People
Our people are our most important resource. We believe that the development of human capital is key to sustainability, and we are committed to be one of the most responsible employers in Myanmar. To do so, we are mainly focused on three objectives:
- Generating jobs and empowering our people
- Being an equal opportunity employer
- Offering safe and rewarding working conditions.
At Group level, the Organizational and Sustainability Committee is ultimately responsible for defining ambitious HR policies to attract, retain and develop our people. Each business sector is then responsible for implementing and adapting these policies to take into account the specificities of its environment, with the support of the Group’s central HR team.
GENERATING JOBS AND EMPOWERING PEOPLE
Our HR profile
We contribute to Myanmar’s development by creating jobs for the Myanmar people. We employ more than 6,800 people and plan to hire more as we expand. We are offering careers’ opportunities to Myanmar youth: 42% of our people are younger than 30 years old. The breakdown by age and gender of our workforce is indicated in the following table:
| Female | Male | Total | |
| Below 30 years old | 950 | 1944 | 2894 |
| Between 30 and 50 years old | 948 | 1901 | 2849 |
| Above 50 years old | 179 | 880 | 1059 |
| Total | 2077 | 4725 | 6802 |
In 2018, the absenteeism rate, at Group level reached 6.4%. On average, our turnover rate was 21% Group-wide. However, it can vary significantly depending on our business sectors from 0% to 33%.
Developing Our Human Capital
We aim to empower people. We are committed to providing our employees with fair and dignified employment that maximises each employee’s potential in the long term. Orientation programme is provided for all new employees. We also provide an extensive range of training programmes in areas that would develop our employees’ skill sets for growth within the company and beyond.
For the calendar year 2018, we organized 488 training sessions, and we managed to train 81% of our people. On average, each employee received 51 hours of training. Last year, our main priorities regarding the allocation of the training were:
- Safety and security (50%),
- Managerial and language skills (17%),
- Business ethics (15%).
Regarding business ethics, we trained 71% of our workforce to develop their understanding of our Code of Conduct.
The Group promoted 317 people in 2018, of which 32% were offered to women.
BEING AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
We strive to provide our employees with fair careers’ opportunities. It is how we embody our core values with our people. Hence, their recruitment employees are based on merit, skills, experience, education and ability. A policy of non-discrimination prevails throughout all aspects of the employment relationship from recruitment to retirement or termination, selection, placement, transfer, promotion, training, working conditions, benefits and compensation.
Our employees are rewarded fairly according to their ability, performance, contribution and experience. We abide by labour laws which promote fair employment practices. Employees will be guided by the Code of Conduct describing their rights and duties and will be encouraged to follow a systematic Reporting and Whistle-blowing Policy to ensure that any grievances are promptly dealt with in a fair manner.
The Group is a member of the Business Coalition for gender equality. To assess its practices regarding gender equality, the Group participated in a survey managed by EDGE. The data used covered the calendar year 2017. As a result of its efforts, the Group received for all its business sectors and for its headquarter an EDGE certification after an audit performed by a third-party. Shwe Taung is the only organization to be certified at Group level in Myanmar.
The results of the survey indicated that:
- 68% of the Group’s employees took part to the survey, and over 70% of them would highly recommend working for Shwe Taung to their friends,
- The Group managed to retain 95% of the women after their return from maternity leave, and 141 fathers took paternity leave,
In average a significant majority of our employee think that they are being paid fairly for the work they do and that their current projects are preparing them to develop their career.
In 2018, we had 5 persons with disability working for the Group.
OFFERING SAFE AND REWARDING WORKING CONDITIONS
Safety is paramount
Each business sector is responsible for defining its approach regarding health and safety at work, to take into consideration the specificities related to their working environment. At Group level, our HSE team coordinates with their counterpart working at business sector level.
We maintain a safe working environment by providing all employees with the necessary equipment and training. All machines are tested and certified safe for operation before use, and regularly checked and maintained by qualified technician teams. All employees have access to drinking water and are provided with uniforms (when required) and correct personal protective equipment when appropriate. Senior management teams conduct regular safety checks.
For the Building Materials business sector, In 2018, we had:
- In our Building Materials business sector:
* 22 lost-time incidents (LTI), no fatality.
* Our frequency rate was 8.47 LTI per million of hours worked, and our fatality rate 0.
- In our Engineering and Construction business sector 6 LTIs.
Employee benefits
We offer a comprehensive benefits package for our employees that includes leave entitlement, health insurance, overtime allowance, and annual performance bonus. We aim to ensure that our employees can enjoy an acceptable standard of living. We provide all employees with food or food allowance for meals during working hours. Every employee has to register with the Social Security Scheme. At remote sites, medical check-ups are insured for employees and doctors are provided in an emergency. We also provide transportation for employees to commute from their house to and from work.
Work-life balance
We believe a healthy work-life balance for employees is imperative to any successful business. The mental and physical well-being of our employees is of the upmost importance to us. We encourage balancing of employees’ workload with sufficient recreational activities. We facilitate the formation of company sports teams and group activities and functions outside of work hours in a relaxed environment. We prioritise family inclusivity and ensure that all of our recreational groups include employees’ family members.
For more information, please download our policies and United Nations Global Compact Communications on Progress.