Our employees
Around 3,200 people worked for the HS Timber Group in 2019, with the majority – around 85% –employed at our plants in Romania. We have a special responsibility for our employees, both economically and socially. After all, it is they who contribute to our success – with their expertise, their hard work, experience, commitment and dedication.
Due to the shortage of skilled workers throughout Europe, highly qualified and well-trained personnel are in high demand. Consequently, in Romania – but also in Germany and Austria – it is important to be an attractive employer in order to secure top talent, because only a fair, responsible company can pick up points with potential employees. Occupational safety and health protection is one example: we finance private health insurance for our employees in Romania. Another example is fair, yet, performance-based remuneration, whereby we give our employees a share in the company’s success with customised bonus schemes.
Strong values and clear rules such as our mission statement or the internal Code of Conduct are intended to motivate and guide our employees. In addition, we are seeking to establish a corporate culture in the long term that is characterised by mutual respect and appreciation. At the same time, however, we also want to give our employees the freedom to be creative and take initiative, because new ideas and imaginative solutions usually arise in a non-bureaucratic environment.
6.1. Health and safety
Maintaining employees’ good health and productivity is a key concern for us. The paramount goal of our occupational safety and health management activities at HS Timber Group is the prevention of accidents and illnesses related to operations. We have implemented high safety standards at our state-of-the-art production facilities, which are regularly monitored in internal and external inspections and audits.
In November 2019, HS Timber Group launched its Health & Safety Policy, a set of guidelines meant to highlight the importance of upholding everyday rules that concern us all. Health & Safety is not just a catchphrase, it is meant to become a way of constantly putting in place solutions to prevent bad things from happening, rather than regretting afterwards. It is a means of building a culture where we think not only about ourselves and our lives, but also about taking care of the ones around us, be they work colleagues or visitors to our workplace.
Safety is everyone’s responsibility and personal safety starts with each of us. Irrespective of their position in the company, each employee is an integral part of this overall plan for greater safety at the workplace. The continuous improvement of working conditions, with regards to safety, is part of our mission statement.
6.2. Fair wages
Equal opportunity and fair wages are a matter of course at HS Timber. Throughout the Group, country-specific works agreements or internal regulations ensure that women and men in the same positions receive the same pay, for the same work. Due to the at times physically strenuous work in the wood processing industry, the share of women in some areas of production is low. Around one-quarter of HS Timber Group’s workforce is female.
6.3. Training and education
Our working world is changing. Globalisation, digitalisation and technology development are advancing rapidly and leading to new markets, customer requirements and product solutions. Highly-qualified and specialised workers need to keep pace with these changes and continuously upskill in order to stay abreast of the latest developments.
For this reason, HS Timber Group seeks not only to find the best employees and hire them for suitable positions, but also to harness the potential of talented staff who are already part of the workforce and help them expand their capabilities. This is the only way we can remain one of the top players in the industry and be prepared for the challenges of the future.
In addition to ongoing and regular training of our specialists, for example when new machines or production processes are being introduced, we develop customised training programmes for our executives and managers, in particular. As part of the largest training initiative in the company’s history, for several years all managers in Romania, Germany and Austria have been participating in an individualised programme of tailor-made training courses. Besides industry knowhow, areas of emphasis include communication skills and personal development. Seminars and training courses are also provided in the areas of anti-corruption and business ethics in particular. In this connection, a partnership with the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), based in Laxenburg, near Vienna, was started in 2017. The customised training courses have been imparted to the entire senior management of HS Timber Group, as well as to senior executives at country and plant level. In addition, the Romanian and Austrian Sales and Purchasing staff, staff from the Legal Departments and employees from the Supply Chain Control Department have received training at events held by high-profile speakers. The collaboration with IACA will continue in 2020 and will become a permanent fixture of the Group’s compliance management system.
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