A company of LBBW
Social responsibility
Berlin Hyp’s view of social responsibility involves several different aspects. For example, we believe that offering our employees an environment with many opportunities is just as important as addressing issues that have an impact beyond our own business operations.
Employees: Diversity as an opportunity, equal opportunities as a principle, development as self-image
Our employees benefit from an environment that offers them creative freedom and great potential for personal and professional development. Employees at Berlin Hyp are given interesting tasks and assignments in secure jobs that should also offer pleasant, safe and healthy working conditions.
Commitment to diversity
Berlin Hyp treats all of its employees equally and fairly, for example regardless of their age, gender, ethnic origin, world view or sexual orientation. We are committed to diversity and view this as an opportunity.
The Code of Conduct and the Equal Opportunities Policy provide managers and employees with clear guidance for their day-to-day activities. By joining the United Nations Global Compact and signing the Diversity Charter, the Bank has also publicly underlined its position.
Berlin Hyp is striving to integrate the equal consideration of women and men for management positions to an even greater extent into the corporate culture. Supporting measures are firmly anchored in Recruiting, Human Resources Management and Human Resources Development.
One third of the board members is female. We are aiming for the target of 33 per cent female managers at the first and second management levels below the Board of Management by 30 June 2025. As at 31 December 2020, 29.4 per cent of executives at the first level below the Board of Management were female and 29.5 per cent at the second level below the Board of Management. Overall, the percentage of women in management positions at all levels of management at Berlin Hyp is 28.6 per cent.
Remuneration: Transparent and fair
As a member company of the Employers' Association for the Private Banking Industry that is bound by collective agreements, Berlin Hyp applies the collective agreements for the private banking industry and public banks. In addition, a remuneration system based on performance, success and market needs is implemented for all staff not employed under these agreements. For such staff, this means that their remuneration is also determined on the basis of objectively weighted assessment criteria.
Both of these remuneration regulations ensure fair, transparent and non-discriminatory remuneration for employees.
Personal development: Investing for the future
The demands placed on employees are constantly changing. General trends relating to digitalisation, new regulatory requirements – such as the incorporation of ESG criteria into loan structures and risk management systems – in addition to industry-related developments make it necessary to ensure that employees can continuously further develop their skills and expertise. Berlin Hyp offers support here with a broad range of internal and external continuing education and qualification programmes. To ensure employees’ long-term professional development, there has been an increased emphasis on context-related and ad hoc learning directly linked to specific work and change processes. Learning behaviour has shifted toward a higher proportion of virtual learning formats, “learning nuggets” within shorter time frames and the autonomous use of various platforms and formats.
Career paths: Many ways to advance
Taking on managerial responsibility is one of the traditional ways to advance professionally – but it’s not the only way. For this reason, Berlin Hyp has introduced an “Expert Career” programme as an alternative and complimentary development opportunity. Berlin Hyp Experts are characterised by their special knowledge and expertise that they apply in a manner that creates value. The Bank offers these Experts optimal support in the form of targeted measures that are aligned with their specific needs.
Sustainable management of new talent has a high priority at Berlin Hyp. We offer trainees, full-time students, dual students and interns an exciting place for learning and working environment while always keeping recruitment in line with the quantitative and qualitative needs of the Bank’s divisions and adapting to the career expectations and potential of the young talent.
Further information on career and development paths at Berlin Hyp can be found here.
Work-life balance
One of things that make people feel comfortable in their jobs is knowing that they can manage a career without placing too much of a strain on their private lives. Berlin Hyp has established conditions for a healthy work-life balance by implementing various measures that include trust-based working hours, mobile working arrangements and other services such as our external employee advisory service.
Staying healthy and in shape throughout one’s career
Stress, constantly staring at a computer screen and sitting for long periods of time are just some of the factors that can have a negative effect on employee health. Occupational health and safety is important to us. In order to prevent the types of conditions that can arise as a result of long periods of sitting at work we make an extensive effort to ensure that our workstations are designed ergonomically and we also offer our employees occupational health check-ups on a regular basis. If an employee has already had issues of this kind in the past, their workspace will be designed individually and ergonomically. In addition, events that are organised on a regular basis make employees more aware of just how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and pay attention to potential health risks at work. Berlin Hyp also has a company sports club that gives employees the opportunity to get some healthy exercise – and also spend time with colleagues, and meet new ones, outside the workplace.
Corporate citizenship
It’s clear that a bank that has “Berlin” in its name and operates throughout Germany and beyond also takes on responsibility in areas other than those directly related to its business operations.
Support for children and people in difficult circumstances
Berlin Hyp’s charitable and corporate citizenship activities focus on supporting socially disadvantaged children and young people, as well as providing support for recreational sports. We work with Kinderhaus Berlin-Mark Brandenburg e.V., for example, which is an association that houses children and teenagers, and in some cases also their families, and we also support voluntary work by our employees within the framework of Social Day events in addition to promoting company sports.
This cooperation with Kinderhaus Berlin-Mark Brandenburg e.V. is marked by mutual respect and trust. We have been working with the association for more than ten years now. Among other things, Berlin Hyp provides “school cones”, which are a type of “starter kit” with gifts and supplies for children starting school. We also support teenagers and young adults who are moving out of the Kinderhaus and living on their own for the first time.
Kinderhaus Berlin-Mark Brandenburg e.V.
We have supported Kinderhaus Berlin since 2005. The projects of this children’s home include the day care group, mobile care, transition to independent living groups, joint housing groups, standard groups, residential nursery groups, crisis facilities (child crisis), family integration groups, a mother and child centre, children’s farm, small groups with special behavioural or emotional needs, nurseries and educational establishments. The aim of the Kinderhaus projects is to provide professional support for the children and young people – and their families – through specialist cooperation.
The objective of the Kinderhaus projects is to provide professional support for the children and young people – and their families – through specialist cooperation.
The Kinderhaus project has set itself the task of supporting children and young people in boosting their self-esteem, solving any conflicts which may exist in the family environment together with them and turning problems into a way of fostering the development of relationships and character. Berlin Hyp supports the association both financially and through numerous joint activities, such as, for example, at Christmas or when starting school.
Positions: Supporting contemporary art
Among other things, contemporary art can lead people to expand their horizons and adopt new points of view. Since 2012, Berlin Hyp and the POSITIONS BERLIN Art Fair have been presenting an award that supports talented artists. Each year, POSITIONS BERLIN participates in BERLIN ART WEEK, where it showcases a selection of international galleries and projects that present their most talented and exciting newcomers. Among other things, this special forum gives graduates of art colleges the opportunity to present their works to a large group of art lovers and gain initial experience with the art market as they begin to pursue a career as a professional artist.
Modern art in Hangar 5 & 6 at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin: ACADEMY POSITIONS goes into the next round
The POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, which takes place from 15 to 18 September 2022, presents recent contemporary works of art by graduates of German and foreign art colleges in the curated special exhibition ACADEMY POSITONS, with the support of Berlin Hyp. The goal is to enable artists to acquire initial experience and facilitate their entry into the art market. The POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair gives graduates and students a chance to connect with galleries, curators and collectors. The special exhibition offers visitors a selective overview of the themes and creative work of the next generation of artists. Since 2017, up to 30 artists have been included and promoted in this exhibition each year.
A bank jury composed of members from various departments selects two newcomers each year from ACADEMY POSITIONS who are then featured in solo presentations the following year at the POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair. This year, ACADEMY POSITIONS presented 27 young graduates and students.
This year’s winner
Julian Arayapong (*1987)
Rosanna Marie Pondorf (*1993)
Both from the Akademie der Bildenden Künste München
The award ceremony was held on Saturday, 17 September 2022 at 2.00 pm at POSITIONS Berlin.
The previous prizewinners
- 2021: Jaeyun Moon and Maria Seitz
- 2020: Elisa Manig and Till Galunke
- 2019: Jieun Kim and Arthur Metz
- 2018: Martin Voigt and Lukas Glinkowski
- 2017: Carolin Gasse, Marion Eichmann
- 2016: Peter Ruehle
- 2015: Franziska Stünkel, Tessa Wolkersdorfer, Nina Hannah Kornatz and Wolfgang Ganter
- 2014: Angelika Arendt and Olrik Kohlhoff
- 2013: Karolin Back, Jessica Schäfer and Johan Schäfer
- 2012: Andrej Pirrwitz and Sara Möbius
City trees for Berlin: Contribution to a healthy climate
City trees are truly skilled at survival – and they also help ensure a healthy climate in urban areas. As part of the “150 years of Berlin Hyp” anniversary celebrations a few years ago, the Bank became a sponsor for 150 young trees in Berlin. This initial support turned into an ongoing commitment, as the Bank has since donated additional Berlin city trees in connection with the proportion of green financing in its loans portfolio in each case.