"No age, no gender, no social status, nor nationality should be excluded from the benefits which are provided to all the depositors of the Savings Bank.”
Erste Founding Document - 1819
We believe in the uniqueness of every human being. Together, we create prosperity and equal opportunities for our customers, employees and society.
Diversity Leader Award
We are proud to be ranked 1st in Austria and 2nd in Europe as a Diversity Leader among 850 international companies this year.
Since 2019, the Financial Times has gathered the opinions of more than 100,000 employees across Europe. It uses this to compile the FT Statista ranking of companies that can be considered Europe's Diversity Leaders.
We are proud to be ranked 1st in Austria and 2nd in Europe as a Diversity Leader among 850 international companies this year.
Since 2019, the Financial Times has gathered the opinions of more than 100,000 employees across Europe. It uses this to compile the FT Statista ranking of companies that can be considered Europe's Diversity Leaders.
70 per cent of a company's final result is based on employee appraisals. 30 per cent comes from three other indicators:
- The proportion of women in management positions (e.g. management boards, executive boards, supervisory boards)
- Communication in favour of diversity (e.g. diversity policy, diversity page on the company website, social media, organised campaigns to promote diversity)
- The diversity score calculated by the data provider Denominator on a scale from zero to 100
Three areas we are focusing on
Why women are important to us
More than 67% of our employees across the group are female, and our female customers are increasingly interested in their financial opportunities. We have decided to promote women—whether customers or employees. We are a bank for everyone and aim for a balanced gender distribution at all management levels in the long term. We see it as our mission to strengthen the financial knowledge of women in our region so that they can shape their lives on their own terms.
Why people with disabilities are important to us
As a bank for all people, we see it as our responsibility to provide employees and customers with disabilities the opportunities they need. We are committed to offering our products and services as barrier-free as possible in the future. At the same time, we are ambitiously working towards an inclusive and encouraging corporate culture, where people are in the center.
Why queer people are important to us
Queer people deserve the same acceptance and equality as non-queer people. As a bank for everyone, it is particularly important to us to stand up for queer people and raise awareness against discrimination. We advocate for a society that respects all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Women
We promote women and offer them opportunities to grow and realize their full potential. Our long-term goal is to achieve equal opportunities in career paths and an equal pay for women and men.
Our goals by 2028
30%
underrepresented gender in all local boards and in Erste Group Bank AG.
33%
underrepresented gender at the divisional management level (Board-1) in all local banks and Erste Group Bank AG.
Erste Women’s Hub
People with disabilities
Disabilities are a part of human life and most often occur over the course of a lifetime. About 3% of all disabilities are present from birth. However, around 80% of disabilities are invisible.
As Erste Group, we are committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities and encourage our colleagues to be open about it.
We foster an inclusive corporate culture. This ensures that all employees have equal opportunities in their professional lives. No one is left behind.
As an employer, we value the individual strengths and abilities of all employees, regardless of physical, psychological, or intellectual disabilities.
We are convinced that barrier-free access benefits everyone.
We are working intensively to offer all our products and services across the group as barrier-free as possible, to be accessible to all customers in different life situations.
To the top of the world with a handbike
At the age of 17, Benjamin Hundsbichler had a serious skiing accident. Despite his paraplegia, he decided to celebrate sporting successes and participate in the Handbike World Championships and the Summer Paralympics.
Erste Ability
Queer people
Everyone should have the freedom to choose their gender and partners without fearing consequences. Therefore, we advocate for a corporate culture and society that accepts and respects all realities of queer people.
Queer people are more frequently discriminated against
People who are part of the LGBTQIA* community face discrimination worldwide. Whether in daily life, at work, or regarding health issues, they must always be prepared to be disadvantaged, experience exclusion, or even be subjected to physical or verbal violence.
Even in Europe, the numbers are still alarming:
36%
Surveyed LGBTQIA* individuals reported experiencing discrimination in at least one area of life in the past 12 months.
30%
One in three trans people report experiencing discrimination in the workplace.
53%
More than half of the respondents stated that prejudice and intolerance have increased in the last 5 years.
Official Partner of Vienna Pride
Florian is committed to the queer community in the countryside. In a small mountain village in Salzburg, he organized the first Pride in Unken in 2021, which also gave rise to his association Heublumen.
Kai is our employee and a trans man. With his story, he wants to encourage others to follow their path and believe in themselves. We are proud that Kai is with us today and can be the person he has always wanted to be.