Siemens Healthineers is using employee feedback to strengthen support for international staff and update its recruitment process. In Germany, international employees make up about one in ten of the company’s more than 17,000 workers, and some have reported feeling insufficiently included in monthly surveys. The company launched Beyond Borders, an employee network, in January 2026 to help international hires navigate practical matters such as finding medical care, understanding insurance documents and arranging childcare. Nine months after launch, the network had 200 members. Retention and hiring efficiency are also operational priorities for the medical technology group, which employs 74,000 people worldwide.
Beyond Borders helps with practical challenges
Siemens Healthineers is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany. Liza Follert, the company’s head of talent attraction for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the network was created in response to employee feedback. The company has conducted regular employee surveys for eight years. Three years ago, it added an anonymous self-identification option, giving management more insight into which groups were less satisfied with their experience at work.
Follert said 80% of employees express agreement in the overall survey, but the company also needs to understand the experiences of the remaining 20% to identify where action may be needed. Beyond Borders is run as a peer-support network, with a focus on common challenges after relocating, including finding a doctor, making sense of insurance paperwork and arranging care for children.
Those needs reflect wider barriers faced by international workers in Europe. The European Commission puts the number of non-EU nationals working in the EU at about 12.9 million. InterNations’ 2026 Expat Insider report ranked several European countries poorly in its assessment of expatriates’ experiences. Respondents cited difficulties making friends and building a sense of belonging. In Germany, they also pointed to challenges with everyday administration, bureaucracy, housing and language. Such experiences can affect employers’ ability to attract and retain talent from abroad.
Employee networks serve different groups
Beyond Borders is one of several employee networks that Siemens Healthineers supports with resources. The networks can draw on human resources support and internal communications channels, have executive sponsors and take part in strategy meetings. Other groups serve working fathers, LGBTQ+ employees and people early in their careers. The early-career network aims to give younger employees a stronger voice in career-development discussions and more opportunities to engage with management. EmpowerME supports employees with cancer and encourages conversations between employees and patients.
Siemens Healthineers ranked ninth in Fortune’s Europe’s Best Workplaces list. Follert linked the result to monthly communication with employees and opportunities for them to help shape the company’s culture. The company also tracks mental health in its surveys. Follert said expectations around workload, alongside external pressures such as international conflicts and crises, have added to employee anxiety. Companies, she noted, cannot know when the next oil-price increase or geopolitical crisis will occur.
The company has begun training employees in mental health first aid. In some markets, including the UK and the US, staff can also use the meditation app Headspace. Survey scores for stress have since stabilised, though Follert said it is difficult to determine how much of the change is attributable to these initiatives.
Attrition falls as recruitment systems are upgraded
Employee sentiment and retention are also reflected in hiring data. Siemens Healthineers recorded 2,336 departures in 2025, about a quarter fewer than previously and roughly 3% of its workforce. Follert said job applications had increased over the past two years, as had the number of candidates entering the process through employee referrals. Referrals in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have risen 13% since 2024.
Higher application and referral volumes have also increased the workload for recruitment teams. Follert cautioned that an excessive number of applications can reduce recruiters to administrators of the process, while the company still needs to maintain a good candidate experience. Siemens Healthineers is replacing its recruitment system and plans to transfer about 2,500 open roles and around 500,000 candidate profiles to the new platform. The system supports multiple languages and uses AI to help applicants upload CVs and find roles that match their skills, while giving recruiters clearer visibility into application progress.
The system change is taking place alongside a restructuring of the company. Siemens Healthineers is in the process of separating from its parent, Siemens. A vote on a direct spin-off of Siemens Healthineers shares is planned for Siemens’ next annual general meeting in February 2027. Follert said the company had remained stable through a difficult period, helping employees maintain their loyalty. As the separation proceeds, retention, talent recruitment and continuity in hiring remain areas of focus.