SAP: Only half of employees trust management

According to a report by Handelsblatt, SAP's top management is losing the trust of the workforce. An internal survey from April reportedly showed that only 54 percent of respondents trust the company's management – five percentage points less than in the survey six months prior. Trust in the company's ability to implement its strategy has also fallen to 63 percent – seven percentage points less. Only 62 percent (minus eight percentage points) are enthusiastic about the software manufacturer's future.

According to the Handelsblatt report, SAP employees rate their direct supervisors much more positively: the corresponding “Leadership Index” is at 86 percent. SAP collects employee sentiment twice a year under the name “#Unfiltered”. This also derives the employee engagement index, which influences executive compensation as a key figure. According to Handelsblatt, the engagement index value is currently 73 percent.

SAP also makes this value public as part of its reporting, and a downward trend can be observed over the years. In 2020, the figure was still 86 percent. 73 percent is the lowest value to date. The lack of trust in the management by the workforce has repeatedly surfaced in previous years – according to Wirtschaftswoche, the figure was 56 percent in 2024, a decrease of 12 percent at the time. A major job-cutting program, a stricter home office policy, and a performance review program that CEO Christian Klein had imposed on his company likely fueled the discontent in recent years.

A strong foundation?

SAP declined to comment on the specific figures when asked by the iX editorial team. A spokesperson stated that the results “confirm a strong foundation,” including high trust within teams and towards managers. At the same time, a weakening in engagement, trust in leadership and strategy implementation, and less enthusiasm for SAP's future is evident. They intend to address the open feedback with targeted measures. However, it remained unclear what these would be.

An internal email from HR Director Gina Vargiu-Breuer, quoted by Handelsblatt, is more specific: based on the feedback, she intends to revise the payment system, further prioritize training in artificial intelligence, and management will provide more transparent information on the implementation of the new strategy.

Furthermore, the SAP spokesperson pointed out that the internal survey took place before the Sapphire trade fair. “The very successful event” had already generated noticeably positive momentum throughout the company. At Sapphire, SAP presented, among other things, its vision of the autonomous company, where AI-powered assistants work hand-in-hand with regular staff. So far, however, SAP's AI strategy seems to be only partially resonating with customers.

(axk)