Employment

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Materiality assessment process results
Scale: [0–10], where 0 "Not significant" and 10 "Very significant"

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.

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. Retaining 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 Company’s labor practices comply as a minimum with 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 economic and social progress. It is considered an extremely important 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 activities but also has a positive impact on its local communities, contributing to their sustainability.
  • In addition, focusing on issues concerning decent working conditions (such as, for example, working environment, wages, benefits, working time, rest periods, leaves of absence, disciplinary and redundancy practices, protection of motherhood, mental health and other welfare issues) is a top priority for the Company, as they affect the satisfaction of its employees 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 environment 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 expertise gained through the employment of the departed employees, 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 corporate culture, based on the employees' shared values and their behaviors.
  • The implementation of employee training and development programs aimed at strengthening personal and technical 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’ commitment 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, continuous improvement of employer-employee relations and implementation of modern systems for employee performance evaluation.
  • Establishment of an attractive compensations and benefits framework on the basis of market data and specialized surveys 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 employment 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 communities, and bolstering local employment at domestic and international level based on the Company’s activities.
  • Ensuring the flow of information and the timely communication of organizational changes, through the appropriate communication channels, including the corporate intranet, e-mails, SharePoint and non-electronic means of communication, 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 Business 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 relationships 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 policies and practices, as well as for providing professional support 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 considered to be "integrated" within the Company, beyond the formal employment-remuneration provision relationship among them, in the sense that the continuous improvement of their capabilities and skills and of the outcome of their work, are inextricably 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 Committee (PSR) holds weekly meetings to discuss matters concerning Safety, the Environment, Production and Finance, as well as organizational / operational changes (if any), with the participation of all Company Directors. The results of these meetings 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 employees' elected representatives, to ensure that employees are informed in the best possible way. Management meets regularly 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 implementation of any positive or negative change that affects employees, with provisions made for the time necessary to disseminate the information and hold consultations.
  • The Company’s Executive Committee holds monthly meetings. 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 intervals. 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 recruitment 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 Company. 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 employment. In 2021, the Performance Management Program was redesigned, aimed at consolidating it and ensuring that it is inextricably linked to the corporate objectives and corporate results. The redesigned Program will be implemented gradually, starting with the top and senior Management levels of the Company'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 corporate 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 medical care, life insurance, disability / incapacitation coverage, retirement provision, maternity / paternity leave, and the granting of loans in cases of emergency. These benefits are non-discriminatory and are governed by the principles of equal treatment and transparency, setting clear policies per category of personnel. [GRI 401-2]

Results
[GRI 103-3a-ii]

Workforce data (direct employees) [GRI 102-8] 2019 2020 2021

Analysis / Gender

Total

2,436

2,455

2,889

Men

1,996

1,987

2,348

Women

440

468

541

Analysis / Employment contracts by gender

Permanent

2,147

2,161

2,406

Men

1,779

1,760

1,975

Women

368

401

431

Fixed-term

289

294

483

Men

217

227

373

Women

72

67

110

Analysis / Employment contracts by country

Permanent

2,147

2,161

2,406

Greece

2,001

2,058

2,182

Libya

-

-

64

United Kingdom

25

31

44

Spain

20

16

36

Australia

11

10

27

Chile

44

29

25

Korea

-

6

7

Italy

-

-

6

Turkey

4

5

5

Romania

-

-

4

Mexico

-

2

2

Ghana

2

2

1

Saudi Arabia

1

1

1

Slovenia

-

1

1

Singapore

-

-

1

Kazakhstan

36

-

-

Uganda

3

-

-

Fixed-term

289

294

483

Greece

163

133

202

Chile

-

26

116

Ghana

56

59

57

Australia

-

15

30

Kazakhstan

-

17

21

Spain

47

25

16

Uzbekistan

-

-

14

United Kingdom

-

-

6

Algeria

6

5

5

Nigeria

8

8

5

Slovenia

-

2

5

Uganda

-

2

2

Korea

6

1

1

Tunisia

3

1

1

Georgia

-

-

1

Italy

-

-

1

Analysis / Employment types by gender

Full-time

2,420

2,442

2,872

Men

2,002

1,984

2,345

Women

418

458

527

Part-time

17

13

17

Men

4

3

3

Women

13

10

14

  • Starting in 2021, Candidate Evaluation Centers were included as the final stage in the personnel selection process. This stage is carried out by a panel of evaluators using tests designed to evaluate the candidates’ capabilities and skills of before the final decision on recruitment is made.
  • Number of employees
    chart
  • Direct employment increased significantly by 17.7%. The total number of the Company’s direct employees stood at 2,889 persons (2020: 2,455), of which 83% are employed in Greece.
  • The total number of indirect employees (permanent independent contractors and persons employed by MYTILINEOS under long-term work contracts or project contracts) stood at 1,934 persons (2020: 1,401), raising the number of direct and indirect employees of the Company to 4,823 persons, thus increasing total employment by 25.1% from 2020.
  • The Company maintained its very high rates of sourcing employees locally for yet another year, as 9 out of 10 of its direct and indirect employees come from the communities in the immediate vicinity of its industrial units as well as from the wider local area.
  • The participation of women in direct employment rose to 18.7%, increased by 3.7% compared to the base year (2019).
  • Total new hires reached 915, of which 21% involved women, while nearly 36% of the new hires involved young employees under the age of 30.
  • MYTILINEOS created 92 internship and vocational training quality positions, with the aim of supporting skills development and transforming many of these positions into permanent jobs.
  • The retention rate of full-time employees stood at 90.6% (2020: 91.0%).
  • The high rate (83%) of employees working under a permanent employment contract was maintained (2020: 88%).
  • The low rate of part-time employees (0.6%) was maintained.
  • More than 4 out of 10 employees are covered by corporate collective bargaining agreements. [GRI 102-41] [SASB EM-MM-310a.1]
  • The return-to-work rate of employees who took parental leave stood at 99%, while the retention rate of these employees after 12 months from their return stood at 96%. [GRI 401-3]
  • A total of 489 new jobs were created, covering the needs in all Company Business Units.
  • Concerning employee turnover:
    • the voluntary departures rate stood at 6.1% (2020: 6.0%);
    • the non-voluntary departures rate was 1.7% (2020: 1.3%).
  • In 2021, 34 posts were filled by internal candidates.
New job positions (direct employees)
chart
Employee turnover rateNumber of voluntary departures as a percentage of the average number of direct employees
chart
Workforce data (direct employees) [GRI 401-1] Recruitment (New hires) Departures

2019

2020

2021

2019

2020

2021

Analysis / Gender

Total

665

395

915

384

361

426

Men

507

315

720

301

280

333

Women

158

80

195

83

81

93

Analysis / Age group

<30 years old

299

169

327

193

150

150

30 — 50 years old

321

190

444

147

157

217

>50 years oldν

45

36

144

44

54

59

Analysis / Employee category

Executives

-

-

49

-

-

175

Administrative employees

-

-

354

-

-

50

Workers & technical staf

-

-

512

-

-

201

Analysis / Employment contracts by country

Greece

441

324

556

310

290

314

Chile

49

37

126

5

21

37

Libya

-

-

60

-

-

-

United Kingdom

15

7

35

11

4

13

Australia

11

3

43

-

2

11

Spain

62

4

32

-

28

20

Uzbekistan

-

-

19

-

-

7

Ghana

40

14

16

42

11

16

Kazakhstan

33

1

10

10

1

4

Italy

-

-

7

-

-

-

Slovenia

-

2

4

-

-

1

Romania

-

-

4

-

-

-

Korea

6

1

1

-

-

-

Georgia

-

-

1

-

-

-

Singapore

-

-

1

-

-

-

Nigeria

-

-

-

-

-

3

Algeria

1

-

-

2

1

-

Iran

-

-

-

-

-

-

Uganda

3

-

-

-

1

-

Puerto Rico

-

-

-

-

-

-

Turkey

1

2

-

4

1

-

Tunisia

3

-

-

-

1

-

Jordan

-

-

-

-

-

-