It’s all about people
DSM is committed to applying bright science to create a brighter future for us all. And this begins with people. The people we employ, as well as the people whose lives our products and processes touch every day.
A four-pronged approach
When it comes to our sustainability strategy, the importance of the People pillar cannot be overestimated. It covers what we strive to do for society, and it also involves the people who make this possible – our employees. We aim to:
- make products and services that support a healthier, more sustainable, and more enjoyable way of life;
- act as a responsible and supportive partner to society;
- continuously reduce health and safety risks to our employees, the people who use our products, and the people who live near our sites;
- offer employees an inspiring work environment in which they can develop themselves to their full potential.
DSM People achievements
Over the last few years, DSM has taken a number of important steps regarding People and sustainability.
We’re committed to changing the world beyond our doors. In this regard, we were the first company to endorse the ‘Roadmap to End Global Hunger.’ This means that we are able to reach a great number of people. In 2011, DSM donated and/or made available more than €5 million to a range of initiatives. DSM continued its long-term commitments such as those to WFP and the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF). DSM also continued its humanitarian initiative Sight and Life and made charitable donations to a number of local causes. Many of DSM’s contributions draw on the expertise of its micronutrient scientists or materials specialists.
Within DSM, we have a career management concept in place to stimulate a high-performance culture. We also have a global internal vacancy tracking system so that all DSM employees everywhere can see the variety of opportunities available to them.
We’re proud of the way our efforts towards our employees have paid off – our 2011 DSM Employee Engagement Survey had a 91% response rate! The main element in the survey is the measurement of DSM’s Employee Engagement Index, the percentage of employees scoring favorably on a combination of four attributes: commitment, pride, advocacy and satisfaction. The Employee Engagement Index measured in 2011 was 71%, the same as in 2010 and above the global overall norm (68%). The neutral responses amounted to 19%, the same as in 2010. This score takes DSM within an 8 percentage point range of the external benchmark of high performing companies (scoring 79% favorably), which is the league DSM wants to be part of.
In 2011 the Frequency Index of recordable injuries at DSM was 0.53, compared to 0.95 in 2005.
