Dialogue with Stakeholders

New impetus for continuous improvement

(Photo: Hermes)

From our perspective, sustainable business makes best sense when risks and opportunities are recognised at any early stage and the interests of our stakeholders are taken into account. This is why true to its guiding principle of 'Networked Action' continuous dialogue with relevant stakeholders is crucial for Hermes.

In a topic-related mapping process, we have identified key stakeholders and we are in regular exchanged with the following target groups: employees, customers, clients, contractors, suppliers, business associations, competitors, NGOs, the media, the critical public as well as representatives from business, politics and public authorities.

In view of the different interests and focus topics, we have developed target group-specific dialogue formats to address stakeholders in a targeted manner. In this way, we are looking to anticipate and respond to the expectations and requirements of our stakeholders at an early stage. Topics identified in this way flow into our decision-making. The table below provides an overview.

Hermes uses various forms of communication for dialogue: from surveys and events or workshops to political initiatives and traditional press and public relations work. An intranet platform and a newsroom with a thematic focus on sustainability are key and active channels for this. We also promote interactive networking with our stakeholders to an ever-growing extent through social media – for example though our Twitter channels or the Hermes blog. Our various memberships in associations and initiatives open up other options for cooperative dialogue for us. The 'Hermes Future Forum' for example is an invigorating platform for debating future issues concerning corporate responsibility.

The stakeholder perspective was also important in determining our priority CR issues.

Hermes‘ stakeholders, their critical issues and the corresponding format for dialogue

StakeholdersCore issuesSpecific dialogue format
Otto Group
  • Growth
  • Trends and innovations
  • Eco-efficiency
  • Collaboration
Working groups, groupwide intranet, events,
joint studies (e.g. the DCTI study on environmentally-friendly procurement)
Hermes Group
Companies
  • Growth
  • Trends and innovations
  • Eco-efficiency
  • Collaboration
Conferences, events, Hermes Newsroom
Our own employees
  • Health
  • Fair working conditions
  • Training and development
  • Diversity
Employee surveys, internal courses and events,
the WE DO! sustainability programme, Intranet platform (Helios)
Employees at contractors
  • Fair working conditions
  • safety at work
  • Training
Whistle-blower system (Hermes Social Compliance and Ombudsman), internal work safety audits at our sites
Customers
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Personalised, flexible and reliable range of services
  • Ecologically and socially compliant services
Customer surveys, e.g. 'Customer Contact
Monitor' (survey of recommending Hermes),
Social network channels (blog, Newsroom,
Twitter)
Clients (shippers)
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Fair contractual conditions
  • Personalised, flexible and reliable range of services
  • Ecologically and socially compliant services
Client magazine, service compass (free monthly CO2 report)
Contractual Partner
  • Fair contractual conditions
  • Compliance with legal standards of work
Certification and audits
Business associations
  • Growth
  • Industry agreements
  • Market trends
  • Trends and innovations
  • Laws and regulations
Collaboration with the Bundesverband Logistik (Federal Association for Logistics) and the Bundesverband Internationaler Express- und
Kurierdienste eV (BIEK) (the German Association of Parcel and Express Logistics) (the latter since 1993)
Competition
  • Market share
  • Market trends and innovations
  • Cooperative agreements
Membership in industry initiatives
NGOs / Initiatives
  • Social and/or ecological standards
  • Transparency
  • Legal compliance
Membership is various networks and cooperation agreements with NGOs and initiatives (e.g. German Nature
and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) 'Fair Truck' initiative
Media
  • Corporate news
  • Market positioning
  • Trends and innovations
  • Services
  • Transparency
All aspects of corporate communications at Hermes, current offerings in the Hermes Newsroom
Critical public
  • Social and/or ecological standards
  • Transparency
  • Legal compliance
External communication, social networks
Business
  • Recruiting and promoting young talent
  • Cooperative agreements
  • Innovations
Hermes Future Forum, support given to research projects (e.g. at the universities of Jena andLüneburg, cooperation
Kühne & Nagel (university), joint studies
Politics (local and regional), city and municipalities
  • Local commitment
  • Urban and traffic developments
  • Use of space
  • Expanding infrastructure
Collaboration in community projects, commitment to chambers of commerce, etc.
Politic (national level)
  • Framework conditions (post policies, environmental and social policies)
  • Guidelines and laws
Hermes Future Forum, event formats and discussions, associations such as BIEK, BVL, etc.
Politic (European level)
  • Guidelines and laws
Membership in initiatives (e.g. freefairpost (FFPI), etc.), work in the field of political affairs
Administration
  • Guidelines and laws
Event formats and discussions
Cooperation partners (e.g. Daimler)
  • Trends and innovations
  • Cooperative agreements
All aspects of Hermes corporate communications, active press and PR work