Social changes such as the aging population of western industrialized states and the associated shortage of prospective young recruits will present companies with major new challenges. In response to demographic developments, we have developed a “demography radar” in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University in Germany, with which we can simulate the age structure of our global workforce under given conditions. Using the information gained in this way, we can take action in human resources management at an early stage to better enable us to meet the challenges of demographic developments.

For example, it will be increasingly important to enable and encourage younger employees to learn from the experience and knowledge of their older colleagues.  For this purpose we have created Henkel-wide knowledge transfer systems to ensure that acquired expertise is retained within the company. In addition, we offer our employees an extensive range of services designed to promote healthy living. These include medical check-ups, lifestyle advice, and advice on making the transition from work to retirement.