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The Messer Team

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The Messer Team

The Messer Team

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Declaration of principles

Messer’s mission statement enshrines customer and employee orientation, responsible action, corporate responsibility as well as open communication, trust, and respect. Messer is aware of its responsibility to respect human rights and working conditions. 

The Messer Code of Conduct sets out binding principles of behavior for all employees worldwide. The Code of Conduct is part of the Messer Compliance Management System (Messer CMS) and emphasizes Messer’s sustainable understanding of values for living integrity.

As a member of the Charta der Vielfalt (Charter of Diversity), Messer complies with the national and international provisions for human rights and the general ethical principles against child and forced labor. The respect for human rights and the maintenance of fair working conditions form the basis of our corporate philosophy and business processes. Messer believes that every employee is entitled to fair treatment, courtesy, and respect. Thus, we expect every employee to treat all persons in a respectful, fair, friendly, and professional manner.

The basis of human rights diligence at Messer is our commitment to respect human rights. With this policy statement, we are making a strong and binding commitment to human rights and working conditions as set out in internationally recognized frameworks:

  • The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact
  • The Labor Standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO)
  • The International Bill of Human Rights (UN)

We support our employees, customers, and suppliers in complying with human rights principles and maintain an ongoing dialog with them on important human rights issues.
 

Diversity and equal Opportunities

Messer is committed to diversity and equal opportunities for its workforce. Our future-oriented and sustainable human resources policy ensures a level playing field for professional success, respects cultural differences and promotes interaction with each other. For Messer, diversity is the basis for innovation and sustainable corporate success; mutual trust and respect are the corporate values that form the basis of our corporate culture and are deeply rooted in it.

Our salaries are based on function, market, performance, training, experience, and length of service as well as, where applicable, collective bargaining agreements or comparable wage agreements and inflation compensation. Gender equality is a matter of course. Our vision for diversity and inclusion is to create an environment where all employees accept, respect and value the differences of multiple identities and truly welcomes the diverse ideas and perspectives of individuals. In doing so, we shape an open and creative company culture, providing every individual an equal opportunity to thrive.
 

We define diversity as the presence of differences and representation of multiple identities such as age, race, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, religion, caste, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, talents, and other individual differences. 

We define inclusion as the assurance that the thoughts, ideas, and perspectives of all individuals’ matter. When there is inclusion, our people, our teams, and our company are truly inviting to all, creating engagement, and belonging. 

UN Goals Messer-Team

  • UN Goal 1 - No poverty
  • UN Goal 2 - Zero hunger
  • UN Goal 3 - Good health and well-being
  • UN Goal - Gender equality
  • UN Goal 6 - Clean water and sanitation
  • UN Goal 7 - Affordable and clean energy
  • UN Goal 8 - Decent work and economic growth
  • UN Goal - Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • UN Goal 10 - Reduced inequalities
  • UN Goal 11 - Sustainable cities and communities
  • UN Goal 12 - Responsible consumption and production
  • UN Goal 13 - Climate action
  • UN Goal 14 - Life below water
  • UN Goal 15 - Life on land
  • UN Goal 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions
  • UN Goal 17 - Partnerships for the goals

Diversity and equal opportunities Examples

Our Executive Management Board is made up of the Chairman of the Executive Management Board, CEO, the CFO and three Executive Management Board members who represent the operating businesses in the Asia, Europe, and Americas regions. In 2023, the Executive Management Board consisted of three men and two women.
Messer’s Supervisory Board, chaired by Stefan Messer, consists of four men and five women.

In 2023, Messer employed 11,725 people (headcount), compared to 11,469 in 2022. The proportion of women in the total workforce was 26.7 percent, compared to 27.8 percent in the previous year. The proportion of female managers in the 1st and 2nd management levels has increased and stood at 27 percent in 2023 compared to 24.7 percent in 2022. 

In 2023, 200 part-time employees worked at Messer compared to 187 part-time employees in 2022. The proportion of blue-collar workers in the total workforce was 45.5 percent compared to 45.7 percent in the previous year.

The average age of our total workforce is 42.83 years, a very slight increase of 0.1 percent compared to the previous year. 11.9 percent of our employees are under the age of 30. At 56.9 percent, more than half of the people at Messer are between 30 and 50 years old. 30.9 percent of employees are over 50 years old.

Messer grants all employees the right to take time off to support their families. In 2023, 5 percent of the total workforce took advantage of this entitlement.

Structural integration of Diversity management

The aim of our diversity management is to create a prejudice-free and appreciative working environment, irrespective of employees’ gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin, religion, caste, ideology, disability, age, sexual orientation, or sexual identity. Interdisciplinary teams at our Messer SE & Co. KGaA headquarters are responsible for the strategic integration of diversity and inclusion. Across Messer, representatives and ambassadors in each national company help to promote diversity and inclusion through targeted initiatives and concrete measures.
 
At Messer Americas, People Excellence is part of our operational strategy, which is about creating an environment that attracts and retains our highly skilled workforce, motivating and enabling each colleague to reach their highest potential and advancement in their careers. Together diversity and inclusion are one of the elements of our People Excellence strategy. To accelerate our endeavors, Messer Americas has D&I Ambassadors in each country and a joint D&I Council comprised of leaders from across the region. The leadership team launched a comprehensive program comprised of three key pillars: education, engagement, and process. 

The proportion of women in the 1st and 2nd management levels is expected to rise in the long run, and the goal is to increase this measure by establishing mixed management teams with at least a thirty percent share of women by 2030. 

In order to achieve this goal, within the Corporate Office of Messer SE & Co. KGaA, activities have been developed that are intended to lead the way for the Messer companies in the future. First of all, a women’s network called “Women Network@Messer” was set up to give interested women the opportunity to participate and share their experience in the workplace. Under professional guidance, “Power Teams” were formed to exchange ideas and provide support on a regular basis to make it easier to overcome professional and personal challenges. Accompanying targeted training opportunities on topics such as personal excellence, work/non-work balance and inclusion were offered to the entire workforce at the headquarters. A mentoring program for women was launched in 2023. 

Awards and Initiatives

Messer SE & Co. KGaA is a member of the “Diversity Charter,” an initiative to promote diversity in companies and institutions. Diversity management is designed to help our commitment to diversity throughout the company through our interdisciplinary teams and responsible persons or contact persons in our national companies.

Since 2019, Messer Group has been awarded the Total E-Quality rating for equal opportunities in personnel and organizational policy with the additional rating “Diversity,” which is valid for three years. It is supported and recommended by the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology. For our further development in the area ofhumanresources policy and for the organizational and structural anchoring of equal opportunities and diversity, Messer 2022 has once again been awarded the Total E-Quality rating and the additional rating for diversity so that it was still valid in 2023. 

In 2023, Messer companies in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile and the United States were certified as a Great Place to Work®. The certification acknowledges employers who excel in fostering an outstanding employee experience. Besides the recognition, this certification provides data that drives D&I initiatives, which support the continuous effort of creating a company culture that enables employees to thrive and where they can feel respected, valued, included and that they belong.

Messer United States and Messer Brazil were recognized for providing an excellent candidate experience in their recruitment and selection process. Messer is committed to its value of trust and respects, and our engagement with all candidates from their very first interaction with the organization until become a Messer employee reflects this value. In addition to this honor, Messer Brazil ranked first place in Latin America by the Talent Board, the sponsor of the CanE Award.

In 2023 Messer in the United States was featured for the first time with the Corporate Equality Index recognized for earning a perfect score of 100. The recognition demonstrates Messer’s commitment to implementing LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices.

Messer is part of the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As part of the initiative, Messer contributes along with other companies to drive progress in D&I and drive change at scale.

Messer Americas is a signatory of the Women Empowerment Principles (WEP), established by UN Women and UN Global Compact. By joining the WEP’s community, Messer signals its commitment with the gender equality dimensions of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Messer recognizes the importance of its employees in shaping an inclusive environment and creating initiatives for the D&I program. Examples: The two-way feedback is practiced by the Employee Circle members in the United States, who collect feedback from other employees and share it anonymously with the D&I team. In Colombia, the Diversity Table is a place where employees provide feedback on diversity initiatives.

Messer was recognized by the US Department of Labor as a HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award recipient for the third year in a row for the company’s exemplary efforts in recruiting, employing, and retaining veterans. The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal award recognizing exceptional achievement in hiring employees who are veterans. The award signals to veterans that an employer is committed to and supports our nation’s heroes. The company also received the Recruit Military Champion Award, which publicly recognizes and awards organizations that empower the military community through meaningful career opportunities. 

Employee satisfaction


The average length of service of our employees in 2023 was 10.1 years, as it was in the previous year. Of the employees at Messer, 18 percent are represented by workers’ representatives. 39.7 percent of all employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Employee appraisal and satisfaction reviews were conducted with 55.3 percent of all employees in 2023. In 2023, more than 4,400 employees in the Americas participated in the regional Viewpoint survey and the results demonstrated significant improvement in several categories including the areas of learning and development as well as diversity and inclusion.

Education and training

Messer is committed to the education and training of junior employees, who are seen as an important investment in the competitiveness and performance of our company. In 2023, Messer’s vocational training ratio increased slightly from 1.4 to 1.5 percent. 

Education and training

Messer uses webinars and classroom training to provide its employees with further training. A total of 10,762 employees received training, which corresponds to 91.8 percent. In the previous year, this figure was 10,998 people, corresponding to 95.8 percent. On average, 20 hours per person were spent on paid seminars in 2023 compared to 14.2 hours in 2022. Expenditure on further training increased slightly: in total, an average of 187 euros per person was spent on this, which is 8 euros per person more than in 2022.

Training on the topic of “unconscious bias” has been ongoing since 2021 for international management and the German- and English-speaking workforce in Europe in order to help resolve unconscious thought patterns. A total of 570 people have completed the training. D&I trainings were also organized in the Americas, where 1,759 employees were trained and 527 people managers completed sessions on topics including unconscious bias, inclusive communication, and inclusive leadership. 

The three classes of the Messer Graduate Development Program (GDP) met in person at the headquarters in Bridgewater. This gave them the chance to meet Messer executives, network with colleagues and celebrate the first GDP graduating class of 2023 together. During the GDP program, the new employees are mentored by our experienced management and receive practical technical know-how within the various business units. The GDP graduates represent the future of Messer.

Open dialog and know-how transfer

Open dialog and internal know-how transfer are important to us. That is why we promote supra-regional and intercultural networks. 
We were able to network even more closely at an international specialist level and at the same time attract more participants to the virtual international town hall meetings that have been held regularly since 2022. In total, there were 43,186 participations in location meetings or network meetings for strategic integration or knowledge transfer and in town hall meetings, compared to 33,033 in 2022.

To improve internal international communication, Messer introduced an app internationally in 2021, which simplifies global exchange between the organizations and their teams. In order to simplify dialog with the Executive Board and bundle the strategic information, the Executive Management Board has been communicating in the app with its own stream since 2023. 

Chapter

Strategic integration of CR
Sustainable business
The Messer team
Safety & Health
Customer Loyalty
Environmental & climate protection
Commitment to education & social justice