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Deutsche Post Develops an Initiative to Help Refugees Integrate in German Society

The Group integrates Social Initiatives to their Business Strategy to Increase Refugee Participation in German Employment Market

June 22nd, 2016
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More than 13 000 employees of Deutsche Post DHL Group are actively engaged in refugee assistance in Germany. Through their voluntary support and dedication, 150 refugees could receive professional training in order to assimilate better to the German job market, while another 50 were employed on a full time basis.

For several years the corporation has been engaged in improving prospects in education and vocation, as well as in the prevention of environmental catastrophes. Furthermore, the group maintains an internal “Living Responsibility Fund” that sponsors its employees engaging in volunteer work outside the office.

On the occasion of Refugee Day in June 2016, Deutsche Post DHL Group, the largest logistic cooperation in Germany, looks back on their engagement in the refugee assistance program in Germany. Together with their parners SOS Kinderdorf, Teach First Deutschland, Stiftung Lesen and Aktion Deutschland Hilft, the initiative “ Connect people, improve lives” has been pushed forward. Thanks to the initiative, over 100 employees have been placed in ministries and administration positions to support the federal countries and municipalities also in bureaucratic tasks.

Nine months after the initiative started, already 100 coordinators were appointed for humanitarian questions in the company.The CRS concept of Deutsche Post focuses on strengthening employees’ social engagement and helping to integrate refugees into the job market.

So far, 150 internships and 50 full-time positions have been conveyed to refugees. Roughly 26 000 sqm landed property has been made accessible to municipalities for emergency accomodations or clothing stores. Christof Ehrhart, director of Press and CRS is proud that more than 13 000 employees of Deutsche Post DHL Group engage in refugee help in Germany and also involve in over 650 other projects next to their demanding profession.

The guiding principle of the company remains to “connect people, improve lives” which entails the arrangement of charity drives, assistant support with language aquirement, leisure time activities and bureaucracy work.

The corporation helps realizing these projects by having incorporated the “Living Responsibility Fund”, which helps financing all voluntary activities undertaken by its employees. The additional internal fund “We help each other” is deployed, when environmental catastrophes occur and other associates are in need of guidance and support. The donations are compiled by the employees themselves.

For several years, the Deutsche Post DHL Group has entailed an established infrastructure to promote social voluntary projects such as the 2015 Global Volunteer Day, in which more than 78 000 employees were involved in 2000 projects worldwide. In recognition of the vast social and voluntary activities the courier company received the renowned World Post and Parcel Award and the German Corporate Social Responsibility Price in June 2016.

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News from Berlin
Vanja Lukenic, Berlin Global