Employees are becoming more and more persistent in their search for a humane and supportive work environment, and well-being benefits have become an important part of the intangible packages they expect. Furthermore, as much as 76% of workers have indicated that they would consider changing jobs if they encountered a pay gap based on gender and the absence of DEI initiatives at their workplace, according to the ADP Research Institute. Therefore, employers who want to maintain a competitive edge and attract and retain talent are dedicated to building more transparent and fair pay systems, as well as strengthening employee resilience.
Some organizations already hold the Equal Pay Champion certificate, showing that they are leaders in reducing the pay gap and are ready to embrace the introduction of the EU Directives goals. In addition to the Equal Pay Champion certificate, which confirms the organization's commitment to ensuring equal pay for equal work regardless of the gender of employees, Podravka also holds the Future Resilience certificate. This is the most well-known well-being certificate granted to companies that provide psychological support from professionals to their employees, along with a set of stress management and challenge-handling training programs. Moira Homan, the director of the Human Resources Management sector, revealed in an interview the concept Podravka follows when planning and implementing well-being initiatives, but also presented the training programs and well-being benefits available to their employees.
- How to create a well-being benefits package that meets the needs of employees from all generations? Do you conduct employee satisfaction surveys and inquire about their needs for additional benefits?
In manufacturing organizations, not only different generations are involved but also various employee profiles, job structures, and work positions. In such a work environment, it is particularly important to care for the well-being of employees. Therefore, employee retention is one of the strategic determinants of human resource management.
Employee well-being, as reflected in the balance between private and business life, is also very important to us. That is why we conduct an organizational climate survey every year, and one of the sections is always dedicated to the benefits we have prepared for our employees. Since we always strive to expand the scope of the benefits we offer, we are encouraged by the results of the research, which show that our employees are satisfied with the benefits available to them.
- Why is it important for managers leading modern teams to be trained in stress prevention? How much attention do you dedicate to additional training for managers on these topics?
When individual team members are efficient and organized, entire teams are as well. When individuals are more resilient to stress, their teams are more resilient too. We confirmed this with the example of our multisector teams, where the importance of effective collaboration between different sectors is highlighted. Therefore, we pay great attention to building resilience to stress, not only in the context of managers and leaders but also at the level of all groups of our employees. Our employees have attended resilience-building training within the Future Resilience program by SELECTIO Group. These training sessions have empowered our employees and helped them build resilience to various personal and business challenges, as well as unpredictable and stressful situations.
Moreover, within the Future Resilience program, all our employees have access to free and anonymous psychological support through phone counselling. By investing in psychological support and resilience-building training for our employees, we aim to empower them and the entire organization to be as prepared as possible for the challenges and dynamic changes that govern our industry.
- What well-being benefits do Podravka employees have? What do you aim to provide them with?
Our premise when considering the benefits of well-being for our employees is that a successful and efficient worker can only be one who feels good in the organization for which they work. Success and efficiency are highly valued and actively encouraged, so we offer our employees a wide range of benefits in different areas. Both mental and physical health are important to us, so employees have access to the Multisport card, healthier meals, and participation in numerous educations covering specific dietary habits and needs.
In addition to training for Mindfulness and Emotion Awareness and Organizing Thoughts, each of which consists of five sections dealing with mindfulness and stress prevention, within the Future Resilience program, we also offered a Parenting and Education package. We believe that employed parents are under a specific type of pressure, so we regularly organize training on topics related to parenting. Within the Future Resilience program, our employees who are parents have covered topics such as understanding child development and emotions, setting boundaries, children's and youth's mental health, and the importance of fathers' roles. We consider the opportunity to attend such training and workshops to be one of the foundations of employee well-being, regardless of the sector in which they work, so we conduct them continuously and regularly.
- How do you ensure that your well-being initiatives are available to all employees? How have you ensured time for training for employees involved in production processes who cannot access online training during working hours?
Although online training can be practical, we try to organize well-being educations as often as possible in person. These educations are an inexhaustible source of advice, and just like everyday situations our colleagues face, it is easier to share them in person. From our perspective, discussions are simpler, and experiences are more easily exchanged this way.
Participation and attendance at educations are therefore made possible for all employees who wish to attend, regardless of their position or sector. Even in our industry, where production dictates the pace, it is possible to ensure that all those who want to attend educations can do so. Thus, we always try to adapt to employees for whom these topics are particularly important. Before holding the education, we always make a good plan and preparation to ensure seamless work organization and ongoing processes even when a large portion of employees are attending training.
- Some of the well-being benefits at Podravka are also available to your employees' family members. What are these benefits, and why do you think this is important?
Every year, Podravka organizes a picnic for the entire Podravka group, inviting the family members of our employees to a full day gathering. We also organize a Family Day focused on the youngest family members, where various activities and games are led by a beloved mascot. Additionally, our employees can include another family member in the use of the Multisport card.
When our employees apply what they have learned in training and workshops, the benefits are felt by their family members as well – whether it's stress management, dietary advice, or parenting. Moreover, we are in the process of developing ideas to further involve the family members of our employees in activities, training, and workshops.
- Podravka holds the Equal Pay Champion certificate, which is based on the principle of "equal pay for equal work." How important is it for employee well-being to work in a fair and transparent work environment?
Injustice and inequality cause stress and dissatisfaction among employees, who then come to work with tension. We recognize the power of satisfied employees, and therefore we invest in creating a transparent and fair work environment to motivate our employees. For today’s employees, fairness is high on the priority list when choosing an employer, and we support fairness and transparency through the availability of criteria for advancement. We believe that employees need to be aware of them and have access to them, so they can serve as motivation for advancement.
The European Union directives will take effect in less than two years, and with the implementation of their goals into national legislation, the obligations of employers are changing and expanding. Applications for the Equal Pay Champion certificate are open until December 15, and any company can apply to find out how the directives will change the labour market and employee expectations. If you want to take the right steps toward building more transparent and fair pay systems, get in touch with us!
