the team spirit within Schindler. The quality of team work at Schindler and the satisfaction with immediate managers reached new heights. The feedback is excellent and exceeded prior year's levels substantially. Schindler's employees are much more confident that high quality performance is being recognized. This contributed to an impressive 92% of our employees confirming they would go the extra mile to help the company succeed – an exceptional response from an exceptional workforce.
In Europe, three Schindler companies won top employer awards for their employee engagement initiatives. In Germany, Schindler received the Top Employer Award in 2014 for the fifth time since 2008, while both Spain and Switzerland won the award for the seventh consecutive year.
Looking ahead, Schindler Group will build on these encouraging results and strive for continued improvement in all Group companies and locations. Alongside employee engagement, one priority is the further enhancement of our customer focus to sharpen our vision of Leadership through Customer Service.