3. The UNIQA workforce (ESRS S1)

3.1 Material impacts, risks and opportunities and their interaction with strategy and business model (ESRS 2 SBM-3)

UNIQA had a workforce of 16,394 employees in the financial year. Employees are defined as any person who is in an employment relationship with and works for UNIQA. This definition does not cover individuals who do not actively work for UNIQA. This mainly concerns persons on parental leave (parental, educational, foster and similar), persons in the passive phase of part-time retirement schemes, persons on company and community service, and persons on other longer-term leave not compensated by the company. The above figure does not include non-employee workers for whom an optional phase-in provision in accordance with ESRS has been applied. Non-employee workers include individuals with whom agreements resembling contracts for work have been concluded (self-employed people) and workers mediated through labour supply contracts concluded with recruiters. The employees of the insurance business work both in the office and in the field. While sales staff are exclusively assigned to underwriting and policy acquisition, office staff can be responsible for both underwriting and policy acquisition as well as administration. A further significant percentage of employees are employed at various service companies and in the health sector. UNIQA provides its employees with several options with regard to working hours (full-time, part-time, marginal employment) and employs interns and apprentices.

UNIQA’s corporate strategy gives HR measures high priority to avoid any potential negative impacts on employees. Employees are given a voice on day-to-day business performance through their dialogue with the Works Council, the employee survey conducted twice a year and their active involvement in strategic measures as part of the new People Strategy. The following topics were identified as being relevant in the short, medium, and long term:

• Insufficient action against deliberate or unconscious discrimination could result in certain genders or age groups being underrepresented in the hierarchy, creating unjustified pay gaps, or making it difficult for persons with disabilities to gain access to employment. UNIQA actively addresses these challenges with its Group Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Strategy and takes appropriate action to counteract it (see section 3.2 for more information). Employee feedback on how the Group manages diversity is collected as part of the UNIQA employee survey. A special focus is placed on narrowing the adjusted gender pay gap, for which a specific target has been defined (see section 3.6.).
• Following up on incidents such as violence and harassment is also considered crucial. Failure to consistently manage reports or a lack of reporting channels can result in material negative impacts for employees, for example due to psychological stress or fear of possible incidents. UNIQA ensures that human and labour rights are respected by explicitly incorporating the principles of the UN Global Compact into its Code of Conduct.
• Inadequate training measures could restrict the professional development of employees, not only potentially hampering their personal development, but also jeopardising the Group’s competitive standing in the long term. In order to promote the professional development of its employees, the UNIQA Group HR Policy sets binding standards for training, supports the corporate strategy and boosts the attractiveness of UNIQA as an employer.
• Due to the nature of the insurance business, there are no special negative impacts with regard to the topics listed above. The negative impacts described stem from factors inherent to the labour market and the general economic dependence of workers on employers and are not attributable to individual circumstances. By the same token, UNIQA’s climate strategy and emissions reduction targets do not negatively impact its employees.

Digital innovations, regulatory changes and evolving customer expectations are transforming the insurance industry. New competencies in digital technologies, data analysis and customer experience management are required to operate in this new environment. However, demand for these specialist skills exceeds supply on the labour market. Personnel shortages in the short to medium term constitute an operational risk for UNIQA, which can manifest as a loss of quality in internal processes or breaches of regulatory requirements, for example. Both cause customers to cease doing business with the Group or lead to reputational damage. Personnel shortages can arise in particular if the Group is unable to recruit or retain employees due to UNIQA’s lack of attractiveness as an employer, or if insufficient training is provided to help them unleash their full potential. To minimise this risk and to make UNIQA more attractive as an employer, country-specific employee options and development opportunities are offered.

The materiality assessment did not reveal any indications of employee groups that could be particularly affected by negative impacts due to their environment or activities. The only employee groups found to be at risk of potential negative impacts in relation to safe employment were employees on temporary or part-time contracts.

3.2 Policies related to UNIQA’s own workforce (S1-1)

The UNIQA People Strategy is based on five main pillars:

• Employee experience
• Leadership & learning
• Corporate culture
• Diversity & inclusion
• Data & analytics

The People Strategy is available to employees on the intranet, while the Group Diversity & Inclusion Strategy is available both internally on the intranet and publicly online. The aforementioned policies and associated policies (HR Policy and Diversity & Inclusion Policy) are decided by the Group Executive Board (GEB) and apply to all (re)insurance companies and their branches.

Labour and human rights

Labour and human rights include the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining and protection against gender, religious and political discrimination in addition to discrimination on national or social grounds. UNIQA does not tolerate child or forced labour, (modern) slavery or human trafficking in its business activities under any circumstances. Although UNIQA does not have a specific human rights policy in place, the principles of the UN Global Compact have been adopted in the form of ten guiding principles in the mandatory Group-wide Code of Conduct. The interests of employees are thereby explicitly reflected in the Code of Conduct. In line with the general whistleblower process, the compliance function investigates and tracks all violations of the code it becomes aware of (see section 6.1.1).

As an insurance company, UNIQA processes a large volume of data as a result of its business activities; the protection of personal data – a fundamental right which also affects the privacy of employees – is emphasised. A Group-wide data protection management guideline also defines data protection guidelines for employees. Further explanations of the impacts, risks and opportunities as well as policies, actions and targets regarding data protection in relation to the company’s own workforce can be found in chapter 5 (S4) in the respective “Data protection” sub-sections.

Inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity

The Group Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Policy is part of the Group Human Resources Policy and is also based on the principles of the UN Global Compact. It is governed by local laws and the Disability Employment Act (BEinstG). With seven overarching targets, the Group D&I Policy promotes an environment free of discrimination, bullying and (sexual) harassment with gender equality and equal pay for equal work, as well as equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Ultimate responsibility for the Group Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Policy lies with the member of the Management Board for People & Brand. According to the policy, managers and employees are required to recognise and report unacceptable conduct. A standardised process must be observed when handling incidents of discrimination, including annual, anonymised reporting on any corresponding cases.

The seven overarching targets of the UNIQA Group D&I Strategy are as follows:

• Equal pay for work of equal value
• Promoting equal opportunity by increasing the percentage of women in management roles
• Improving generation management
• Promoting work-life balance
• Leveraging the internationality and cultural diversity of the 17 countries in which UNIQA operates as a strength
• Enhancing inclusion and support of persons with disabilities
• Respecting the sexual orientation and identity of every individual

Training and skills development

The Group HR Policy sets out requirements and standards for employee development to support the corporate strategy and make UNIQA an attractive employer. The policy is overseen and communicated by the member of the Management Board responsible for People & Brand. A comprehensive learning opportunity is provided to ensure that UNIQA has the capabilities required to achieve its targets. The three pillars of “offer, enable and optimise” provide the basis for employee development.

3.3 Processes for engaging with UNIQA’s own workforce and workers’ representatives about impacts (S1-2)

Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with employees is a top priority at UNIQA. Employee surveys help UNIQA to identify and recognise its employees’ needs in order to develop concrete steps designed to increase employee satisfaction, loyalty and identification with UNIQA as an employer. The employee survey has been conducted at least twice a year since 2023. In addition, employees of insurance companies are asked about a wide range of topics along the employee journey every two years in a comprehensive long-form employee survey. Overall employee satisfaction (with the exception of employees in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo) currently stands at 4 out of 5 stars; an improvement of 0.2 stars compared with previous surveys. A total of more than 10,000 employees participated in the last survey. Liechtenstein and Switzerland are not included in the employee survey due to the inability to provide anonymous feedback owing to the low staff numbers in these countries. Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo also do not participate in the employee surveys conducted by the UNIQA Group due to the different framework conditions.

In all the countries where UNIQA Group companies are located, employees are represented by works councils or trade unions in accordance with the applicable local laws.

Feedback from the employee survey and from the dialogue with the Works Council is documented, incorporated into decision-making and communicated both on a general basis and by managers. Engagement activities take place across all levels and are centrally monitored. Operational responsibility for incorporating findings into the corporate strategy lies with the member of the Management Board responsible for People & Brand.

3.4 Processes to remediate negative impacts and channels for UNIQA workers to raise concerns (S1-3)

All employees can access the UNIQA Group Whistleblower Portal (see information in section 6.1.1) and receive an introduction to the platform as part of compliance training. Reports can either be submitted anonymously or with the disclosure of the employee’s or third party’s name. Compliance also centrally documents reports received by other units in the whistleblower portal. Beyond this, employees can use the employee survey as a platform for raising their concerns.

3.5 Taking action on material impacts on the UNIQA workforce, and approaches to managing material risks and pursuing material opportunities, and effectiveness of those actions (S1-4)

Labour and human rights

UNIQA actively promotes a safe, non-discriminatory work environment. This commitment is set out in clear guidelines such as the Code of Conduct and a comprehensive Diversity & Inclusion Strategy. In addition to the whistleblowing platform in place, UNIQA has launched an e-learning module on equal treatment rights in Austria, which is mandatory for all employees. By taking these measures, UNIQA hopes to raise awareness among employees and ensure that neither exclusionary nor inappropriate behaviour, such as violence or harassment, is tolerated. UNIQA also ensures that complaints are handled in a confidential, transparent and respectful manner. Anonymous statistics on complaints and incidents are compiled and published annually in the Diversity & Inclusion Committee (DICO Committee). The Works Council is then informed about the findings.

Diversity and equal opportunity

Set forth in the D&I strategy, the principles of gender equality and equal pay for equal work are promoted in the Unconscious Mind, Inclusive Leadership training course, through structured talent management and corresponding succession planning. In addition to an annual mentoring programme that has been in place in Austria since 2021, a reverse mentoring programme designed to bring together young and experienced employees has also been established. The latter was first launched in Austria and the countries in Southeastern Europe in 2024 and is due to be implemented in other countries in stages throughout 2025. Flexible working models, such as job sharing and part-time management models, are designed to help employees on their management career path. An in-house tool is available for the annual salary adjustment process to simulate the impacts of planned updates to the salary structure. The tool is also aimed at simplifying target attainment with regard to the gender pay gap. As a premium sponsor of the 2024 Vienna EuroGames and a supporter of the Queer Ball in Vienna, UNIQA proudly supports the LGBTQIA+ community, a commitment which has helped foster a strong sense of belonging to the company among community members.

Inclusion of people with disabilities

The diversity strategy defines the targeted recruitment of people with disabilities as a key objective in UNIQA’s core markets. In the first phase, the focus is on creating and gradually improving the framework conditions. Job shadowing and internships for people with disabilities were offered as part of the UNIQA Ability project. Following the successful pilot phase in Austria and Poland in 2024, in the medium term, plans are to roll out the project to further countries by cooperating with local organisations that promote inclusion of people with disabilities in the labour market. All job vacancies in Austria have been displayed on the myAbility job platform for one year since mid-October 2024 in order to reach this target group even more effectively in future. Additional accompanying measures in 2024 included raising awareness among managers, positioning the company as an inclusive employer through appropriate references in job advertisements and continuous improvement when it comes to accessibility at Group headquarters.

Training and skills development

Through ongoing evaluation and the launch of new performance and talent management systems, UNIQA aims to improve training efficiency and promote talent and succession development with a targeted approach. The ultimate goal is to help employees unlock their full potential. Starting in 2025, a new learning management system will be launched to give employees access to state-of-the-art functions such as customised learning paths and gamification. Leadership programmes also help strengthen a positive leadership culture. In these programmes, managers acquire key leadership skills on the basis of practical experience. The skills provided include:

• Constructive communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Self-organisation
• Team orientation

Employee satisfaction

In 2023, a strategic Group People function was established, which ensures that employees are taken into account in the business model throughout the Group on the basis of the Group’s corporate strategy and the People Strategy. This marked the start of a culture transformation. By pursuing a unified People operating model across all core markets, UNIQA promotes international cooperation, employee development and mobility, strengthening employee loyalty as a result. The new model involves rolling out lighthouse initiatives to improve employee experience. Guided by the defined employee journey, these initiatives address the main steps of the specific employee experience, starting from the recruitment and onboarding stages, to working and the learning experience, ending with leaving the company.

A strong corporate culture paves the way to achieving economic targets. Since 2022, more than 2,000 colleagues from 15 countries in which UNIQA operates have participated in activities on the topic of culture transformation across the Group. Dashboards with key performance indicators (KPIs) on employee structure, recruitment rates, turnover and contract types help managers monitor and manage personnel changes. Transparency on these topics likewise enhances employee loyalty, encourages career development and improves the working environment, all of which have a positive impact on the company’s performance and employee satisfaction. Over 500 measures were derived from the employee survey and consequently rolled out. They are now subject to continuous reviews and refinement. In this way, employee feedback is directly incorporated into improvements to the work environment. These measures are designed to increase employee well-being in the long term and reduce the risk of personnel shortages at UNIQA.

Managing directors of service providers and companies in the healthcare sector are responsible for ensuring alignment with the UNIQA corporate strategy. At the PremiQaMed Group, roles have been established for a medical representative and a nursing representative as permanent members of the internal strategy teams.

3.6 Targets related to managing material negative impacts, advancing positive impacts, and managing material risks and opportunities (S1-5)

Target: Best employer for impact-driven employees

The company’s target of becoming the best employer for impact-driven employees is enshrined in the UNIQA 3.0 strategy. The target also applies to the insurance companies and their branches along with IT service units in Austria, Southeastern Europe, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Target attainment is measured on the basis of the EX (Employee Experience) index. By 2028, UNIQA aims to achieve a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. The reference value in the 2023 base year was 3.8 stars, with the EX Index figure reaching 4.0 stars in the financial year. The figure is calculated based on the eight stages of the employee journey: “I get hired”, “I am onboarded”, “I am working”, “I am engaged”, “I am learning”, “I am achieving my targets”, “I am changing roles” and “I am rewarded”. These stages are evaluated as part of the employee surveys conducted twice each year.

As the “I am engaged” stage is considered to be of particular importance within the employee journey, it will no longer be included in the general index figure as of 2025 but instead covered as a separate metric named Engagement Index. The target for the Engagement Index is 4.5 out of 5 stars and is expected to be reached by 2028. The Supervisory Board and the Management Board determined the target of “Best employer for impact-driven employees” without involving the employees in the decision-making process or in identifying remedies and improvement measures. An ambitious target was set in order to provide clear guidance for improving employee satisfaction. The selected target rating is demanding yet realistic and takes the company’s internal circumstances into account. In addition, the target also matches the customer satisfaction target, which is also 4.5 stars.

Target: Narrowing the adjusted gender pay gap

Set forth in the D&I strategy, the target of gender equality and equal pay for equal work entails narrowing the adjusted gender pay gap for employees at insurance companies and their branches in Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Romania and Slovakia. This target group will be gradually expanded from 2025 onwards. As part of this expansion, a medium-term objective will be defined in 2025 that includes the new sites – a short-term goal was therefore initially set for 2024.

The adjusted gender pay gap measures the average pay gap between men and women. Factors such as professional experience, qualifications and position are taken into account to provide a more accurate picture of the gender pay gap. Gender-based remuneration equality is determined using a regression analysis that considers salary as a dependent variable alongside various demographic, organisational and performance-related factors as independent variables. The adjusted gender pay gap results from the determined influence of the gender variable (male/female) on salary once all other factors have been checked.

In 2024, the adjusted gender pay gap came to 3.1 per cent. Compared with the set target of 3.2 per cent, this represents a drop below the target of 0.1 per cent.

The target value for the gender pay gap was determined based on the analysis of several scenarios and corresponds to a 20 per cent reduction, with a minimum value of 1 per cent. Further reductions below 1 per cent are not conducive, as natural staff turnover can lead to fluctuations and external certifications already result in a higher threshold of <5 per cent. Data was sourced from personnel data for 2023. The Supervisory Board and the Management Board determined the above target for the entire UNIQA Group without any employee engagement in the decision-making process or in identifying remedial and improvement measures.

3.7 Characteristics of UNIQA employees (S1-6)

While the Group notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements disclose the average number of full-time equivalents as a measure of head count, in accordance with ESRS the number of persons is reported without taking into account the extent of working time, which is why different figures are presented. The disclosures on the characteristics of employees in this document are based on the head count as of the reporting date 31 December 2024. Inactive employees are not accounted for in the disclosures. The specified metrics are not externally validated but are audited as part of internal checks and additionally verified through an external audit. Permanent employees refer to employees with whom contracts have been concluded for an indefinite period. By contrast, temporary employees refer to employees with whom employment contracts containing a specified contract termination date have been concluded. Non-guaranteed hours employees are employees who do not have any guaranteed working hours, guaranteed minimum hours or a specified number of working hours, in other words casual workers, workers on zero hours contracts, on-call workers and similar.

The following tables show separately only those countries in which UNIQA employs at least 50 people and represents at least 10 per cent of the company’s total workforce.

Company departures are defined as the total number of terminations of employment contracts that are not seamlessly followed by the individual in question entering a new role within the same company. The number of company departures in the year is 3,028. The employee turnover rate is 18.5 per cent and is calculated as follows: number of departures in the reporting year divided by the number of employees as of the reporting date.

3.8 Collective bargaining coverage and social dialogue (S1-8)

UNIQA employees are covered by different collective bargaining agreements or local equivalents depending on their country, company and the classification of their employment relationship. In 2024, UNIQA Insurance Group AG and its fully consolidated subsidiaries did not have any worker representation at the European level (European Works Council, SE/SCE).

3.9 Diversity metrics (S1-9)

Top management comprises the following hierarchy levels: B-0 (individuals with Management Board roles within the UNIQA Group as well as management board members for individual countries and subsidiaries), B-1 (managers who directly report to the Management Board) and B-2 (managers who report to managers in hierarchy level B-1).

3.10 Training and skills development metrics (S1-13)

The average number of training hours is calculated by dividing the total number of training hours completed by the number of training hours completed and amounted to 31 in 2024 for actively employed employees. Both mandatory and voluntary training courses are taken into account.

In addition, UNIQA uses the phase-in for the KPI “Percentage of workers who have participated in regular performance and career assessments, broken down by gender” so that this information is provided at a later date.

3.11 Remuneration metrics (pay gap and total remuneration) (S1-16)

The gender pay gap is defined as the difference between the average salary level of female and male employees, expressed as a percentage of the average salary level of male employees based on gross hourly earnings, including variable remuneration (bonuses, commissions, etc.), social benefits and other non-monetary benefits such as company cars, insurance policies and pension commitments. Reimbursements for travel expenses, employer contributions and expenses are not taken into account in the calculation. The gross annual salary is divided by the number of hours worked by the employee in question in line with their employment contract in order to calculate their gross hourly pay. There is a distinction between adjusted and unadjusted gender pay gap. The unadjusted gender pay gap shows the average pay gap between men and women, without taking into account factors such as professional experience or position. The adjusted gender pay gap, by contrast, compares salaries under equal conditions and illustrates the difference in salaries between women and men in comparable work. Since the adjusted gender pay gap shows whether statistically unexplained pay gaps continue to exist for the same work, UNIQA has set itself the target of reducing this gap. The aim is to ensure equal pay for equal work and to address structural inequalities in a targeted way. Because ESRS reporting requires disclosure of the unadjusted gender pay gap, it is also published and amounts to 27.8 per cent in the financial year.

The total remuneration ratio is defined as the ratio of the annual total remuneration granted to UNIQA’s highest-paid individual to the median annual total remuneration for all employees, including the members of the Management Board (excluding the highest-paid individual). Total remuneration is calculated in the same way as the gender pay gap and presented as a ratio, which came to 50.0 in the reporting year.

3.12 Incidents, complaints and severe human rights impacts (S1-17)

Incidents of discrimination or harassment on the grounds of gender, racial or ethnic origin, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and other grounds are considered complaints.

No incidents occurred in the financial year, resulting in no fines being imposed in relation to workers’ human rights.