The BVR believes that the enduring success of the institutions in the Cooperative Financial Network heavily depends on its employees and their skills, dedication, and ability to embrace change. The Cooperative Financial Network seeks to empower employees to unlock their full potential and carry out their work even in challenging business conditions. The loyalty and close bond that exists between employees and their company is reflected in the long periods of service at the member institutions.

As can be seen from the chart, around 61 percent of employees in the cooperative banks and at DZ BANK have been working at these organizations for more than 10 years and one in three employees has been with their bank for more than 25 years. Internal surveys confirm that the absolute majority of the employees who participated in these surveys are very satisfied with their job.

Strengthening the culture of learning and offering high-quality training are pillars of the Cooperative Financial Network’s human resources (HR) strategy. In 2025, the institutions supported their employees’ personal development by offering a variety of continuing professional development (CPD) activities alongside training courses that are mandatory due to regulatory requirements. The CPD opportunities for employees are complemented by a wide range of training and development activities offered by regional auditing associations and academies, including initial vocational training, advanced vocational training geared to current demands, and personal development.

The mission for the institutions within the Cooperative Financial Network is to adapt their HR management to changes in the wider environment in order to make it fit for the future. In light of the shortage of skilled workers, new employer branding requirements, and shifting expectations regarding leadership and collaboration, the BVR believes that HR management needs to be modernized in a way that is strategically sound and in touch with the reality of the workplace.

Against this backdrop, the initiative to draw up the strategic vision for HR was updated in 2025. It comprises three key pillars: employer branding, employees as the key to success, and HR effectiveness. The remit of the initiative is to enhance the degree of strategic control within the HR function, to clearly structure key HR action areas, and to support the institutions within the Cooperative Financial Network with their individual implementation challenges by providing practical tools. In this regard, the BVR believes that the HR strategy must be a core component of strategic bank management. It needs to be embedded for the long term, follow a data-driven approach, and be practically applicable in everyday scenarios.

In 2025, the OCI (Organizational Commitment Index) score was again used for the cooperative banks in the context of surveys within the network. The OCI comprises five dimensions: overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend the employer to others, willingness to take another job with the employer, personal commitment, and employer competitiveness. It is designed to help address specific qualitative action areas in an effective and targeted manner and facilitates the tracking of relative year-on-year changes. The OCI score increased to 75 out of 100, compared with 72 in the previous year. This was primarily because the survey participants gave higher scores in respect of overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend the employer to others, and willingness to take another job with the employer. The institutions’ competitiveness was also rated more highly in the context of the OCI for 2025.

In light of the wider demographic trend, attracting talented young prospects and skilled employees remains a central plank of HR work, with an ongoing strategic focus on recruiting trainees and students, including those pursuing combined work and degree courses. This is reflected, for example, in the trainee statistics. In 2025, the ratio of trainees to other employees in the cooperative banks and at DZ BANK rose from 7.3 percent to 7.7 percent (see chart). In 2025, the BVR ran its High Potential Circle talent program for the first time, with 21 people taking part. The program is aimed at high-potential employees at the institutions in the Cooperative Financial Network.

The BVR believes that university graduates – particularly those who studied a business-related subject – view the institutions in the Cooperative Financial Network as attractive employers. The proportion of trainees undertaking degree apprenticeships combining work and study stood at 11.0 percent as at the reporting date. The proportion of employees with a degree increased to 15.4 percent (2024: 15.1 percent; see chart).

Further success in the School Leavers Barometer, a survey carried out by Trendence Institut GmbH, confirms the strong appeal of the institutions in the Cooperative Financial Network. For the 20th time in succession, the cooperative banks were once again among Germany’s best 100 employers, as chosen by schoolchildren, and received the ‘2025 employer of choice’ seal of approval. With more than 20,000 participants, the School Leavers Barometer is one of the biggest surveys regarding schoolchildren’s career goals and preferred employers.

The number of employees in the Cooperative Financial Network rose from 173,489 to 176,535 in 2025, confirming the positive trend from the previous year (see chart).