Shaping an attractive work environment
We are committed to fair cooperation, equal opportunities, diversity and collaborative partnerships to shape the world of work together.
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Creating a work environment that allows for full potential
We foster a work environment that supports equal opportunities and diversity and breaks down barriers – for example, regarding leadership positions or fair compensation. With flexible work arrangements, we support our employees in balancing their professional and private lives. The goal is an inclusive work environment that values diverse perspectives, strengthens collaboration, and promotes adaptability. To this end, we conduct regular discussions with our employees to design targeted measures and continuously improve them.
Policies
Principles of equality and inclusion
The Diversity & Inclusion Policy as well as the Gender Equality Policy create the framework for fair opportunities. We do not tolerate discrimination. We hire, promote, and train in a gender-neutral manner – and ensure balanced gender representation in leadership roles. We adhere to the principles of hybrid work – that is, a balanced mix of remote work and office presence.
Flexible working hours, results-oriented management, and the use of digital and AI-supported tools for efficient collaboration, along with responsible travel, create flexibility and facilitate a better work-life balance. We guarantee fair compensation, offer attractive benefits, and protect personal data in accordance with the law.
“Diversity and inclusion are part of our daily operations and leadership culture at O2 Telefónica. We create an environment that makes different perspectives visible and opens up space for innovation.”
Targets
We had the following targets by the end of 2025:
To increase the proportion of women in senior management to 34.6%.
To achieve an adjusted gender pay gap of +/-1%.
To achieve a positive work-life balance rating among more than 80% of our employees.
To achieve a consistently high level of employee satisfaction, as measured by the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS >40).
Performance
Diversity, fairness and satisfaction are the focus
In 2025, the eNPS score was 60 points. While this represents a decrease compared to the previous year (2024: 76), it remained at a solid level despite a challenging environment. Ongoing transformation and leadership processes, as well as an increased workload, impacted the rating.
The adjusted gender pay gap reached a value of 0.2% in 2025 (2024: 1.2%).
In 2025, 80% of our employees rated their work-life balance positively (2024: 83%). This slight change primarily reflects a higher work intensity. Employees continue to value the health and well-being initiatives offered.
The proportion of women in senior management was 36.7 in 2025 (2024: 34%).
Actions
Promoting diversity and creating opportunities
Improving together: To give everyone a voice, we conduct regular employee surveys. This allows us to identify strengths and areas for improvement, enabling us to continuously develop working conditions, collaboration, and offerings such as health services and work-life balance. We also use topic-specific pulse checks, for example, on mental health or hybrid work.
Living fairness: Every year, we review all salaries and benefits to ensure fair, transparent, and gender-equitable compensation and to further reduce the gender pay gap. In addition, we provide targeted support for women in their career development – for example, through the annual “Women in Leadership” training programme, which includes mentoring, workshops, and networking opportunities. In addition, the global development program “Action for Leadership,” initiated by Nokia and implemented jointly with O2 Telefónica, was held as a one-time initiative in 2025 and is aimed at women with leadership ambitions.The concepts and results developed within this programme are being further refined by participants and internal sponsors.
Diversity is a top priority: In the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Ambassador Programme, each member of the O2 Telefónica Board of Directors takes responsibility for a diversity issue, such as social background, cultural diversity or disability, and is personally committed to making progress in this area.
Shared Perspectives: Employee Resource Groups (Youngsters, PRIDE, Multiculturals) also provide a space for exchange, support, and the visibility of diverse perspectives. In addition, we strengthen diversity and inclusion through partnerships with external initiatives such as PROUT AT WORK (for LGBTQIA+), 2hearts (tech talent with a migration background), myAbility (inclusion of people with disabilities), and Netzwerk Chancen (socially upwardly mobile individuals). In this way, we create a work environment where everyone can reach their full potential.
As a central platform for exchange and networking, visibility and empowerment were the driving forces behind our Pride Community 2025. We demonstrated our presence through participation in Christopher Street Day parades across Germany and internal initiatives like “Ribbons for Diversity”. Creating safe spaces and further strengthening psychological safety within the team through strong allies was particularly important to us.
In 2025, our Youngsters Community focused primarily on networking and participation, for example with career talks, cross-site get-togethers and a future workshop to which young talents were invited to actively take on responsibility and help shape the working world of tomorrow.
Living team spirit: Through corporate volunteering activities, we strengthen cohesion, take on responsibility, and embody the O2 Telefónica spirit. In this way, we foster team spirit and personal development. In 2025, nearly 20,000 Telefónica Group employees worldwide participated in the 21st Global Volunteering Day, supporting around 80,000 people. The O2 Telefónica Run was our largest event in Germany: Hundreds of colleagues in several cities collectively logged kilometers to raise funds for a charitable organization. Additionally, teams supported long-standing partners such as Tafel Deutschland (the German food bank), Die Arche (a children’s charity), and REDI School, a non-profit tech school focused on digital education opportunities, through local and cross-divisional initiatives.
Business value
Diversity as a success factor
In 2025, we were among the top three finalists for the Handelsblatt and McKinsey Spark Awards, impressing the judges with our commitment to diversity and inclusion. The DE&I Executive Ambassador Programme was the only corporate project to receive an award in the “DE&I Accelerator” category. For us, diversity is not an add-on, but the foundation for innovation. Only with the power and diversity of our team can we, as a reliable partner, offer business clients innovative, customised solutions, continuity, and service quality.
Next steps
Further develop a fair and inclusive working environment
We want to further strengthen our diverse working environment and promote additional opportunities for women in leadership positions through flexible working models and digital solutions, as well as further strengthen the participation of all employees.