Together we care for our people and our place
We are on a mission to inspire each and every employee to prioritise safety, all in pursuit of our goal: ‘Everyone Home Safe Every Day’.
But we are not just talking about safety; we are making it happen with HOP – Human and Organisational Performance. Through HOP, we focus on the organisation, not the individual: everyone in our Company learns to accept that mistakes happen, that blaming individuals fixes nothing, and that we have to understand why mistakes occur and how to prevent them by working on processes, systems and equipment. Local teams across Givaudan create ‘experience events’ for employees to immerse themselves in situations that would be risky if they were real.
Locally driven safety experiences
In 2023, as in every year, our sites went all out for safety. From day-long gatherings to month-long celebrations, our employees stepped away from work to dive into immersive exercises together. These events were locally driven and designed to tackle specific local safety needs. Below are a few examples from many, serving as illustrations of the numerous occurrences. Safety is not just a priority; it is a lively celebration that brings us together.
At the Zhang Jiang Flavour Centre in Shanghai, China, our employees embarked on a fascinating journey inspired by the rich heritage of the Chinese fan. In a unique activity, our employees enthusiastically participated in adorning a fan with important health, safety, or environmental messages. The captivating outcome has been showcased in an exhibition. An immersive simulated fire evacuation was another standout experience at Zhang Jiang. They went through a simulator set up in an inflatable cabin, moving from a daylit room to a dark area replicating a smoke-filled room. The 80 employees evacuated while keeping their eyes shut, necessary in real life to protect against thick, irritating smoke. They found the experience ‘frightening, interesting and unprecedented’, and reported they had learned not to panic and to evacuate in the right way. Across the seas in the UK, a blindfolded walk achieved a similar goal – equipping employees with the skills for a safe evacuation.
An exercise at our Taste & Wellbeing site in 6th of October City, Egypt, strategically connected the business to food safety. Employees learned how to distinguish between allergenic and non-allergenic food and avoid cross-contamination. They created cards to thank all employees. The cards featured images of products made with our flavourings, fostering pride in being part of manufacturing safe food for themselves and their families. Additionally, employees received various health checks and ergonomic advice. One employee remarked, “It is a good thing that everyone is cooperating to reduce errors and stop blame.”
Creativity played a crucial role across our sites, with bingo games, quizzes, first aid training, and breathing exercises among the ideas that reinforced Givaudan’s approach: caring for our people and our places together. Our twelve Safety Ground Rules are a red thread throughout all our engagement events, further embedding our strong safety culture.
Safety: a cornerstone for people and business success
At Givaudan, safety is the heartbeat of our workplace. In our 2023 Employee Engagement Survey, 91% felt empowered to report safety issues, 87% recognised safety as our top Company priority, and 85% confirmed prompt issue resolution. These good figures exemplify our dedication to fostering a secure and valued environment.
“Unsafe behaviour is the cause in more than 90% of workplace incidents. And changing this behaviour will only work if we bring everyone in the Company with us.”
Our commitment to safety aligns with our purpose objective: to reduce our total recordable case rate by 50% against a 2018 baseline, enhancing productivity and ensuring Givaudan remains a great place to work.