STIHL has a tradition of granting voluntary social benefits that go far beyond what is agreed upon through collective bargaining. The basic principles of social welfare were already laid down by the company's founder, Andreas Stihl. The support fund that was established in 1939 was developed over the years into a modern company pension system. And for more than 40 years, there has also been a voluntary profit-sharing bonus. In addition, employees can acquire profit-participation rights, upon which interest is paid in relation to the company's earnings; in the past 20 years, this interest was usually at the maximum level of ten percent. When acquiring the profit-participation rights, the employees pay only one third of the price; the other two thirds are paid by the company.