5. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSINESS, 5.1. Policies and accountability
[GRI 2-23] [GRI 2-30] [ESRS S1-1]
The source of our company’s success is its employees – their knowledge, skills and experience, but also their attitudes reflecting the values that form the foundation of the Budimex Group’s organizational culture (see Section 3.1.).
As part of the implementation of the ESG strategy with regard to the company’s staff, the main focus was on building commitment, talent development and mobility to enable expansion into foreign markets. These activities are reinforced by building an attractive offer for employees and job candidates (salaries, benefits, development offer) and effective communication with these groups, as well as promoting diversity in employment.
The way we work is based on the Budimex SA organizational rules and regulations. It records not only the organizational chart of Budimex SA, but also the responsibilities and tasks carried out by the various departments.
The most important internal documents of significance for the shape of the working conditions in the Budimex Group include work regulations, employee compensation and bonus regulations and company collective bargaining agreements, which are in force at Budimex SA and Mostostal Kraków and which cover a total of 5,00724F26F[1] employees, i.e. 78% of the Group’s total staff employed on the Polish market. Of crucial importance are also the documents on guaranteeing human rights and managing diversity, described in Sections 5.2. and 5.3., respectively. In addition, the Budimex Group has operating procedures and instructions that regulate, among other things, issues related to the recruitment and dismissal of employees and the organization and implementation of training and other development activities.
We provide trade unions operating in the Group, i.e. the NSZZ Solidarność Intercompany Trade Union Organization, with full freedom to exercise their rights, and we cooperate closely with them in shaping internal regulations on human resources management. We also take into account feedback submitted directly by employees, as well as the results of their engagement surveys. Another such survey was conducted by an independent third-party vendor in accordance with its methodology in 2023.
Employee engagement survey 2023
The survey, preceded by an information campaign, invited 6,704 Budimex Group employees from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany. Despite the fact that the survey was electronic only, more than 4,200 people responded, which means a turnout of 63% (among white-collar workers it was 75% and among blue-collar workers 47%). The engagement index, i.e. the percentage of Group employees who feel motivated to speak well of the company, continue their employment with the company and give more of themselves than is expected, was 39%.
Among the strengths of their workplace, the employees cited the employer’s attention to occupational health and safety and its quick and effective response to problems in this sphere. In addition, employees appreciate the ethical conduct of business, the relationship with direct managers (open communication, fair treatment or providing necessary support) and the relationship within teams (sharing knowledge and experience, working together to achieve goals). Areas identified as needing improvement include access to information about directions, plans and results, consistency of goals across areas and work-life balance. Following the survey, three company-wide project groups have been set up, and in addition, workshops are being held to deepen the survey results, so that optimal corrective actions can be selected at the local and central levels.
[GRI 402-1]
Internal regulations from the employee area are modified within the timeframes stipulated by the regulations (e.g.. the mandatory 2 weeks for entry into force). Best practices adopted by the Group, however, assume that any change is preceded by a communication campaign, which generally includes the organization of additional meetings, the preparation of information materials and lists of questions and answers for clarity and transparency of the actions taken.
The content of internal regulations, not only from the labor area, and changes in their provisions are communicated to employees in particular:
- as part of the onboarding process,
- via the intranet,
- with the use of boards on construction sites (this applies especially to documents in the OSH area).
[1] All employment figures cited in this report are expressed in number of people (as of 31 December 2023).