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The development of future-proof skills for our employees and the strengthening of an increasingly digital learning culture are top priorities for us. In the reporting year, employees in Germany and the European subsidiaries invested an average of 4.6 working days per employee in their continuing education. In 2023, we advanced our "welearn" (formerly known as “youlearn”) learning culture initiative, which had been established since 2019, aligning it more closely with the Group's strategic objectives. With the theme "Time to Focus on Tech & Digital Skills," welearn specifically targeted the acquisition of technical and digital proficiencies, yielding significant results: 52% of the 3.8 million learning hours invested by employees in Germany and European national companies were dedicated to technical and digital skill development.
Deutsche Telekom has solidified its digital learning framework, boasting a robust digital learning utilization rate of approximately 73%. Leveraging the intelligent "Percipio" learning platform, often likened to the "Netflix of learning," and integrating providers like "Coursera" with content from esteemed universities, over 164,000 employees access a diverse array of digital and contemporary learning resources.
Additionally, the employee-driven "Learning from Experts" (LEX) initiative, launched in 2018, has emerged as the company's largest peer-to-peer learning community, fostering informal learning channels. In 2023, more than 5,650 online sessions were conducted, facilitating the exchange of expertise among colleagues.

Since 2017, we have been using the 80/20 model to give our employees the opportunity to spend up to 20 percent of their working time on projects outside of their usual remit. This allows them to work with teams from other departments. In this way, we break up departmental silos and can make better use of the company’s broad spectrum of talent. The model makes employees more visible and motivated, and enhances their network of contacts. Use of the model is voluntary and is tied to a specific Group project.

After three very successful runs, the kick-off event of our next “Child and Career” mentoring program took place in October 2019. For a period of 21 months, this program provides for potential junior staff in expert and managerial functions from various business units of the Group in Germany to be mentored by an experienced manager. The mentees who will soon start parental leave, are in parental leave or are planning their re-entrance in the job gain new professional and methodical competences “in the tandem” and benefit from shared experiences with others in the program network. In the fourth “Child and Career” session, 26 tandem teams went to the start. The program is supplemented by web-based tutorials on focus topics and self-organized network meetings. In addition, supplementary coaching services such as parental coaching and professional support coaching will be provided, as required. This was very well appreciated by the last run. More than 80 percent of participating junior employees and almost 70 percent of the managers are female.

The next mentoring program will start in the 2nd half of 2022.

Our Start up! Trainee Program primarily targets graduates with an interest in Technology and IT who are willing to leverage their talent as innovator, technophile or revolutionary every single day. With the aim to reach talented candidates outside of Germany, the application process has been held in English since 2017. As a result, we have been able to maintain the share of international participants in 2022: 27 percent of trainees come from different countries around the globe. In the reporting period, a total of 38 BA/MA graduates embarked on the trainee program, 53 percent of whom were women.
During a period lasting around 18 months, trainees familiarize themselves with different areas of the company in Germany and abroad. They take on challenging project assignments in various business areas. The trainees are supported by experienced managers. The program is supplemented by innovative learning elements and events. In addition, our Start up! Trainees also pursue their own initiatives including social & sustainability projects within the context of the Magenta Friday (project day).

We work with BAGSO (the German National Association of Senior Citizens’ Organizations) to promote media literacy among seniors. As a partner, we sponsor the Goldener Internetpreis (Golden Internet Award). The award recognizes people over the age of 60 who use the internet skillfully and help others to get started in the online world. The next award ceremony is planned for November 2019.
In 2018, we once again took part in Deutscher Seniorentag (Germany’s Day for Seniors), showcasing products and services aimed at people aged 65 years and over. These included mobile telecommunications, fixed-line and MagentaEINS offerings, apps for seniors, and security products by Magenta SmartHome. Visitors to our booth had the chance to use a variety of services. For example, we had two technicians available to set up mobile devices and answer technical questions. As an advisory board member, we are also involved in Digital-Kompass (Digital Compass), a joint project by BAGSO and DsiN. Digital-Kompass uses materials and regular meetings on digital issues to support internet guides who help seniors get online and explore the internet. A total of 75 Digital-Kompass locations are also being set up across Germany.

The Deutschland sicher im Netz e.V. (DsiN – Making Germany Safe on the Net) association has served as a central point of contact for consumers and small businesses interested in the topics of IT security and data privacy for twelve years now. As a member of the association, we are committed to working with other companies and organizations on projects such as the “IT-Sicherheit@Mittelstand” (IT security for SMEs) series of workshops, the “Digitale Sicherheit” (Digital Safety) campaign network, and “Digital-Kompass” (Digital Compass). We are also contributing to the “Sicherheitsbarometer” app (Safety Barometer – SiBa app) for digital self-protection.
Furthermore, we are supporting the project “Digitale Nachbarschaft” (DsiN, Digital Neighborhood). This trains people as volunteer IT ambassadors who will pass on their knowledge and expertise to neighbors and colleagues.
As a member of the “Security, protection, and trust for society and business” platform, which is part of Germany’s national Digital Summit, we worked with the DsiN to develop a new educational tool for artificial intelligence. KInsights! is an interactive showroom that offers an insight into the latest AI technologies. The tool was unveiled to the public by Prof. Günter Krings, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Community, at the Digital Summit on December 4, 2018.

For the third year in a row, the Corona crisis has had a massive impact on the world of work. In addition, society faces other challenges: the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022 has made the world more uncertain, and the energy crisis, supply shortages and inflation are felt by everyone in their daily lives. These changes affect all areas of life and move people to want to make the world a better place. Candidates not only want a secure job, but also a sense of purpose in their work, self-fulfillment, continuous development and a contribution to society and the environment.

That is why we have redefined our employer brand in order to attract talented people to Telekom in the face of the known shortage of skilled workers and to convince them to follow their future path with us. For us, there is no specific destination at the end of the journey, but it is a journey that enables talents to realize their ambitions and grow together with us. With a global network of experts, our employees are part of the ever-evolving digital transformation, driving sustainable change and their skills. We call it Growthtopia. The times we live in demand that we express our shared values and that we stand together in the struggle for fairness and equal treatment. With target group-specific messages, authentic communication and the hashtag #QuestionTodayCreateTomorrow, we show what change means to us and what opportunities talents can discover at Deutsche Telekom.

Since the the Computerhilfe Plus service launch in 2016, the demand for support in matters related to digital security has continued to grow. That’s why we introduced the Digital Schutzpaket (Digital Protection Package) in 2018 and added the Digital Schutzpaket Business (Business Digital Protection Package) to this product at the end of 2019. The Digital Protection Package combines all relevant security services in one product and offers a central point of contact for all topics related to home networks and Wi-Fi, internet, and social media. A service number provides access to Deutsche Telekom experts for support on protecting the home network from external attacks, or help on the secure use of the internet, social networks, and passwords. In the event of data loss, we look after recovering files where possible. Other service components include financial protection from fraudulent use of bank details, fraud in private online trading, and protection and effective countermeasures against cyberbullying or insults on the internet. For business customers, reputation protection is also included, which supports the deletion of unstable negative ratings and provides tips on maintaining online reputation. ID-Alarm helps customers protect their digital identity and alerts them when stolen login data is found.

With our global data privacy organization, we are constantly working to provide a transparent and high level of data privacy in all our companies. As far as legally possible, the companies of the Deutsche Telekom Group have also committed themselves to the Binding Corporate Rules Privacy (BCRP), which are intended to ensure a uniformly high level of data privacy for our products and services. Violations of behavioral requirements, legal provisions, internal guidelines (such as the Binding Corporate Rules Privacy BCRP) and regulations can have serious consequences not only for individuals personally, but also for Deutsche Telekom. Therefore, on the basis of the Deutsche Telekom Code of Conduct, reproachable deliberate misconduct will not be tolerated. Deutsche Telekom sanctions such misconduct and violations consistently and without exception within the framework of the legal provisions, without taking into account the rank and position of the acting and affected person.

Our Start up! trainee program above all targets graduates with an interest in Technology and IT who are motivated to shape the world of tomorrow with an entrepreneurial spirit and open to new challenges. With the aim to reach talented candidates outside of Germany, the application process has been held in English since 2017. As a result, we have been able to increase the share of international participants in 2021: 41 percent of trainees come from different countries around the globe. In the reporting period, a total of 39 BA/MA graduates embarked on the trainee program, 49 percent of whom were women.
During a period lasting around 18 months, trainees familiarize themselves with different areas of the company in Germany and abroad. They take on challenging project assignments in various business areas. The trainees are supported by experienced managers. The program is supplemented by innovative training formats and events. In addition, our Start up! trainees also pursue their own initiatives including social and sustainability projects within the context of the Magenta Friday (project day).

With the internal policy “Binding Corporate Rules Privacy (BCRP)”, the Deutsche Telekom Group is creating a standardized and high level of data privacy worldwide, applicable to the processing of personal data. Any breaches of rules, legal obligations, or of internal policies (like the Binding Corporate Rules Privacy BCRP) and regulations may have serious consequences not only for the individuals committing them, but also for Deutsche Telekom. Therefore based on the “Code of Conduct of Deutsche Telekom, deliberate misconduct will not be tolerated. Without any exception, Deutsche Telekom will severely sanction any such misconduct or violation against legal provisions. In doing so Deutsche Telekom will take no account of the employee’s rank or position within the company.

In a joint project Deutsche Telekom Stiftung and German Reading Foundation aim to awaken children´s interest in math and science and improve their language and reading skills by reading aloud to them. Appropriate reading materials (books, apps, e-books) are read aloud by volunteer readers to kids aged three to ten in kindergartens, primary schools and libraries. By late 2020, a total of around 3,300 volunteers engaged as volunteer readers in Germany and abroad– including 110 Deutsche Telekom employees (as of November 2020).

Top-level management plays a key role in the business success of a company. If managers at that level leave the company, their position must be filled in a timely manner, with a qualified candidate. Since 2017, we have a global systematic succession management process, which obligates around 1,700 managers in executive positions to be involved in succession planning. The process helps these managers to decide who could serve as their direct successor and who has the potential to take on their role in the mid-term. A digital platform helps executives with the nomination process.
In 2020, 4,400 potential candidates (DT internal and external, 25 percent of which were female professionals) were evaluated at special succession meetings. Successors get full transparency about the positions they are nominated to and their readiness to take on the role. This nomination and feedbackprocess is a valuable intrument to identify in a timely manner highly qualified successionb candidates in order to minimize the risk of any placement gaps. Furthermore Succession Management supports the internal mobility of executives within Deutsche Telekom.

In 2020 we closed the Global Talent Pool of 2019 and were working on a new concept of talent management, which is launched in the fall of 2020. The new concept focuses on identification, validation and long-term development of talents with the aim of placing them into strategically critical roles. In this new concept we allow leadership to identify employees with potential but also employees can raise their hands to be assessed. Employees go through a validation process of personality assessment and structured interviews, upon which leadership selects the future members of the hub – best matching role requirements. In the hub they will have a personal advisor brokering them to opportunities in line with their potential and targeted critical role. Our Board members are patrons and a broad group of business leaders serve as business sponsors of the hub. They mentor, make talents visible and open doors for them.  In the hub we will work on the development of members on the long-term, over multiple career steps.

There are 5,500 different job descriptions at Deutsche Telekom in Germany alone. As digitalization progresses, many of them no longer match the tasks and skills now required.
The skillsUP! program launched in 2018 aims to cut the number of job profiles to less than 1,000 and adapt them so that they last for the next three to five years. However, skillsUP! involves more than just modernizing job profiles. The new, up-to-date job descriptions are linked to the Group’s skills management so as to ensure holistic, integrated HR planning, make it easier to identify possible gaps in required skills, initiate training measures, or advertise new jobs. Deutsche Telekom is the first large German company to have such a mechanism. skillsUP! is the Group-wide implementation of several pilot projects that have been conducted since 2016.

After being enacted in May 2016, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has had a binding effect since May 25, 2018. Deutsche Telekom implemented the requirements contained therein in a three-stage, EU-wide project:

• Preparation: Group Privacy drew up a set of standardized rules, known as Binding Interpretations, that apply to the entire Group. They were developed in collaboration with the national companies. The Binding Interpretations include specific recommendations and best practice examples to implement the EU regulation.
• Implementation: From January 2017 to May 25, 2018, the new requirements based on the Binding Interpretations were introduced throughout the Group. This involved checking and, where necessary, adjusting all the IT systems. All employees were made aware of the General Data Protection Regulation, and more than 10,000 experts received intensive training.
• Evaluation: The implementation period was followed by a review phase during which all affected Group entities were asked whether they had put all relevant requirements into action. In addition to this, GDPR compliance was randomly inspected at 28 companies.