Sustainable Development Report 2021

86 87 Sustainable Development Report 2021 MYTILINEOS Environment Introduction Governance Sustainability Standards & Assurance Society Employment Boundaries of the Material Topic [GRI 102-46] [GRI 103-1b] Where the impacts occur: In all work areas of MYTILINEOS’ Business Units, subsidiaries and suppliers. By whom are the impacts caused: The Business Units of MYTILINEOS and its subsidiaries are directly involved in these impacts, while its contractors/ suppliers may also be indirectly involved. The management of the topic by MYTILINEOS contributes to Sustainable Development: • Curbing unemployment and poverty at local and national level. • Strengthening the economy of local communities. • Enhancing employability in the industrial sector. Topic of increased significance to: • Employees • Suppliers • Shareholders / Investors / Financial Analysts • NGOs • Local Communities in the context of their cooperation with MYTILINEOS. Impact on Sustainable Development Materiality assessment process results Scale: [0–10], where 0 "Not significant" and 10 "Very significant" Significance for Stakeholders • In addition, focusing on issues concerning decent work- ing conditions (such as, for example, working environment, wages, benefits, working time, rest periods, leaves of absence, disciplinary and redundancy practices, protection of mother- hood, mental health and other welfare issues) is a top priority for the Company, as they affect the satisfaction of its employ- ees and are key factors for their retention. In particular, mental health began to emerge as a priority since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic reached Greece. Commitment [GRI 103-2c] Development, management and human resource retention, by implementing practices that promote a working environ- ment without discriminations, offering equal opportunities and respecting Human Rights, in line with the main priority areas of MYTILINEOS’ Human Rights Policy. Major risks [GRI 102-15] Increasing competition in the labor market and growing employee mobility may result in reduced productivity due to employee departures, loss of valuable knowledge and exper- tise gained through the employment of the departed employ- ees, as well as in loss of the financial investment made and of the time dedicated to their training. The Company may also incur increased costs due to the need to replace specialized personnel. Risk Management / Control Practices [GRI 103-2a] To address these risks, the Company has implemented employee retention systems and practices that involve: • The development of programs for formulating a uniform cor- porate culture, based on the employees' shared values and their behaviors. • The implementation of employee training and develop- ment programs aimed at strengthening personal and tech- nical skills and capabilities required to address the current and future challenges in the Company's business activities, while at the same time supporting the personal development of employees. • The provision of incentives, in terms of compensations and benefits as well as in terms of opportunities for advancement and development, aimed at increasing the employees’ com- mitment and retention. • The timely and continuous provision of information to employees about changes in structures and processes due to the growth of the Company’s activities and to the adoption of best practices in its operating model. Key elements of the Company's approach to Employment • Attraction and retention of competent executives, contin- uous improvement of employer-employee relations and implementation of modern systems for employee perfor- mance evaluation. • Establishment of an attractive compensations and benefits framework on the basis of market data and specialized sur- veys for critical areas of the Company’s activity. • Promotion of the Code of Business Conduct to all personnel, ensuring that the latter are fully familiar with it, and avoidance of direct or indirect discrimination in all work practices. • Recognition of the importance of healthy and secure employ- ment for all personnel and business partners and continuous improvement in this area, placing emphasis on mental health. • Focus on offering local opportunities, giving priority to the recruitment of employees from the Company’s local commu- nities, and bolstering local employment at domestic and inter- national level based on the Company’s activities. • Ensuring the flow of information and the timely communi- cation of organizational changes, through the appropriate communication channels, including the corporate intranet, e-mails, SharePoint and non-electronic means of commu- nication, such as consultation events with members of top Management, written announcements posted in production work areas and, more generally, open communication with employees through the HR-Business Partner role in each Busi- ness Unit. • Protection of employee personal data, allowing their use only by authorized persons and only in cases where this is required by law in the context of business relations and the Company’s business activity. • Ensuring, through the individual Labor Regulations and the Code of Business Conduct, the elimination of all arbitrary or discriminatory practices in terminating employment relation- ships with employees. • The Human Resources General Division of MYTILINEOS is responsible for establishing and implementing the framework for the management and development of the relevant poli- cies and practices, as well as for providing professional sup- port to the Business Units for dealing with issues regarding human resources. Management - Employee relations One of the main goals of MYTILINEOS, as an important social entity, is the fulfilment of its social role. The Company seeks to ensure the well-being of its employees, as it considers them an important factor for its growth. Therefore, employees are consid- ered to be “integrated” within the Company, beyond the formal employment-remuneration provision relationship among them, in the sense that the continuous improvement of their capabil- ities and skills and of the outcome of their work, are inextrica- bly linked to the Company’s progress. The Company has set as its priorities the safety of its employees and the protection of their interests and rights in the framework of sound corporate management, given that one of the key success factors is the employees’ full dedication to their duties. Thus, employees can communicate with authorized members of Management about all matters of concern to them and are provided with timely answers and solutions. Indicatively: [GRI 402-1a] • In the Metallurgy Business Unit, the Plant Steering Commit- tee (PSR) holds weekly meetings to discuss matters concern- ing Safety, the Environment, Production and Finance, as well as organizational / operational changes (if any), with the par- ticipation of all Company Directors. The results of these meet- ings are immediately communicated to all other employees by the Company's Executives. ASI • In parallel, a reasonable notice period applies, depending on the circumstances and in consultation with the employ- ees' elected representatives, to ensure that employees are informed in the best possible way. Management meets regu- larly with the Board of the Employees' Union to inform them of any issues that may concern them. In extraordinary cases, the meeting and the provision of information by the Company to the Board of the Employees’ Union precedes the implemen- tation of any positive or negative change that affects employ- ees, with provisions made for the time necessary to dissemi- nate the information and hold consultations. • The Company’s Executive Committee holds monthly meet- ings. The information on issues that require dissemination and concern the employees, are communicated to the corporate organization by each General Manager. Moreover, the Company's Human Resources Committee has been established and is holding its meetings at regular inter- vals. The Committee is tasked with planning and obtaining approval for initiatives designed to effectively address issues relating to the attraction, development, retention, empowerment and rewarding of human resources, as well as with presenting updates on related “good practices” and with decision-making. The Company is currently following the new, revised recruit- ment policy and procedure . The purpose of the policy is to ensure adherence to meritocracy and equal treatment in the selection of personnel, based on the candidate’s capabilities and their suitability given the requirements of the particular jobs, as well as optimal leverage of the employees’ potential with regard to their development and career path prospects in the Com- pany. At the same time, in 2021 MYTILINEOS issued and adopted a policy on the protection of Human Rights. The Human Rights Policy sets out the basic principles governing the respect for human rights and sets out the framework for managing employ- ment. In 2021, the Performance Management Program was redesigned, aimed at consolidating it and ensuring that it is inex- tricably linked to the corporate objectives and corporate results. The redesigned Program will be implemented gradually, start- ing with the top and senior Management levels of the Compa- ny's hierarchy. Employee benefits In all regions where MYTILINEOS operates, the compensation and benefit plans offered to its employees are as a minimum in full compliance with the labor legislation and with the cor- porate collective bargaining agreements, where applicable. Any compensations over and above the statutory ones are based on the employees’ individual performance, which is reviewed and assessed annually. Moreover, MYTILINEOS provides a number of benefits to permanent employees in all levels of its hierarchy. These benefits vary between Business Units and include medi- cal care, life insurance, disability / incapacitation coverage, retire- ment provision, maternity / paternity leave, and the granting of loans in cases of emergency. These benefits are non-discrimina- tory and are governed by the principles of equal treatment and transparency, setting clear policies per category of personnel. [GRI 401-2] 9.00 7.59 Management Approach [GRI 102-11] [GRI 103-2c] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide information and data to MYTILINEOS’ Stakeholders, so that they can understand how the Company is managing its Human Capital in the framework of its operational structure. [GRI 103-2b] As an employer, MYTILINEOS contributes to one of the most widely accepted social goals, namely to improve living standards through full-time and safe employment and decent work. Retain- ing existing jobs and focusing on creating new ones is a strategic choice which the Company has made in order to achieve growth in all areas directly or indirectly related to its activities. The Compa- ny’s labor practices comply as a minimumwith all the provisions of the legislation in force and respect the fundamental principles laid down in the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. [GRI 103-1a] Key Challenges / Impacts [GRI 103-1a] [GRI 102-15] • Employment is an internationally recognized goal linked to eco- nomic and social progress. It is considered an extremely import- ant issue for MYTILINEOS’ Business Units, because of the high localization and large number of their employees. Creating opportunities for the employees’ long-term employment and development benefits not only the Company’s business activi- ties but also has a positive impact on its local communities, con- tributing to their sustainability.