Employees

PKN ORLEN consistently implements its human resources management policy, which sets out the priorities and key tasks defined by reference to best market practices, reflecting market challenges and trends in human capital development. The policy defines activities in such areas as reinforcement of the Group’s corporate culture, segment-based management, employee development, compensation and employee benefits, employer branding and performance management, to name just some.

The most important initiatives implemented in 2021 included activities aimed at building the image of an attractive employer, including expansion of the ongoing trainee programmes, implementation of an ambassador programme, social media presence and building partnerships with the academic community.

In recognition of its best practices in HR solutions and processes, for a decade PKN ORLEN has been awarded the TOP Employer certificate, placing it among the best employers in the country.

PKN ORLEN is committed to offering employment opportunities to people with disabilities. In 2021, PKN ORLEN and a few other ORLEN Group companies continued to participate in the Work – Integration programme of the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (PFRON), whose aim was to employ people with disabilities. The ORLEN Group companies joined the programme in 2019, while recruitment of employees (people with disabilities) was conducted in 2020 and 2021. What is more, PKN ORLEN deems it necessary to raise the awareness of its employees around disabilities, and to this end it organises special information and consultation meetings. Consisting of regular training sessions and one-on-one consultations on disability-related issues, the programme is intended for all PKN ORLEN employees. Its purpose is to raise employee awareness of disability-related issues and to build the image of PKN ORLEN as an inclusive employer, providing equal opportunities to all employees, in keeping with its core values and standards of conduct. Six meetings were held in 2021, including workshops and one-on-one meetings (the meetings were mostly conducted online due to the ongoing pandemic).

PKN ORLEN’s activities targeting people with disabilities were noticed and appreciated. In 2021, PKN ORLEN was awarded the Employer with Heart title. The title is awarded by a panel of five representatives of disability confident employers to honour businesses and public entities for their outstanding achievements, pro-active attitudes and selfless service to people with disabilities. PKN ORLEN was distinguished for its activities following an assessment of its commitment to corporate social responsibility and raising awareness of the mutual benefits of hiring people with disabilities. The aim of the campaign is to break stereotypes and social barriers created by discrimination against people with disabilities and artificial divisions in society, and to improve job opportunities for the disabled.

PKN ORLEN attaches great importance to promoting the experts employed at the company – in 2021 we continued the first edition of the Employer’s Brand Ambassador programme to reinforce our image as an attractive employer, which included communicating PKN ORLEN’s strengths as an employer and building personal employee brands to show the people who form the ORLEN Group. This is an image building programme implemented through an internal and external campaign, involving a group of professionals and young talent. In collaboration with the Warsaw University of Technology, the Ambassadors served as mentors for engineering students. Recruitment for the second edition of the Ambassador programme was conducted in 2021, with new professional Ambassadors to start their service in 2022.

In 2021, a European Works Council was formed at the ORLEN Group. The Council is another form of collective dialogue, in this case at the European level, as continued growth of the ORLEN Group enables establishment of mechanisms that engage employees in the broad collective efforts not only at the national but also at the international level. The ORLEN Group offers employee benefits, which include co-financing of employee holidays or sanatorium treatment, childcare, holidays for children and teenagers, and school starter kits. Also, employees’ children receive Christmas gifts. The employer provides financial support for families with low incomes. Employees may also apply for partial financing of sports and recreational activities, cultural and educational activities, physical therapy treatments for children with disabilities as well as non-repayable allowances and repayable housing loans. PKN ORLEN offers a uniform employee benefits package to employees of all ORLEN Group companies participating in the joint social benefits programme. Any ORLEN Group employee who is in a difficult life situation may also apply to the  ORLEN Foundation  for financial assistance. The non-refundable financial support may be awarded for instance for medical treatment and rehabilitation of an employee or an employee’s child or spouse. ORLEN Foundation also offers the possibility of collecting donations in the form of 1% of taxpayer’s income tax without any additional fees.

As a company implementing modern-day solutions aimed at keeping the balance between work and family life, PKN ORLEN runs the Family-Friendly Employer programme, offering such benefits as additional two days off to care for a child under three years of age, two days off to care for a disabled child under 24 years of age, a nursery school for children of employees, one additional hour for breastfeeding, medical care during pregnancy, baby feeding rooms, gifts for newborn babies, and providing employees on parental/childcare leaves with up-to-date information on developments across the Group. Many of the components of this programme have also been implemented by other ORLEN Group companies as part of best practice sharing.

PKN ORLEN also provides extensive medical care going beyond the scope of occupational medicine. Medical plans and preventive healthcare programmes are run in cooperation with Centrum Medyczne Medica Sp. z o.o. of Płock and the Military Institute of Medicine of Warsaw as part of a project to investigate health impacts of the work environment. A uniform standard for medical plans is in place across the ORLEN Group.

In response to the epidemic situation in Poland, the following initiatives were implemented:

Disease prevention efforts included webinars for employees on healthy lifestyles. The Blood Donors Club at PKN ORLEN organised convalescent blood and plasma collections. The campaigns were carried out in mobile ambulances at the Company’s locations in Płock, Warsaw and Trzebinia. PKN ORLEN supports the mental health of its employees by offering workplace counselling. The support is provided by the Occupational Psychology Centre, which is part of the company structures and is tasked with providing support and psychological assistance to employees and their immediate family members who are in personal or professional distress. Caring for the mental health of employees is important for the organisation as well as the employee, as it affects employee performance and, most importantly, employee well-being. In 2021, PKN ORLEN was the main partner of a campaign organised by Employers of Poland, ‘Understand. Feel. Act!’, which aims to raise awareness among employers of the need to support employees in their struggle with mental problems.

For more information, see ‘Employee-related issues and respect for human rights’. In 2021, the ORLEN Foundation continued its employee volunteering programme. Employees completed more than 100 campaigns and volunteered a total of more than 14,000 hours. Volunteers delivered meals and shopped for groceries for seniors, prepared gift packages for nursing home residents, and offered assistance at an animal shelter. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the foundation, volunteers planted over 20,000 trees in three days in the Łąck Forest District near Płock. The Foundation also held the second edition of the Volunteering Week, under the slogan GoodStrength (DobroMocni). It was meant to inspire people to act and, most importantly, delivered a few environmental and animal protection projects. A video of the event, with the invited volunteers, was made and can be watched on PKN ORLEN’s YouTube channel.

For more information on employee matters, see ‘Responsible employer’ .