Why is this important?
Polish employees are ever more frequently looking for a workplace at which their authenticity is appreciated and where they will be able to grow without compromising on their own identity. In 2020, Poland was only 24th on the EU’s Gender Equality Index, which is significantly lower than the average of other EU members.. This change requires initiatives and involvement from many sides, including business, which can counteract social inequality by building an inclusive organisational culture. Ensuring equal opportunities and managing diversity at the workplace translates into effectiveness of activities, attracts talent and contributes to additional value for the organisation and its stakeholders. At the Żabka Group, we respect the individual nature and uniqueness of each employee, and we perceive diversity as an opportunity to develop and strengthen the advantages of our company.
Our contribution
As a large organisation operating in all regions of Poland, we have an impact on the everyday lives of thousands of workers We employ more than two thousand people directly and maintain more than 45,400 indirect jobs throughout the country. We build an organisational culture that is based on values and on the engagement of employees. By relaying on our diverse experience and competence, we are able to meet the ambitious business challenges we face. In order to achieve the strategic goals and develop the solutions we offer as part of the convenience ecosystem, we need people who are focused on identifying solutions and who are driven by curiosity – they must be innovative and open to the needs of modern consumers. We are also engaged in partnerships promoting diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. The Diversity Charter is one of such undertakings. It is an international initiative under the auspices of the European Commission, obliging us to promote diversity and build an inclusive organisational culture. By joining the partnership in 2021, we declared we would combat discrimination in the workplace and promote a culture of diversity among our employees and co-workers. We create diverse teams promoting ingenuity and a fresh approach. By relying on creativity, cooperation and commitment, we create unique solutions for our customers.
What have we done so far?
In 2021, we implemented the Equity Policy defining our approach to strengthening diversity and building an inclusive organisational culture. Our commitment to promoting diversity is manifested, among other things, in ensuring equal access to training in order to boost competence and, consequently, careers. Our approach to equality requires also that the gender pay gap be bridged. We commenced the EQUAL-SALARY certification process by passing the quantitative analysis stage. We have also been working on developing a flexible and efficient working model that takes into account the needs and opportunities related to remote work and work in the office. We have invited our employees to participate in the “Remote Team Scan” study based on which our hybrid work model was established. This is an important change that opens up new opportunities for growth, for changing the existing organisation of the office, for attracting new, talented workers and for increasing the diversity of the team. We have also continued the tradition of Praising Days — exceptional days during which we praise each other, in a creative and funny manner, and thank ourselves for our daily work and support. We appreciate our achievements on a daily basis, but we also know how important it is to appreciate our joint efforts, commitment and the work required to turn our objectives into reality. These activities allow us to support the achievement of the strategic objective — increasing the level of our employees’ engagement. In the 2021 Gallup study, we achieved a score of 4.30 that was 0.06 higher than the one obtained the year before. The engagement score reflects the degree to which the staff identify with the organisation, its values and mission. In a dynamically changing environment, such as the Żabka Group, we regularly survey the experiences of our employees by means of pulse studies. The score from the last survey conducted in 2021 equalled 59 points and was 1pp higher than the year before.
„As an organisation, we perceive the people we hire, or we already have in our ranks, taking into account 3 elements: motivation to develop, competence, and experience. However, it must be remembered that these are only some of qualities required to build equality and inclusiveness. In order for our approach to be complete, we must look at humans as a whole, and not just as employees. That is what this entire area is actually dedicated to. In other words, it can be said that by creating an equal and inclusive organisational culture, we are answering the question of whether our people can devote their entire personalities to the organisation, whoever they are.”
Katarzyna Zabratańska Equity and Inclusive Organisational Culture Manager
„In the Żabka Group, we make sure that all employees, regardless of their gender, are equally compensated for the same work. In 2021, we implemented the Equity Policy to support equal opprtunities regardless of gender. In order to validate our approach, we have applied for an external EQUAL-SALARY certificate. Its purpose is to verify whether individuals working at Żabka receive the same pay regardless of gender. We have successfully completed the quantitative analysis stage. We are now facing the qualitative analysis, after which we will obtain the certificate.”
Paweł Brzóskowski Rewards Manager
Selected activities
Promoting
equity
Promoting equity
The commitment to implement a culture of equal opportunities and an inclusive organisational culture is expressed in the Equity Policy we have adopted. Its implementation, communication and monitoring are the responsibilities of the Equity and Inclusive Organisational Culture Manager. That is how we guarantee that decisions are taken without prejudice, based on competence, experience and the work results achieved. The Żabka Group is open to people with different identities, experiences, competences and prospects, and that is the spirit we desire to build our teams on. The positive results of our activities are confirmed by the outcome of the pulse survey. This year, its scope was expanded to include questions about diversity and inclusive organisational culture: “the company is open to diversity among employees” and “I am treated equally in the company, regardless of who I am”. The aim of those questions was to verify whether employees have a sense of equal treatment and whether the Żabka Group, as an organisation, is open to diversity. The study participants assessed both statements as highly accurate: on a scale from 1 to 10, the score regarding the first question equalled 8.7, and in the other, it amounted to 9.1.
Increasing
the level of
satisfaction
with work
Increasing the level of satisfaction with work
2021 was the first year in which we performed an additional Business Impact Analysis by the Gallup Institute as part of which we linked the results of engagement studies with indicators concerning HR, such as turnover or absence rates, to understand their causes. We discussed the conclusions of the study together with all the directors in the organisation, with the aim of increasing our awareness of what we should work on. In the context of building employee engagement, the attitude of managers and their ongoing competence support are of particular importance. An action taken in response to the results of the engagement studies is ‘Praising Days’ – a time during which employees are encouraged to provide positive feedback to their colleagues. During the last edition of the campaign, the record of praise messages provided was broken — 4,928 were given in total. Each employee and co-worker received, on average, two virtual cards praising their efforts. The satisfaction survey covers all our employees and co-workers, and the turnout in 2021 was as high as 91%, placing us among the top employers conducting such research. The activities resulted in the increased engagement of our employees. In the Gallup Institute survey, we achieved a score of 4.30, 0.06 higher than in 2020.
Caring
for our employees’
growth
Caring for our employees’ growth
Żabka Academy is a platform offering a series of training programmes and development activities tailored to the needs of employees, as well as our co-workers and franchisees. We offer on-boarding, specialist and managerial training. The Academy also conducts unique projects designed in cooperation with schools or universities, such as doctorate theses implementing specific solutions. All employees can also benefit from subsidies for English language courses — group or individual classes are offered, and the courses are supplemented by access to an e-learning platform. In 2021, a new module Logistics Manager Academy was introduced in response to the development needs of personnel performing logistics-related tasks. We have also ensured that managerial competences were strengthened. The management staff commenced a dedicated Senior Leader Development Programme. The most experienced managers participate in a diagnostic programme leading to the development of growth programmes tailored to their individual needs. The most talented in the organisation are able to boost their qualifications through training sessions organised by INSEAD, Stanford University, Yale and other institutions. All those activities gradually bring us closer to achieving the strategic objective. In 2021, the average time spent by each employee on their development equalled 22 training hours, without the mandatory OHS training considered.
EQUAL-SALARY
certification
EQUAL-SALARY certification
Żabka Polska is the first Polish retail company with certification indicating equal pay in the organization regardless of gender. The award granted by the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is based on the UN guidelines and recognized by the European Commission. Gender equality in pay is a human right. Creating equal pay conditions is the responsibility of the business. Having a certificate of equal pay strengthens our position among the best employers, who not only talk about their commitment to equality but also demonstrate it in real terms.
We started preparing for the EQUAL-SALARY certification in November 2021. It is carried out by the EQUAL-SALARY Foundation, an independent non-profit organization, which issues a certificate based on a coherent, science-based approach. Certification includes analysis of data on salaries and evaluation audit of the company’s HR policies, evaluation of the company’s solutions from the perspective of the employee group, and the company’s management’s commitment to ensuring equal pay. In June 2022, Żabka completed the final stage of the audit, and in August received the EQUAL-SALARY certification.
Our Policies in this area
Equity Policy
Responsibility Report 2021
