Demographic Project Logistics

REWE Logistics is especially affected by demographic developments. The average age of the employees at REWE Logistics is very high today, having reached about 42. This tendency is exacerbated by the very low fluctuation rate at REWE Logistics, which would otherwise promote the natural replacement of employees by younger workers. Internal calculations show that the average age of the REWE Logistics workforce in 2018 will be above 48. Simultaneously, the logistics sector must deal with reduced performance and increased absenteeism as the age of the workforce rises - a consequence of the fact that many of the activities in this area involve heavy physical labour and, in part, very poor ergonomics.

In the middle of 2008, REWE Group created the Demographic Project Logistics with the aim of securing the competitiveness of the logistics sites in the future in view of the ageing workforce and of adjusting the personnel instruments to the demographic changes. At this time, 86 work groups are working on various demographic topics under the umbrella of this pilot project. Moreover, the demographic transformation is the subject of intense interest at the national level as well, and the activities of the work groups are supported. The work groups have come up with widely diversified and impressive results, some of which have already been realised in practice.

For example, besides a general training campaign in the field of HR management and recruiting, school sponsorships have been established and internships for school students have been set up. It has also been possible to optimise working conditions; one measure has been the introduction of job rotation programmes to reduce uneven distribution of workloads. In addition, modified and future-oriented working hour models are aimed at easing workloads and reducing overtime. Numerous measures with a focus on ergonomic design of workplaces have been initiated in the field of technology as well for the repair, optimisation and overhauling of current equipment. Stop smoking courses, fitness services and preventive care courses as well as an initiative for the support of good nutrition in the canteen are offered to encourage good health practices. Moreover, a wide-area workplace programme has been implemented for workers doing the picking; they are shown right at their workplaces how they can act in greater awareness of good health.

REWE Logistics has already achieved much. However, it will be important now to implement active and sustained demographic management for the long term so that the challenges of the future can be mastered.