Communication is a central element of corporate management and makes a major contribution to our value added. The “Bosch-Zünder” in-house newspaper is a key pillar of our worldwide internal communication. The Bosch Group’s newspaper for associates, which was founded in 1919, is published in a print-run of 180,000, in nine languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Japanese, Chinese, and – since the start of 2008 – Turkish. In 2008, the Bosch-Zünder was singled out by the German Public Relations Society for the fourth year running as Germany’s best in-house newspaper.
At the same time, we are driving forward the expansion of rapid electronic communication. Our intranet has been developed further. Now known as the “Bosch Global Net,” it has a standardized navigation structure worldwide, and responsibility for ensuring that the information it contains is correct and up to date has been clearly defined. All this allows information to be retrieved rapidly. Our executives play a key role in communication. We want to keep them especially well furnished with information specifically for their needs, as well as to support them in their own communication tasks. For our senior executives, therefore, we have set up a closed user group in our intranet, where this target group can access all the latest information that is relevant for their work. In addition, in order to intensify dialogue with our executives, we regularly organize telephone conferences.
Soliciting associates’ views
Published six times a year in a print run of 175,000, the Bosch-Zünder keeps our associates informed of the Group’s development. An international reader survey was conducted in 2006. The results showed that 84 percent of readers find the Bosch-Zünder informative and 75 percent of those questioned were also impressed with the clarity of its language and structure, and with its design. However, readers called for more critical reports in both the associate newspaper and the intranet. In 2008, the Bosch-Zünder was singled out by the German Public Relations Society for the fourth year running as Germany’s best in-house newspaper.
Bosch launched its international associate survey in 2005. It is conducted every two years. In 2007, some 223,000 associates were asked to give their opinion on a range of topics, including the quality of management, conditions at the workplace, opportunities for career development, and the company's image. The response rate of 83 percent, slightly higher than the figure for 2005, is an indicator of how well accepted the associate survey is.
Acting on the results
As in 2005, 70 percent of associates believe that Bosch has a good public reputation, and 69 percent are proud to work for the company. However, overall associate satisfaction dropped by 0.2 points as compared to 2005. It may not be much, but it is a valuable pointer for us.
