Annual report 2017
At Marel, our objective is to develop food processing solutions to help feed the needs of a growing world more safely and efficiently while minimizing the environmental impact. To meet these objectives, we need to act responsibly towards society, our employees, our customers and their social environment. Making Social Responsibility a priority of our corporate culture means we are dedicated to providing a safe and healthy working environment with equal opportunities for all of our employees. We feel it is important to foster individual and team development and to ensure the right of freedom of association for all of our employees.
One aspect of our Social Responsibility is to engage with the local communities and stakeholders where we operate to seek local participation and insights. We are investing in these locations for the long term. This is not only good for our business, it helps spur innovation and education among our labor force. Naturally, human rights violations, including any forced labor, under-age labor or illegal labor conditions, are not tolerated under any circumstances.
Our Human Resources mission is to engage competent employees and to provide them with a supportive and ambitious work environment that motivates and encourages them to make Marel’s vision their own. To do this, we provide excellent training and opportunities for further education and job development. We work hard to promote a spirit of teamwork and co-operation throughout the whole organization.
We recognize the value of cultural diversity, while at the same time encouraging and strengthening our values of unity, innovation and excellence. A policy of open communication, as well as promoting a culture that seeks a healthy balance between work and personal life is important to us and we believe it is no less valuable for our employees.
We believe this will not only help our employees maintain a creative and stimulating work environment but also foster innovation and employee satisfaction that will benefit our company in the long run.
In order to deal with seasonal fluctuations in order processing and other variances in project load Marel employs a number of temporary workers. In 2017 the ratio for full time temporary workers was 16.2% of the total workforce.
Providing a safe and healthy working environment for all our employees and contractors working in Marel facilities is the right thing to do and we take pride in doing it well. Safety, health and the environment concern everybody and we do our utmost to make sure our employees have the necessary competence, tools and instructions to perform their work professionally and safely.
Every Marel employee is also accountable for his or her own safety. Local management of all Marel entities are responsible for assuring that processes and procedures are established within their entity that comply with Marel’s safety, health and environment policy and local laws.
A Marel Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Support Team monitors compliance with the Marel SHE Policy and facilitates the process for improvement.
A global diversity policy was adopted by the Board of Directors in 2017 and will be implemented from 2018 onwards. Its objective is to ensure equality and diversity within Marel as well as increasing job satisfaction and well-being in the workplace. We aim to make sure that employees are not discriminated against on the grounds of their gender, beliefs, nationality, race, sexual orientation, religion, color, personal finances, family, age or on any other grounds.
We believe this policy will help make Marel a more desirable and responsible workplace that will, in turn, attract and keep the most qualified employees. Our global diversity policy applies to all Marel employees and governance bodies, including the Board of Directors, its sub-committees and the Executive Team.
The diversity policy rests on the four following pillars, each equally important:
The data and statistics on diversity that we collect are systematically evaluated to ensure successful implementation of the policy. The results will be presented in a clear and organized manner and used to help management understand where we need to improve and where we are performing well in terms of diversity.
|
2017
|
2016
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Female
|
19.9%
|
18.5%
|
|
Male
|
80.1%
|
81.5%
|
|
2017
|
2016
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Marel total
|
12.2%
|
13.7%
|
|
2017
|
2016
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Female
|
Male
|
Total
|
Female
|
Male
|
Total
|
|
|
Board of Directors
|
42.9%
|
57.1%
|
7
|
42.9%
|
57.1%
|
7
|
|
Executive Team
|
9.1%
|
90.9%
|
11
|
9.1%
|
90.9%
|
11
|
|
Employees
|
15.4%
|
84.6%
|
4,301*
|
15.3%
|
84.7%
|
3,861**
|
* Excluding contingent workers and Sulmaq employees
** Excluding MPS employees
We have a zero-tolerance policy at Marel where human rights violations are concerned, including child labor and/or illegal labor conditions. All our employees must have reached the legal working age in the country where they work. None of our facilities are allowed to be associated with illegal labor conditions or forced labor. In 2017, we required all new suppliers to comply with the same standards as Marel does on issues related to human rights and labor, as described in our Code of Conduct.
No human rights violations were reported in 2017.
We are committed to respecting all employees’ freedom of association and right to collective bargaining without discrimination, as established in the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention (C. 87), and the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention (C.98). We ensure that these rights can be exercised by all our employees and those of our business partners directly associated with Marel’s services, products and operations.
Our main involvement in local communities occurs through our operations in the countries where we work. We focus mainly on educational outreach in collaboration with local educational institutions and through continuing education of our own employees. Many of our production facilities have internship and trainee programs to assist talented young professionals entering the workforce in developing their skills in a professional and safe environment.
Another aspect of engaging with local communities is our commitment to fast-track economic development in underdeveloped countries. By introducing new food processing technologies to these locales, we have immediate and radical effects on production capabilities, worker safety and food traceability. One of the main growth sectors for us is the creation of shared value through partnerships in new markets. We intend to deliver market-altering solutions that increase both general well-being and economic progress in all the markets where we operate.