Employees

Employee engagement, attractive employer, learning organisation, talent management

Management approach

Vetropack’s long-term success is inextricably linked with attractive working conditions and career development opportunities. The level of employee engagement is directly related to an employee’s feeling of well-being in the workplace. A pleasant working environment reduces absences due to health problems and accidents, increases motivation and raises the level of employee creativity and productivity. A high degree of employee satisfaction is also critical for a company’s reputation and essential for attracting new talent. To this end, it is important for Vetropack to offer a variety of people a suitable working environment. It will therefore measure and specifically monitor diversity more in future. The company therefore deliberately includes the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 (“Gender Equality”) on its agenda.

All management functions have a common responsibility to support and motivate employees. Managers are responsible for strengthening employees’ loyalty to the company and identifying and promoting talented employees. The Human Resources department implements the Group-wide “employer of choice” strategy, which is supported by the new digital tool “SAP SuccessFactors”. This tool manages processes for recruitment, talent management and employee engagement throughout the Group. Employees themselves are encouraged to assume responsibility for their personal and professional development in keeping with the principle of a learning organisation.

Vetropack practises a “Group first” philosophy that includes international career opportunities and the exchange of best practices. This approach promotes identification with the company and a feeling of belonging to the Vetropack family. Vetropack has set itself the goal of becoming a learning organisation. That is why the Group has integrated the concept of continuous learning into its vision and set of values. Vetropack also consistently supports the development of its employees by means of both formal and informal training measures.

Vetropack measures the level of employee satisfaction across the Group every two years, the next time will be in 2022. These surveys provide information on what employees believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of the company. The Group uses three strategic KPIs to track the success of its “employer of choice” strategy: voluntary staff turnover, training costs per employee and the “Trust Index” of the “Great Place to Work” certification organisation. The Bülach site received the “Great Place to Work” certification in 2020. Vetropack is now aiming to achieve this certification at all other locations too.

Disclosures

GRI 102 General Disclosures
102-8 Information on employees and other workers

GRI 401 Employment
401-1 New employee hires and employee turnover

401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

Labour law stipulations and remuneration practices vary from country to country. The benefits provided to full-time employees therefore also vary in line with the specific circumstances in each country.

GRI 402 Labour/Management Relations
402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes

Transparent internal communication is a top priority at Vetropack. All regulatory requirements regarding notice periods were met in 2021.

GRI 404 Training and Education
404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

Vetropack offers all the training and education programmes needed to ensure its employees receive adequate support for their professional development – whether that means being successful in their current job or preparing themselves for the next step in their career. Vetropack employs a multifaceted development approach that attaches great importance to learning on the job. This learning process is supplemented by classroom training and online courses.

The “hard skills of glass production are primarily taught at Vetropack’s own training centre in Pöchlarn, Austria, while “soft skills” are covered through the newly established “Vetrocademy” development platform. The training programmes cover the topics of technology, IT, language skills, project management and leadership. Vetropack had planned to launch the first pillar of the “Vetrocademy”, a comprehensive leadership curriculum for all 400 managers within the Group, as early as 2020. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the new offering cannot be introduced until 2022.

404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews

Vetropack currently has a process in place to conduct performance reviews for all white collar workers, who represent around 40% of the total workforce. Vetropack did not track the exact percentage in 2021. In 2022  a system to monitor this process is due to start.

Occupational health and safety

Management approach

“Safety first” is part of the DNA of Vetropack Group. Employees who work in glass production are exposed to high temperatures and high levels of noise; and moving machine parts may represent a further risk. Ensuring health and safety is a top priority at Vetropack. For the company, this means not only complying with legal provisions but also promoting the physical and mental health of employees.

Occupational health and safety are contained in the Vetropack mission statement and reflected in our occupational safety policy. They are also taken into account and implemented in our strategy and in the design of our business processes. Occupational safety is managed on three levels: the Head of the Corporate Development and IMS (integrated management system) department is directly responsible for the Quality, Safety and Environmental Protection specialist department. The Group Officer for Occupational Safety coordinates activities via the Safety Managers at the business units and plants. They are all responsible for ensuring compliance with safety standards at the production sites.

The Safety Managers come together in the Occupational Safety Working Group to discuss various issues that apply to all plants. This exchange of information is designed to ensure that safety concepts are implemented, that safety regulations are complied with and that various tools and resources that enable the achievement of safety objectives are made available.

All production employees are given annual health and safety training. Near-accidents are also recorded systematically at all locations. The Occupational Safety Working Group also conducts internal audits every year to determine whether the prescribed measures for continual improvement have been implemented and whether the health of Vetropack employees is ensured at all times.

Vetropack currently complies with local requirements as far as the integration of disabled persons in work processes is concerned. In the medium-term, the company intends to develop a Group-wide approach to inclusion.

Disclosures

GRI 403 Occupational Health and Safety
403-9 Work-related injuries
403-10 Work-related ill health