People
Our employees are our most valuable resource. As such, we take special care to maintain a pleasant corporate culture in which every employee can be recognised, encouraged and supported as an individual. To ensure we can act accordingly, we regularly analyse the relevant KPIs and use them to derive the necessary measures. Our overviews on the subject of People provide an insight into the significant figures on this topic.
Total number of employees by region
| Total number of employees by region | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of employees across all locations | 448 | 436 | 415 | 406 |
| Germany* | 433 | 422 | 400 | 392 |
| The Netherlands | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| UK | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Employee key figures
| Employee key figures | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Total | Men | Women | Proportion of women | Total | Men | Women | Proportion of women | Total | Men | Women | Proportion of women | Total | Men | Women | Proportion of women |
| Trainees | 17 | 13 | 4 | 23.53% | 16 | 11 | 5 | 31.25% | 19 | 11 | 8 | 42.1% | 18 | 11 | 7 | 38.9% |
| Employees with a management function | 26 | 22 | 4 | 15.38% | 21 | 16 | 5 | 23.81% | 27 | 24 | 3 | 11.1 % | 28 | 25 | 3 | 10.7% |
| Commercial employees | 175 | 104 | 71 | 40.57% | 176 | 106 | 70 | 39.77% | 146 | 85 | 61 | 41.8% | 127 | 70 | 57 | 44.9% |
| Wage-earning employees | 215 | 197 | 18 | 8.37% | 209 | 190 | 19 | 9.09% | 208 | 189 | 19 | 9.1% | 219 | 203 | 16 | 7.3% |
| Total | 433 | 336 | 97 | 22.40% | 422 | 323 | 99 | 23.46% | 400 | 309 | 91 | 22.8% | 392 | 309 | 83 | 21.2% |
| Of which ... wage-earning contract workers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| ... pieceworkers | 148 | 136 | 12 | 8.11% | 146 | 135 | 11 | 7.53% | 145 | 134 | 11 | 7.6% | 147 | 137 | 10 | 6.8% |
| Of which part-time ... commercial | 21 | 6 | 15 | 71.43% | 17 | 3 | 14 | 82.35% | 14 | 0 | 14 | 100.0% | 18 | 2 | 16 | 88.9% |
| ... wage-earning | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.50% | 9 | 1 | 8 | 88.89% | 12 | 3 | 9 | 75.0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 66.7% |
| Commercial employees with a disability | 6 | 1 | 5 | 87.50% | 7 | 2 | 5 | 71% | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Share: | 3.43% | 0.96% | 7.04% | 3.98% | 1.89% | 7.14% | 0.7% | 2.74% | 1.18% | 4.92% | 2.36% | 1.43% | 3.51% | |||
| Wage-earning employees with a disability | 7 | 5 | 2 | 29% | 6 | 5 | 1 | 17% | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Share: | 3.26% | 2.54% | 11.11% | 2.87% | 2.63% | 5.26% | 2.4% | 2.12% | 5.26% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | ||||
| Proportion of employees with a disability | 3.00% | 1.79% | 7.22% | 3.08% | 2.17% | 6.06% | 2.25% | 1.62 | 4.40% | 0.77% | 0.32% | 2.41% | ||||
| Average age | 44 | 44 | 42.46 | 45 | 45.91 | 42.46 | 41.1 | 43.14 | ||||||||
| Total employee turnover | 9.24% | 8.93% | 10.31% | 6.64% | 6.50% | 7.07% | 6.75% | 7.77% | 3.30% | 7.4% | 7.12% | 8.43% | ||||
| Employee departures | 40 | 30 | 10 | 28 | 21 | 7 | 27 | 24 | 3 | 29 | 22 | 7 | ||||
98.6% of our employees are represented by the works council. This body acts as an additional independent authority for reviewing remuneration structures. Within the scope of its co-determination rights, the works council ensures that the grading of all employees is non-discriminatory, transparent, and based on skills and competencies. The basis for this is the Lower Saxony collective agreement of IG Metall for the wood and plastics industry.
As a result, 100% of our employees receive a living wage that is aligned with economic development and the regional wage level. Our remuneration follows the relevant collective agreements and is consistently above the statutory minimum wage. In Germany, collectively agreed wages are regarded as a reliable and appropriate reference value for living wages.
Workforce
The low proportion of women in production is striking. One reason for this can be assumed to be the high proportion of shift work, which makes it difficult to reconcile work and family life. A significantly higher proportion of women can be seen in areas that work single shifts. Another factor is that furniture and its components are very heavy, and these loads were traditionally handled using physical strength. Almost all areas are now equipped with lifting and handling aids, making it easier for women to carry out these tasks. In principle, we endeavour to ensure that all our employees have equal opportunities regardless of gender, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. The share of women on the company’s management board in 2024 is 16.67%.
Parental leave
The total number of employees entitled to parental leave is not systematically determined.
| Parental leave | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | |
| Employees who took parental leave during the reporting period | 3 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 9 |
| Employees who returned to work following parental leave during the reporting period | 2 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| Return rate (Proportion of employees who took parental leave during the reporting period and returned to work after it ended) | 67% | 100% | 67% | 88% | 50% | 85% | 0% | 89% |
| Employees who returned to work after parental leave ended and were still employed twelve months after their return to work | 2 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Retention rate (Proportion of employees who took parental leave in previous reporting periods and were still employed twelve months after returning to work) | 67% | 89% | 33% | 88% | 25% | 31% | 0% | 44% |
Training courses: Number of participants
| Participants | Number of Women | Proportion of Women | Number of Men | Proportion of Men | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total ASSMANN | 329 | 93 | 28 % | 239 | 72 % |
| Administration | 245 | 93 | 38 % | 152 | 62 % |
| Internal training courses | 5 | 2 | 40 % | 3 | 60 % |
| External training courses | 240 | 91 | 38 % | 149 | 62 % |
| Production | 84 | 0 | 0 % | 84 | 100 % |
| Internal training courses | 72 | 0 | 0 % | 72 | 100 % |
| External training courses | 12 | 0 | 0 % | 12 | 100 % |
Expenditure on training and education
| Expenditure on training and education | Internal | 2024 External | Internal | 2023 External | Internal | 2022 External | Internal | 2021 External |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of training courses held | 94 | 37 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 15 | 43 | 16 |
| Total duration of training courses held [h] | 96 | 1,133 | 183.75 | 592.00 | 401.67 | 692.50 | 542.20 | 1,074.50 |
| Training costs [€] | 4,800.00 | 125,648.00 | 14,137.00 | 75,604.65 | 10,337.48 | 52,161.31 | 35,031.27 | 82,717.62 |
| Number of participants | 2,276 | 170 | 382 | 40 | 206 | 19 | 388 | 44 |
The number of internal training sessions has increased significantly, as internal briefings have been included. The training hours per employee consist of internal briefings, IT security training, as well as internal or external seminars, and therefore amount to an average of 16 hours per employee per year.
Employee accidents at work, absence rate and incapacity to work (Melle)
| Employee accidents at work, absence rate and incapacity to work (Melle) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reportable accidents at work (excluding commuting accidents) | 16 empl. | 17 empl. | 17 empl. | 4 empl. |
| Sick leave rate | – | 6.74% | 6.95% | 5.41% |
| Reportable accidents at work per 1 million working hours | 25.1 | 27.2 | 27.7 | 6.7 |
| Per 1,000 employees* | 38.1 | 40.8 | 41.3 | 10.3 |
| Incapacity to work | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deaths | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Rate per 1,000 employees: calculation methodology for lost time due to reportable accidents at work. The number of reportable workplace accidents is multiplied by 1,000 employees. The result is then divided by the number of full-time employees.
In 2024, the benchmark figure of the Employers’ Liability Insurance Association for Wood and Metal was 30.3.
Regular ASA meetings and site inspections are carried out, and avoidable accidents are analysed in detail with appropriate measures implemented. In addition, near-miss incidents are analysed more thoroughly and preventive measures are initiated immediately.
If work-related illnesses become known, including those resulting from previous activities, the workstations are adapted with the aid of the company doctor or, if necessary, a change of workstation within the company is made possible. No statistics on work-related illnesses are currently collected.<br/> The occupational health and safety management system is structured in accordance with ISO 45001.