Responsibility

Our teams work across ten locations in four countries and are characterised by the scientific and biographical origins, the perspectives and the life plans of their members. We believe this makes us richer. Our mission combines the values that we enact in the company and those we want to live by.

An inclusive corporate culture is just as important to us as being open to change and new perspectives. We have representatives who support these developments in the specific areas of the General Equal Treatment Act, women and equality, as well as disability and we have an active worker’s council. These are valued contact persons for company management and represent all our employees, including those in locations where there is no legal requirement for such a provision.

There are also other points of call for our employees in need of support, such as our psychological first aiders, and the PME family service for help with questions of compatibility or the help centre for incidents of hate on the internet.

As an employer we accept responsibility. We design our processes and working environments in a resource efficient way and look after the welfare of our employees. Through proactive and proportionate company management we are able to create future-proof employment. Self-efficacy and initiative are rewarded. And when colleagues take the initiative, we make space for it and actively support them – for environmentally conscious jobs, for the future of our company, or for the economy, society and democracy – for each other. 

We are publicly committed to our social, ecological and economical responsibility. Prognos has been a member of the Baden-Württemberg Sustainability Business Initiative (WIN) since 2017. With the WIN-Charter label we commit to transparency concerning our sustainability activities. The latest sustainability report was published in the summer of 2023. 

Prognos WIN-Charter Sustainability Report 2021/2022 (PDF in German)

Our commitment to democracy and an open society comprises four elements:

1. A clear and lasting commitment by the company and its management. 

   We regularly show our colours for democracy – both externally and internally. We occasionally support third-party campaigns or appeals to maintain or strengthen democracy, a focus on facts, and an open society. We actively encourage our employees and partners to participate in democratic elections.

2. Entrepreneurial decisions and duty of care as an employer. 

   Prognos does not accept any assignments from anti-democratic, anti-scientific or anti-human actors. In case of doubt, the management provides clear guidance and decides accordingly – even if this means lost contracts. We stand behind our colleagues: No one who does not want to do so has to appear or discuss publicly with extremists in a professional context. There is zero tolerance for hate and agitation (online) towards our employees – and, if necessary, support from the employer.

3. Volunteering.

   Prognos is actively committed to preserving liberal democracy and devotes significant resources to this, for example in the form of working hours, donated expertise and advice, pro bono studies or financial support. Our current partners are #UseTheNews, Zweitzeugen, Business Council for Democracy (BC4D) and Berliner Demokratietag. Employees can suggest further initiatives.

4. Empowering employees and teams.

   “We live diversity” and “We value each other” are central statements in our corporate mission. They are both aspiration and lived practice. To ensure that living and working in a diverse environment is a success, we as a company create the best possible conditions, for example, by offering additional services and points of contact in addition to comprehensive training on the topic of unconscious bias. In addition, employees can take part in Zweitzeugen workshops to actively position themselves as ambassadors against anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination. Employees who encounter highly polarised discussion groups in the course of their research and consulting projects can take advantage of support services offered by the company – such as resilience or discussion training for dealing with conspiracy myths or disinformation (internal training and services offered by the Business Council for Democracy).

The foundations for our strict scientific criteria and politically independent way of working have been the centrepiece of our work since the company was established in 1959. 

Our AI-charter gives us orientation for the use of AI-based or AI-supported tools. When we use AI, we maintain our existing standards of quality, science and workmanship.

Prognos is a member of various organisations and associations committed to the future and quality of research and project work. Among them are e.g., Deutsche Gesellschaft für Evaluation (DeGEval) or the ICA World – International Consulting Alliance.

We also have colleagues who are active in various cooperations. Many of them, alongside their jobs, take on more societal responsibility – for example, as members on university boards, as committee members in research networks, in charitable foundations or on the appointed board of trustees of a Fraunhofer Institute. Numerous employees are also involved in alumni or other academic networks.

The independent association FREUNDESKREIS Prognos, started by former employees, is dedicated to the professional and personal dialogue between current and former employees. Among other things, FREUNDESKREIS honours exceptional projects with the “Prognos Freundespreis” in three categories, innovation, young professionals and lighthouse projects.