Given the volume of employment created and our balanced wage practices, we now have a major role in making local economies more dynamic and in improving the quality of life of the communities in which we operate.
In 2011, we created 5,202 jobs, which represents a net increase
of 8.5% compared to the previous year. The majority of these new
jobs were in Poland, where we continue to expand our operations.
Apart from being one of the biggest employers in the countries
where we operate, we believe that our employees are our most
precious asset.
As such, we carry out initiatives that endeavour to meet the
needs and expectations of our employees, particularly in the
following areas:
- Internal Social Responsibility;
- Labour Relations;
- Hygiene and Safety at Work.
Internal Social Responsibility
In order to improve the quality of life of our employees and
their families, the Group bases its actions on three main strategic
pillars: Health and Well-Being, Education and Social Support.
Health and Well-being
In Poland, through the programme "Let's take care of our
health", free screening is given which all employees may receive at
the premises of the various partners of this programme. Women can
have screening for the detection of breast cancer and cervical
cancer and men can have screening for cardiovascular diseases. In
2011, 3,219 women and 429 men participated. 1,347 people also
benefited from the free Flu Vaccination Programme (seasonal
'flu').
With a view to promoting an active lifestyle, in Poland football
and volleyball tournaments also took place, with the participation
of 300 men and 250 women.
In Portugal, also with a view to promoting an active lifestyle,
programmes were developed for gymnastics at work and posture
correction as well as curative medicine and psychology
consultations.
Education
In 2011, in Portugal, we continued with the Learn and
Develop programme, through which 491 employees were able to
obtain the equivalence of 6th, 9th and 12th grade
schooling.
The following initiatives were also carried out:
- Offer of school kits to all
employees' children who attended primary school for the first time
in 2011. In Portugal we reached a total of 903 children and in
Poland this figure amounted to 2,166 children;
- In Portugal, offer of school text
books to 40 large families with low incomes and discount on school
materials to around 6,500 families;
- A school text book campaign, with
special payment terms, for 1,122 families in Portugal;
- Holiday camps for 917 children of
employees in Portugal and 500 in Poland;
- In Poland, on International
Children's Day, we offered gifts to 2,250 children of
employees.
Social Support
In 2011, the Social Emergency Fund (SEF) was created in order to
support Group employees in great need, by providing support for
food, health, education, legal matters and financial advice and
training.
In six months - as from the September 2011 - the Group invested
around 400 thousand euros in the SEF, supporting over 1,200
families through 2,200 measures.
The requests of support submitted by our employees within this
initiative broke down into the following areas:
- Food support (56%)
- Health (36%)
- Financial advice (36%)
- Legal advice (20%).
In Poland, the "You can Count on Biedronka" programme
continued, consisting of providing cash donations to overcome
situations of extreme need - we helped around 4,675 employees as
well as 97 families of employees with disabled children or
those with chronic illnesses.
In addition, in 2011, the following social initiatives were
carried out:
- Offer of 1,800 Maternity Kits to
the new-born babies of Biedronka employees. This initiative was
also extended to Portugal, where 350 kits were offered;
- In Poland, 71
thousand Christmas kits were given to Biedronka employees and
their children.
Labour Relations
In September 2011, the Labour Relations area of the Jerónimo
Martins Group launched the "Among Us - Employee Assistance Service"
project, for the Distribution and Services areas in Portugal.
The service ensures confidentiality, credibility and
availability and is accessible via email, post or telephone. Our
employees can count on a rapid and effective service: of the 2,655
procedures started in 2011, 99% were concluded.
In Poland, a similar service is also available, where in 2011,
97% of the 1,486 processes started were concluded. In addition, the
Polish "Employee Forum" programme was created, a collective,
self-regulating body for defending employee's interests.
Hygiene and Safety at Work (HSW)
Thanks to a considerable investment in training and initiatives
to raise awareness about the risks inherent to the professional
activities of our employees, as well as about the rules to prevent
accidents, we were able to considerably improve our Frequency and
Severity Rates in 2011, as follows:
| |
Frequency Rate |
Severity Rate |
| 2010 |
25.46 |
0.53 |
| 2011 |
23.23 |
0.46 |
Note: Frequency Rate = No. of accidents with sick leave /
No. of Man Hours Worked x 106 , Severity Rate = No. of
lost working days, as a result of accidents/ No. of Man Hours
Worked x 103 .
In Poland, the Health and Safety in the Workplace Management
System (HSWMS) certification process was concluded, Jerónimo
Martins Polska being the first company in the sector to be
certified in accordance with standards PN-N-18001:2004 and OHSAS
18001:2007. Accordingly, 685 internal audits having been carried
out.
Occupational Health
In 2011, 35 health offices were built or remodelled, in a total
of 175 offices within the whole of the Jerónimo Martins Group. This
investment, together with the changes to the management structure
of this service, was reflected in the number of medical exams
carried out within the scope of Occupational Health - 46,085 exams,
which represents a YOY increase of 6%.