KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Danone, parent company of iconic brands such as Dumex, Dugro, Nutricia AptaGro and Evian water, today announced an enhanced focus on employee well-being and engagement as part of its 'One Planet. One Health' vision in Malaysia. In line with Danone's belief that people are its biggest asset in achieving its mission and addressing new challenges facing the world, Danone is committed to create and maintain an inclusive, diverse and participative workplace environment. Building a healthy and engaged workforce through an innovative talent management model is integral to realising Danone's 'One Planet. One Health' vision, starting with its own employees.
Danone has launched 'One Person, One Voice, One Share', an innovative employee engagement programme to further foster company-wide engagement and increase the sense of ownership among Danoners in Malaysia. The 'One Voice' programme is driven by the belief that all employees should co-own the company's agenda, including by helping to define the roadmaps to implement Danone's 2030 Goals, which are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To equip Danoners in participating in these conversations, the 'One Voice' programme has developed an internal platform with learning resources related to the company vision and goals, including content derived from collaborations with like-minded partners such as the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) as well as internal initiatives such as the annual 'Campus for All' event, a week-long series of learning activities to nurture local PRESS RELEASE talent and help them co-lead the food revolution. Through the 'One Voice' consultations with employees in Malaysia, Danoners identified strongly with wanting to impact people's health locally and this has been integrated into our strategic plans for Malaysia through the focus on addressing iron deficiency.[1] Complementing 'One Voice' is the 'One Share' programme, which gives every employee a share in the company combined with a global annual dividend-based incentive scheme, thereby deepening a symbolic ownership mindset among Danoners.
Danone, as a company that believes in inclusive diversity, recognises the uniqueness of each Danoner and invests in enhancing the added value that these differences bring to the organisation. Developing local talent and providing career growth opportunities are key components of this strategy. All Danoners have the chance to experience other markets and cultures through short-term assignments in other offices across Southeast Asia and beyond. In line with the digitalisation of the global economy, Danone is also piloting Agile Organisation, an initiative that focuses on competency development and adopting digital means of working.
To demonstrate Danone's commitment to supporting employees in the workplace of the future, Danone is introducing an extensive parental policy covering pre-natal support, gender-neutral parental leave as well as post-natal support. This policy includes adapted working conditions for expecting mothers, extended parental leave of up to 18 weeks of paid leave and unpaid leave of up to six months for parents, job protection policies and flexible working schedules for parents as well as lactation rooms in all its corporate and manufacturing sites across Southeast Asia. These practices reflect Danone's support for employees during the important early days of parenthood and is with a view to encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, in accordance with the World Health Organisation's recommendations.
"At Danone, we prioritise the well-being of our employees. Danone's dual commitment to business success and social progress is guided by the 1972 landmark speech by our former CEO Antoine Riboud outlining a new vision of corporate social responsibility. The 'One Person, One Voice, One Share' programme is our way of inviting our employees to actively participate in co-creating and co-owning our collective future. In Malaysia, we recently launched the 'I'm a Proud Danoner' campaign, which engages employees to share what they are passionate about as a Danone employee. We have also invested heavily in employee development through programmes such as short-term overseas assignments and the Agile Organisation initiative. As a sign of our commitment to support our employees into the future, our new parental policy includes flexible work-life options to help parents keep families at the centre of their life and guidance on the importance of optimal nutrition during the first six months of a baby's life. We want to be the most parent-friendly company in Malaysia. I am happy that our efforts have been reflected in Danone's excellent retention rates. Danone Dumex Malaysia's turnover rate of 6 percent is well below the market average of 20 percent," said Normalis Mohd Sharif, Director of Human Resources, Danone Southeast Asia.
Azuin, Digital Manager, Danone Dumex Malaysia, said: "I am proud to be working for a supportive company like Danone, which values my opinion and has allowed me to have a say in the company's agenda through initiatives such as 'One Person, One Voice, One Share'. There are many opportunities for me to grow as an employee and the digitalisation of our operations will give us the chance to experience other regional markets even if we are based in our home country. I am also thankful that the company actually cares about giving me sufficient rest and more time to spend with my little one. Danone also provides a comfortable lactation room in the office to support breastfeeding mums like me."
