ORS Annual Report 2020 English

‘I believe in flexible working
conditions that allow women
better access to managerial
positions and enable them
to bring greater perspective
and diversity to our
decision-making
processes in these key
roles.’
Dear Readers,
I am delighted to have been asked to introduce the 2020 Annual Report. This year, it focuses
on women, mothers, management roles and, above all, the female members of the ORS
team. Gender equality and respect are the cornerstones of our diverse organisation, and
we expect an equal balance of power between men and women at all levels and in all roles.
More women in managerial positions
Being the only woman on the Group management team, as I am at present, is not always
easy. While it does not tend to take us long to reach a consensus where goals and commitment
are concerned, we women often have a different approach to achieving those goals.
The discussions surrounding this and the different perspectives are what makes our work
so interesting – we tend to weigh up more options and consider more diverse possibilities
in our teams where there is a balanced mix of men and women. We are more productive
when we work together.
Our goal is for half of all managerial positions to be filled by women by 2025. We are still
some way off. In 2020, women made up around 37% of ORS Group employees and 42% of
managers were female.
ORS’s journey through the year of coronavirus
In common with everyone, regardless of organisation or circumstances, our experience
of 2020 was very much dominated by coronavirus. Our colleagues went above and beyond
when it came to implementing all the required measures and contingencies. I am proud to
see that, one year on, everyone is still very much on the ball and committed to providing the
best support, day after day, for those living in our accommodation facilities.
Despite explanatory videos and other multilingual information materials for the residents,
an active crisis team and extensive hygiene and protection measures, we were unable to
keep COVID-19 out of our facilities. May 2020 proved particularly challenging when a mass
outbreak took hold in the Sankt Augustin central refugee facility (ZUE) in Germany, which
required the mobilisation of assistance from all areas of the Group. Thankfully, we managed
to get the situation under control and learned valuable lessons from the experience.
2020 also proved very eventful in other areas aside from coronavirus. In Switzerland, we
started work on our major mandates in the canton of Bern. These involve providing support
for refugees, from accommodation to integration in the job market, and running repatriation
centres. In Italy, we were able to stabilise our mandates on Sardinia – something
we certainly had not taken for granted given the difficult security situation. In Germany,
we began work in a new district in Baden-Württemberg with the opening of two reception
facilities in Karlsruhe. In contrast, we have to report a significant downturn in Austria. Following
the decision to nationalise responsibilities for refugees, we handed over our services
to the state-run agency at the end of November and, after nine years, had to discontinue
over 90% of our activities.
Our Annual Report – this year in the capable hands of women
In this year’s Annual Report, you can learn about our mindset and methods from a woman’s
perspective and gain insight into a world in which we work day in, day out to provide the
individuals in our care with the best quality support and integration.
Carolin Wälz-Fabregon
Managing Director, ORS Deutschland GmbH
Member of the Group management team
Mother of two
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