Fun and fair

Our 17,887 dedicated people deserve the highest human resources management standards and an engaging, rewarding working environment.

We are a responsible employer

As a responsible industry player, we apply the highest standards for managing our most precious resources: the 17,887 dedicated people who make up PVM, 16,808 of which are employed in our Manufacturing Operating Companies.

Most of our employees are employed full time (97%). We contract workers to support high season production only in China, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In addition, more than 10,000 sales representatives hired by independent contractors contribute to the sale of our products.

We offer our employees a truly diverse and inclusive working environment. At all our Manufacturing Operating Companies, we value diversity and do not tolerate discrimination, unfair or unequal treatment in any way, shape or form.

We engaged Willis Towers Watson to conduct our first global engagement survey in 2015. Over 13,000 employees, 97% of our workforce, participated in our first ever global Employee Engagement Survey. Our overall sustainable engagement score is higher than the benchmark of Food and Beverage companies worldwide and 2% lower than the Global High Performance Norm we are aspiring to. The engagement score reflects that we feel motivated, energised and enabled to deliver our best every day at work and sustain it over time.

In 2017, a second global Employee Engagement Survey will be conducted.

Our health & safety commitment

We have a strong commitment to the safety and health of employees. Developing a safe workplace is a process in which PVM is continuously looking for improvements. Over the last few years, safety campaigns ran on most production sites. All workplaces have been equipped to comply with laws and regulations. Internal occupational health and safety study groups have been established specifically to monitor and improve working conditions.

We are striving for ‘Zero accidents and work-related injuries – illness’ therefore raising awareness is crucial to enable us to achieve this. By providing information, training (safe ways of working, first aid and emergency response) we want to make employees more aware of the measures they can take themselves to work safely and healthy.

Health & safety indicator	Asia Pacific region	Italy & Mediterranean area	South Asia, Middle East & Africa	North West Central & Eastern Europe Americas	Americas
Lost Time Accidents (Number of accidents)	8	29	11	22	24
Lost Time Accidents Rate (per thousand employees)	1.81	20.01	3.72	15.75	33.10
Days Lost in production (Number of days lost)	109	821	120	348	533
Days Lost Rate in production (per thousand employees)	24.72	566.53	40.74	249.14	735.17

Sharing the fun: we celebrate our achievements

In September 2016, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of Perfetti together with the local community of Lainate (Italy) where the company was set up in 1946. Over 3,000 people visited our production facility, which had been specially fitted with installations with the theme that had been chosen for the event “a long journey through taste”.

The event was organised and managed by our employees. 200 volunteers guided the visitors around the production facility explaining processes and products. The production facility was in operation and the public was invited to join us in tastings, theatrical sketches and fun activities.

We received many positive comments from the local community expressing the pride that they have hosting such a friendly and future focused company as Perfetti Van Melle in the town where they live.

Being compliant to preserve our reputation

Our Group’s reputation for being an honest, fair and capable company with which to do business is one of our most valuable assets which we are determined to preserve. Maintaining high ethical standards within our company and in our relations with customers, suppliers, authorities and the public in general is vital to our continuous success wherever we operate.

Our PVM Code of Conduct (CoC) sets forth the principles that apply to all PVM employees. It is important that its content is well known and understood by each of us, as it highlights our responsibility, as a Group and as individuals, to implement and protect our core values and our ethical standards in the way we do business.

In September 2016, all employees participated in the eLearning course with local translation and on-site classroom and face-to-face training.

By 2017, our toll-free EthicsPoint Hotline and EthicsPoint.com will be operational for employees to utilise. Employees can then provide feedback or report unethical practices online or by calling the hotline, both are managed by the Group Compliance Office.