| Employment practices |
|
We are committed to recruiting, employing, developing and retaining the best people in our industry, and strive to be the most attractive employer in our industry by providing the best possible conditions. |
||||
|
Making Holcim an attractive employer Our commitment to ensure wages reflect local industry good practices means that all Group companies pay at least the local minimum wage and 90% pay above the local minimum. By valuing diversity and promoting equal opportunities, Holcim benefits from having a diverse, multicultural workforce. Our 2,125 top and senior managers represent 59 nationalities. Women constitute 13% of the workforce. More than half our global workforce is represented by independent trade unions. Group companies report that, on average, a minimum of five to six weeks’ notice is given to employees prior to implementing significant operational changes. |
||||
|
Engaging with our employees The Holcim values of strength, performance and passion are being embedded in all Group companies, and we aim to complete this process by 2009. An employee engagement survey has been developed for this purpose, and was piloted in seven countries in 2007. At Holcim Group Support, the survey showed that employees take great pride in working at Holcim, and demonstrated that in many areas, we outperform most Swiss companies. Areas for improvement included better support of our values in practice. Employee satisfaction is also measured within individual Group companies. In 2007, 59% of Group companies conducted a survey (2006: 39%). The annual “dialog” performance appraisals are a good platform to discuss issues. Furthermore, 76% (2006: 71%) of Group companies have systems to collect and handle employee grievances and complaints, and 55% (2006: 56%) have arrangements for submitting complaints and/or grievances anonymously. Two Group companies reported incidents of discrimination in 2007, which were dealt with in accordance with the Holcim Code of Conduct. |
||||
|
Developing our people Holcim’s people development strategy is focused on two key areas: expertise and behavior. Both aspects taken together secure the Group’s long-term success. Holcim strives to provide a work environment in which people feel valued and have opportunities for professional and personal growth. This is vital to ensuring a loyal, motivated and productive workforce. Our Group companies report that in 2007, employees across the Group each received on average 31 hours of training, and at Group level, new leadership programs complement existing management training focused on imparting leadership competencies. Developing leaders and employees is, and remains, one of the Group’s most important tasks. For more information, see our Annual Report, pages 40-43: |
||||
|
||||
|
Recognizing performance Our Mexican subsidiary, Holcim Apasco, recognizes and rewards outstanding employee performance and business contributions in the areas of customer service, continuous improvement and safety, in its biennial awards program. The scheme is designed to foster productivity, safety, teamwork, communication and the pursuit of excellence. Similar programs are in place at St. Lawrence Cement in Canada and in Eastern Europe. |
||||
|
Group employees by region and personnel expenses |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
The reduction of employees reflected in the Africa Middle East region ist the result of the sale of our businesses in South Africa and Tanzania to Afrisam.
 LA1, LA2, LA3 |
||||
|
Percentage of female workforce |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
From 2006 to 2007, the percentage of women at senior and top management levels remained broadly the same, but showed an increase of 6% in the "middle management" category.
LA2, LA14 |
||||
|
Training |
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
LA10 |
||||
 |
||||
|
Highlight 59 nationalities are represented in our top and senior managers. |
||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
