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PANDORA ETHICS REPORT 2016
10
FOCUS ON THAI LAND
Our modern manufacturing facilities in Thailand provide
safe, healthy, developing and engaging working conditions
for more than 12,400 people. Their skills, commitment, flair
for aesthetics, and the way they bring their hearts and minds
to work every day are a major part of the foundation of our
vision to become the world’s most loved jewellery brand.
In 2016 we initiated a Social Impact Study of our engagement
in Thailand. Results are expected in 2017.
Training and development
PANDORA Production Thailand (PPT) has built its success
on the 4C philosophy of Clarity, Competence, Confidence
and Commitment; the four key, interdependent pillars
essential to long-term development.
When our people have clarity in their roles and responsibilities,
the competence to master their craft and think outside the
box and, finally, the confidence and channels to express
their ideas and concerns, the result is the fourth “C”: a deep
commitment to the workplace that manifests itself in PPT’s
status as an employer of choice with a very high employee
retention rate and exceptional performance year after year.
Recognising that access to education is a challenge in
Thailand, we have established an Edutainment Centre, which
features modern e-learning/internet facilities and a library.
This provides our colleagues with a comfortable and inspiring
environment where they can relax and learn. During 2016,
the library in Bangkok had more than 18,000 visits and
more than 5,000 books were available throughout the year;
the most popular genres being adventure fiction and English
proficiency studies. This successful initiative has been
replicated for our new crafting facility in Lamphun.
The scope of our training and development programmes goes
far beyond technical skills and work processes, and includes
life skills, safety, health, environmental practices, business
continuity and leadership. In 2016, we opened a new and
ambitious Jewellery Skills Academy, which drives technical
development through specific skills from beginner to expert
levels. Every week, approximately 50 colleagues receive
dedicated training at the Academy.
Health and safety
At PPT, we operate an effective Safety, Health & Environment
(SHE) Committee comprised of senior management
(16 members) and elected employee representatives
(15 members). The 15 employee representatives are offered
modern, on-site facilities and receive comprehensive training,
both in-house and externally, enabling them to effectively
contribute in their roles. Together with external experts, the
elected representatives assume the responsibility of
checking SHE conditions, while our highly competent SHE
professionals are responsible for continuously improving
standards as well as correcting non-compliances.
SHE professionals are involved in all new production set-ups
to make safety a priority from the start. In 2016, more than
14,000 people participated in training sessions in general
health & safety and firefighting. SHE communication entails
TV and radio spots, engaging events and competitions for
employees to suggest SHE improvements.
As a result of our ongoing focus on improving safety and
health standards, we saw as few as 4 near misses and
2 work-related accidents at PPT (resulting in a total of 8 lost
working days). With 12,400 people employed at PPT by the
year end, this is a remarkably low accident rate compared
with any industrial sector in any country.
Employee Welfare Committee
We have also established an Employee Welfare Committee,
which consists of 15 people elected by their colleagues every
second year. New committee elections were held in 2016,
with a participation rate of 86%. The committee operates
with three sub-committees, responsible for coordinating
employee interest in a) Compensation & Benefits,
b) Employee Relations and c) Social Activities. As is the case
for the SHE Committee, the Employee Welfare Committee
draws on modern facilities and extensive training.
PPT employee benefits include affordable and healthy
meals, parental classes, extensive professional and personal
development training, annual outings, scholarships, employee-
operated radio and TV channels, and free bus transportation
to and from work.
A large amount of gypsum is used in
our jewellery casting process