Attractive workplace

We are committed to creating a working environment that attracts, nurtures and retains talent over the long term. Key elements of employee retention include an appreciative corporate and management culture as well as a wide range of training and development opportunities. In addition, modern and flexible employment conditions, such as workplace design and contemporary working practices and models are offered.

Our objective

Galenica aims to create a working environment that inspires, nurtures and retains employees over the long term.

Our management approach

People & Culture is responsible for organising and designing an attractive workplace at Galenica. In 2023, the Chief People & Culture joined the Executive Committee, which also strengthened the topic strategically. Implementation is carried out by the entire leadership team in accordance with Galenica’s “Servant Leadership” management culture. The Galenica Group’s personnel policy is based on the corporate values and defines mandatory guidelines for group-wide human resources management. The key elements of a modern and appreciative working environment in terms of dealing with employees and expectations of their conduct are embedded in the Code of Conduct. In addition, the Personnel and Working Time Regulations govern important aspects such as working hours, salary and personnel insurance. In order to promote work-life balance, Galenica offers flexible working time models, part-time work and work-from-home options, as well as extended parental leave arrangements that go beyond the statutory requirements. Galenica is not subject to collective bargaining agreements, but offers all employees fair and attractive employment conditions.

People & Culture is an important partner for transformation and cultural development within the organisation. Its focal points include advice and coaching for managers, promoting young talent, targeted and sustainable personnel development, establishing services relating to occupational health and promoting an inclusive corporate culture. Positioning Galenica as an attractive and modern employer (employer of choice) is critical in the context of the shortage of skilled workers as well as in terms of attracting young talents. Other relevant topics include the promotion and use of new working forms and methods as well as efficiency gains through the digitalisation of HR processes. After all, an attractive working environment is important for retaining existing employees.

Appreciative corporate culture

A well-established, appreciative corporate culture is key for Galenica in order to promote collaboration, trust and direction in day-to-day work. The three key values – We delight our customers, We act as entrepreneurs and We build trust – form the basis for a common understanding of how employees interact and work together.

To anchor this culture in day-to-day life and strengthen dialogue, Galenica relies on a variety of communication platforms. Personal, direct dialogue between employees from all language regions and nations is actively promoted through physical and digital formats such as information events, management meetings and the G-Net intranet. Additionally, the digital employee magazine “Spot” is published, which can also be accessed externally and gives partners and family members an insight into the world of Galenica. During the “Discover Galenica” induction day, new employees also gain a comprehensive insight into the history, culture and strategy of the Galenica Group and its companies.

Another expression of our dialogue-oriented corporate culture are the staff committees, which serve as important points of contact for employees to submit their concerns. They facilitate dialogue with the Executive Committee on topics of general interest and are consulted on relevant personnel issues. The works committee, consisting of the presidents of all staff committees, meets twice a year with the Chief People & Culture – if necessary, also with other members of the Executive Committee to discuss overarching issues and incorporate the employee perspective into strategic decisions.

Key personnel figures, such as employee turnover, are collected and analysed across the Group on a monthly basis.

“Opinio” employee survey

The “Opinio” employee survey is a permanent fixture at Galenica. Since 2020, it has been carried out annually rather than just every three years, and has been online since 2023. This enables us to respond more quickly and in a more targeted manner to changes in employee satisfaction and motivation. For example, in the aftermath of the 2024 survey, several measures were implemented over the course of the 2025 financial year, particularly at divisional and team level. Examples include transferring more personal responsibility to logistics employees through appropriate measures such as lean training at Galexis, the targeted use of MS Teams within pharmacy teams and holding various workshops on servant leadership and key skills.

For the 2025 “Opinio”, 82%¹ of all employees took part in the survey, which corresponds to an increase in the response rate of 6 percentage points. The motivation score in the Galenica network has increased by 2 points compared to the previous year and stands at 78¹ out of a possible 100 points. This represents a very pleasing result. Another metric is the eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score (recommendation)). This stands at 27 points, which is significantly better than the previous year (20 points) and well above the average for the retail trade.

¹⁾ ► 2025 Data externally assured (limited assurance)

Regular performance reviews

At Galenica, discussions with employees are held not only once a year, but also at several points throughout the year as part of a “dialogue” process. All employees with permanent contracts not only receive structured feedback on their work and development prospects during these meetings, but also the opportunity to contribute their own ideas and goals. Continuing education and training plays a key role here – both in terms of individual development and in terms of strengthening competencies within the company. The discussions create space for mutual feedback, strengthen the relationship between managers and employees and contribute to motivation and long-term loyalty.

Recruitment strategy/retention of skilled workers

In Switzerland, the retention of qualified employees represents a major challenge, particularly in the healthcare professions and IT. In addition to the scarcity of employees, the requirements in terms of training and skills are constantly increasing. For Galenica, retaining specialist staff plays a key role, particularly in the Pharmacies unit, as pharmacies need to be managed by good, qualified staff. As the Swiss healthcare system becomes increasingly digitalised, Galenica is becoming more dependent on IT and e-commerce professionals.

Recruitment activities have been centralised across the Group since 2023. In addition to positioning itself as a versatile and modern employer, the increased presence on social media also strengthens access to talented young people.

The promotion and retention of employees within the company as well as the recruitment of skilled workers outside the company are therefore essential. This also enables Galenica to contribute to sustainable labour and economic growth in Switzerland. The key instrument for meeting these challenges is the recruitment strategy. This includes measures relating to the company’s image as an employer, its positioning and university marketing for students.

Galenica primarily aims to establish contact with pharmacy students while they are still at university and encourage them to pursue a career within the Galenica Group.

In the reporting year, cooperation with the Universities of Bern, Geneva, Basel and Zurich and the ETH was further expanded. The assistant year programme has been optimised both in terms of content and through more attractive employment conditions.

For the target group of IT specialists, the recruitment and search methodology has been further developed in line with this specific target group. This included the expansion of the social media channel LinkedIn and the targeted development of recruiting skills in the area of active sourcing. As a result, several positions were successfully filled through direct contact with internal specialists, which resulted in significantly shorter filling times.

The key metric in connection with recruitment is “time-to-hire”. Data on this is collected monthly in order to check the implementation of the recruitment strategy and the achievement of objectives.

In 2025, the average time to hire across the Group was 63 days (previous year: 89 days) – a reduction of 29%. In the Pharmacies Sales division, the time-to-hire was reduced by 3% compared with the base year of 2023 to an average of 61 days.

Employer image

By defining an employer promise, we strengthened our positioning as an attractive employer in the reporting year. This helps us attract and retain the best talents in the healthcare market and beyond. It is based on the Galenica Story, the needs of the target groups and the perception of existing employees. Together, these elements form the foundation of our employer brand.

Promoting employee knowledge and exchange

The continuous development of employees is a key component of Galenica’s corporate culture. With the group-wide “Move” personnel development programme, Galenica strategically promotes specialist skills, leadership qualities and personal development. The “Move” seminars are predominantly designed and conducted by internal employees. This strengthens internal expertise, promotes the exchange of knowledge and offers valuable job enrichment through active participation. In 2025, Galenica conducted 47 modules with 634 employees.

Galenica also offers talent management programmes across the Group and at all levels.

• “Explore Galenica”: Talented individuals at employee level are given the opportunity to develop personally and professionally, get to know the Galenica Group better and expand their network. In 2025, 12 employees took part in the programme.
• The “Expert Galenica” talent management programme is for employees at management level and managing directors. The participants design their own personal course of development and are supported by individual workshops along their learning path. In 2025, 22 employees took part in the “Expert Galenica” talent management programme.
• The “Executive Galenica” talent programme, aimed at members of the Senior Management, was also launched for the first time in 2025. Participants benefit from personal and professional development facilitated by external coaches or training partners. The participants engage in project work to develop strategically relevant business cases. This programme is another important addition to our medium-to long-term internal succession planning.

“Pharmacies” training and development

The creation of the “Pharmacies Academy” in the reporting year marked a major step towards providing centralised continuing education and training opportunities for pharmacy employees. This offer will be available from 2025 on the e-progress learning platform and is supported by revised and harmonised processes. In future, training priorities will be aligned with Galenica’s strategic objectives in collaboration with stakeholders.

The following training and education programmes are key to the development and retention of specialist staff in pharmacies:

• CAS in management: In collaboration with the University of Basel, Galenica offers a degree programme in operational management. 17 employees successfully completed this course in 2025.
• FPH Retail Pharmacy: This further training is required by law for pharmacists who manage a pharmacy. Galenica covers the costs and promotes participation. 105 employees completed the course in 2025.
• FPH patient history in primary care: This further training strengthens participants’ ability to diagnose simple diseases and dispense prescription medications. 750 pharmacists earned this certificate of competence in 2025.
• Other programmes: These include the FPH certificate in vaccinations, training on rapid antigen tests and an e-learning module on the use of software in primary care. In 2025, 899 employees held the certificate of proficiency in vaccination.

Galenica also supports employees with external training by giving them financial aid and/or allowing them the time, provided that the training is related to their current role and offers added value for the company.

Training and education

In total, Galenica invested around CHF 5.9 million in employee training in the reporting year.

Training apprentices

Galenica is heavily committed to young talents: in 2025, the Group trained 966 apprentices – 854 young women and 112 young men – at its companies. Of these, 327 completed their apprenticeships, many with flying colours. Having qualified, 219 apprentices have since become Group employees.

Introduction of a new trainee programme

Galenica has been offering a trainee programme for talented young individuals since 2025. The trainee programme offers university graduates a route into the corporate world and thus the opportunity to get to know Galenica from a variety of perspectives. In the process, they purposefully prepare themselves to develop for future key roles. Over the course of twelve months, eight trainees work in two exciting departments, develop on a personal level and network across the Group. In this way, we sustainably promote talented young people and recruit them for Galenica in the long term.

Employee profit-sharing programme

Galenica shares the success of the company with all employees. The bonus is calculated based on the Group result compared with the previous year. Every year, employees of Galenica living in Switzerland have the opportunity to purchase between 20 and 80 Galenica shares at a preferential price, regardless of their employment level. In 2025, 18.0% of employees participated in the programme (previous year: 15.0%). These shares are blocked for three years after the date of purchase.

Members of the Senior Management (SMT) and Management (MT) receive a profit-sharing bonus pro rata to the annual bonus. This is dependent on attaining quantitative and qualitative targets. The share-based remuneration programme LTI (see Remuneration report) for members of the Executive Committee and certain members of the SMT is geared towards long-term performance, whereby remuneration is withheld for a period of three years. Since 2023, Galenica has had joint bonus-related goals for the Executive Committee, members of the Senior Management and Management. As well as financial targets, these also relate to customer and employee satisfaction and are intended to strengthen the concept of networking and the focus on social objectives.

Employment

Galenica continued to grow in 2025. At the end of 2025, the Galenica Group had 8,427 employees, an increase of 5.7% on the previous year. The growth can be explained, among other things, by the acquisition of the Labor Team group. All employees work in Switzerland, which we regard as one region. The data is exported and consolidated from the various personnel management systems. The workforce of the Galenica Group does not undergo significant seasonal fluctuations.

The proportion of women is around 75% and has remained relatively constant over the past five years. 44% of employees work part time, i.e. with a workload below 90%. The proportion of part-time employees has remained stable. The proportion of managers (management and senior management level) among all employees increased slightly in 2025 to 10%. From 2020 to 2025, the proportion of female managers rose from 51% to 55%. Employee turnover at Galenica was 12.7% in 2025, up by close to 2% points on the previous year. The turnover rate of 12.7% refers to resignations; taking into account retirements and cases of deaths, employee turnover stands at 13.4% for the 2025 financial year.

In addition to the company’s own employees, temporary employees are also recruited on an hourly basis if necessary, particularly in logistics and transport. These are sourced via partners and are under contract with them. More detailed information on temporary employees is not available as it is not recorded in all our personnel systems. There are seasonal fluctuations during the reporting year, with temporary employees being particularly in demand prior to the Christmas trading period. Most of the business activities are carried out by employees of the Galenica Group.

Galenica does not provide a breakdown of newly hired employees by region. Furthermore, due to the different personnel systems, there is no breakdown of employee turnover by age group, gender or region.