People at dpa: Figures, health and team spirit

During the 2025 reporting year, dpa contin­ued to strive to be an attractive employer to all current and future staff. A large proportion of the dpa workforce is covered by in-house collective agreements, which ensure fair and appropriate remuneration. As a family-friendly company, dpa is always seeking individual solutions to help employees balance family and career. The dpa group offers employees the opportunity to organise their working hours flexibly – at least where the nature of their work permits this. Flexible working time arrangements and individual part-time models also contribute to employees’ work-life balance.

As of the reporting date, October 31, 2025, the dpa group employs 1,204 staff across the group in Germany and abroad – excluding temporary staff and interns. The staff turnover rate sends a particularly encouraging signal:

It has fallen from 10.2% in 2024 to just 5.9% – a significant decline that points to stronger staff loyalty to the company. Nine women (38%) and 15 men (62%) were represented at the executive level, in the reporting year.

A group-wide Psychological Risk Assessment identified several potential areas for improvement. As a key project of the HR department, it spanned the years 2024 and 2025. It focused on four key areas: in the area of Communication & Feedback, clear agreements, regular dialogue and a constructive feedback culture are required – training opportunities are already available within the dpa editorial team. When it comes to Work Organisation & Collaboration, the teams are focusing on establishing binding agreements on communication channels, revising role definitions and developing respectful codes of conduct. In the area of Leadership & Responsibility, many employees would like more guidance and more transparent decision-making. When it comes to Workload, Rest & Self-management, clear break times, availability rules and stress prevention are helpful.

As part of the “Fear-free communication in the dpa group” project, it became clear that there is a certain tension between younger and older employees. A group-wide discussion event under the motto “Generations United – strong together” increased staff awareness about the issue and explored potential solutions.

dpa places particular emphasis on journalism training. The majority of trainees are offered permanent employment at dpa, following their traineeship. Numerous former trainees now hold management positions across the entire dpa group. The HR team continued the “dpa steps” management trainee programme in 2025.

In addition, every year dpa offers children aged between 10 and 15 the opportunity to gain first insights into media and journalism at the central editorial office in Berlin. At the annual Girls’ & Boys’ Day, dpa regularly deploys staff and organisational resources to convey a realistic picture of everyday journalistic work.

Massage services were also available at the Hamburg and Berlin offices during the reporting year. For acute stress situations, acute crisis intervention is provided via TÜV Nord.

The executive board and the editorial board, together with employee representatives, are committed to making dpa a good and fulfilling place to work for the employees. Often, even small things can have a big impact: A two-month pilot scheme, allowing staff to bring their dogs to work, was given the green light during the reporting year and began in spring 2026.