inSPire: social responsibility practised together

Social Impact, “Social Engagement”, Corporate Social Responsibility: What does this mean in concrete terms for a company and specifically for us as the High Performance Metals Division? We are witnessing not only increasing political, legal and social expectations regarding the fulfilment of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria. Social responsibility has also become an important factor for remaining attractive as an employer. We are therefore working together to create social added value for our customers, employees and society through targeted measures in the areas of family friendliness, diversity and new talent, education and community, as well as health.

Through our Social Impact activities, we want to actively create the underlying conditions that enable us to use our expertise to exert a positive impact on people – both inside and outside our organisation. The entire Division with its worldwide locations is diverse, decentralised and international. In light of this, our Social Impact initiatives are just as diverse as the companies and cultures themselves. The harmonised framework and standards form the Social Impact pillar with its four defined fields of action: Education and Community, Family Friendliness, Health, as well as Diversity and New Talent. Our companies select individually relevant fields of action and implement specific measures. There are many examples of successful actions

• Education and Community

Giving external people perspectives through education and gaining new perspectives and ideas for voestalpine through exchange. Sensitising our employees to sustainability and giving them new insights. Giving young people an impression of everyday working life and bringing the steel industry to life. All while strengthening our employer brand: The effects of our initiatives in this field of action are comprehensive. In Kapfenberg, for example, the focus is on training skilled labour. The new, ultra-modern apprentice campus currently being built will enable young people to get a taste of adult life independently, but not alone, and to embark on their careers with even better support. At the Kinderstadt Freitopia Children’s Town in Kapfenberg, hundreds of children between the ages of six and twelve are also given exciting insights into the world of work and HPM operations in an enjoyable way during the annual summer holidays. In Turkey, Italy and Argentina, we impart our knowledge to young people through initiatives and collaborations with schools and universities. At the same time, this gives rise to a valuable exchange with future specialists, who also get to know voestalpine as an employer.

Through our activities, we also support the education of socially disadvantaged girls and young people: In India, we promote the education of girls from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, thereby increasing their opportunities in the workplace and in life in general. In Brazil, socially disadvantaged young people are accepted into a structured programme in which they can gain their first work experience in our companies. In addition to promoting education for external parties, this field of action also focuses on raising awareness of sustainability among our employees. For example, an environmental initiative was organised in Ecuador in which employees worked in teams to learn more about the local ecosystem.

• Family Friendliness

As a family-friendly employer, we put concrete measures in place to ensure a good work-life balance worldwide. We want to create the right conditions so that every employee can reconcile work, personal interests and family life in the best way possible. In the United Kingdom, the existing shop floor shift models were jointly analysed and potential for improvement identified. For example, one concrete solution involved shortening the long shift on Friday evening so that the workshops now closes at 2 pm. This adjustment has had a positive impact on the satisfaction of the operating team and also allowed the company to boost its reputation as an attractive employer.

In other cultural circles, the focus of this field of action is on strengthening the bond between employees and their families and the company. In Colombia, children and young relatives of employees are invited to spend a day at the company. Factory tours give the youngsters an insight into the company and their parents’ work, in order that they can gain a better understanding and at the same time new perspectives for their own potential career choices. In Turkey and Peru, family members are occasionally invited to events such as Company Days or Christmas parties, so that they can experience the working environment up close. The colleagues also get to know each other even better, which promotes team spirit.

• Health

In addition to occupational safety, which is one of our most important core values, we also promote the physical and mental health of our employees. We provide support with bike leasing as well as memberships of fitness centres and clubs, and motivate people to exercise more in a variety of ways. We also take part in global sporting events such as various runs and marathons. In the Wings for Life Run in Vienna, for example, while the Bruck Business Run is just one of the events on the programme in Styria. The special atmosphere and common goal at sporting events also provide an ideal opportunity for team building.

We promote our employees’ mental health, for example, by providing employees in Colombia with external psychological support during difficult personal times or situations. This enables employees to master challenging situations in the best possible way and emerge stronger from them. Since 2017, a special initiative at 
Villares Metals in Brazil has been boosting the mental and emotional well-being of more than 1,600 employees and contributing to the prevention and early diagnosis of illnesses. In addition to medical treatments and dietary advice, mental health programmes are offered in the well-equipped company medical centre, which is also open to employees’ families.

• Diversity and New Talent

We see diversity in our company not only as an opportunity, but also as a decisive basis for greater expertise and performance through heterogeneous teams. For example, our Division is already characterised by a wide range of different nationalities. As a global company, we are also focused on raising the visibility of women in the company. In our Female Leadership Community , for example, women network globally and inspire each other in their goals and visions. The Female Blue Collar initiative also aims at attracting more women to the production sector and retaining them in the long term. In Colombia, female employees can develop various aspects of their strengths as part of a structured programme. Men are also actively integrated into the programme. This ensures that everyone pulls together to drive Female Empowerment forward. In the Women’s Acceleration and Positioning Program, Villares Metals in Brazil, the aim is to offer all employees in the company the same development opportunities. At the same time, a corporate culture is created that makes the steel industry more attractive to women.