Our people
We are building the cooperation between the Group and its employees on the basis of the principle of social partnership and by maintaining the optimal balance of the parties’ interests in the framework of the Group’s established objectives and assumed obligations.
The team of Viru Keemia Grupp consists of employees who have a high inner motivation and share the values of the Group. Ensuring their wellbeing and maximum development possibilities and recruiting and retaining the best employees are the Group’s priorities.
Eve Rei
Human Resources Director
We are building the cooperation between the Group and its employees on the basis of the principle of social partnership and by maintaining the optimal balance of the parties’ interests in the framework of the Group’s established objectives and assumed obligations.
The team of Viru Keemia Grupp consists of employees who have a high inner motivation and share the values of the Group. Ensuring their wellbeing and maximum development possibilities and recruiting and retaining the best employees are the Group’s priorities.
Eve Rei
Human Resources Director
Main areas of work
1.
Systemic selection and rotation of personnel
3.
Development of a motivation system and a culture of inclusion
2.
Growth of work productivity and the efficiency of the organisation
4.
Training and development of competences
Main principles of personnel policy
Safety
We place the safety of employees, local residents and the environment above any economic, technical or other considerations. We ensure safe working conditions for our employees and demand the same from our partners.
Respect and no discrimination
Relationships in the Group are based on mutual respect and trust – we value every employee and listen to their opinions. The diversity of competences, viewpoints and experience aimed at our joint objective allows us to solve complex tasks.
Honesty
We comply with high ethical standards and are honest towards our employees.
Efficiency
We strive towards being as efficient as possible in our activities and recruit professionals who are the best in their field, highly motivated and determined.
Inclusion
We believe that the achievement of our established ambitious objectives is only possible through the joint efforts and concerted activities of the Group’s employees. We invite our employees to participate in corporate processes and to actively provide feedback.
The Code of Ethics and the Principles of Operation form a master document which regulates our activities and conduct and compliance with which we expect from all of our employees and members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board as well as our cooperation partners. Not only our reputation, but also our sustainability depend on our attitude to our colleagues and the fulfilment of our work tasks. Ethical behaviour and attitudes are the basis for reliable partnership and our image as an employer.
During the reporting period, we recorded six incidents related to violations of standards of ethics. The circumstances of the incidents are identified, feedback is given and preventive measures are developed and implemented by impartial representatives of the Group. All violations of standards of ethics are reported to the management.
About employees
Our employees are qualified specialists who perform their work with dedication and are loyal. The average length of services of a VKG employee at the company is 10 years, while the employee with the longest length of services has worked at the company for 55 years.
As at the end of December 2020, the Group employed 1,237 men and 375 women. As at the end of 2021, VKG’s working family had a total of 1,613 members, of whom 1,246 were men and 367 women. There were no significant fluctuations in the composition of personnel in the reporting period.
The number of male employees is considerably higher due to the greater proportion of physical work and positions where it is impossible for women to work. The average age of employees is 45 years. In 2020, 122 new people came to work and 115 people left and the respective figures for 2021 were 186 and 173. The labour turnover rate was 10% in both years, with voluntary turnover being 6%.
The age based structure of the Group’s employees, 2020–2021
Distribution of employees by categories, 2020–2021
Ratio of men and women in the Group’s management, 2020–2021
Distribution of employees by main area of activity,
31 December 2020 and 31 December 2021
Gross salary
Employees receive additional pay for working in the evening and at night. The Group strictly adheres to the Work and Resting Time Act. The working time regime is in conformity with the law and the collective agreement. If the working time of an employee differs from the provisions of the employer’s general rules, the working time is regulated in the employment contract, taking into account the nature of work, the specifics of production, and working conditions. Work is organised in shifts, if the production process is longer than the allowed working day, as well as for the more efficient use of the equipment and for increasing the production volume or providing more services.
In addition to salary, a tenure bonus is paid to the employees of the company as well as a child birth bonus, an anniversary bonus, and a funeral bonus on sadder occasions. Mothers with small children can take an additional paid leave. In 2020, a total of 1.3 million euros was spent on payments to all the Group’s employees, regardless of their membership in a trade union (1.4 million euros in 2021).
Lifelong learning and employee training
The training and development system covers all the Group’s employees and subcontractors as well as potential employee target groups – school and university students.
The training programme takes into account the Group’s strategic plans and the situation in the labour market and the country as a whole. Training programmes for different groups of employees are organised according to training need priorities and on the basis of the analysis of the needs of employees and their current level of competence.
In recent years, we have increasingly and more actively been talking about lifelong learning at the Group – of the need to constantly update our knowledge and skills in order to be more competitive in the world of work, while also evolving as individuals. In preparing our training strategy, we relied both on our internal needs and focuses as well as on Estonia’s Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020. The topics of employee training and development are described in the Personnel Policy. The Head of Training is responsible for the training strategy, focuses and programmes at the Group. Every employee of the Group has an opportunity to improve and develop their skills. An employee’s needs and wishes are mapped at development interviews and his or her training map is prepared on the basis of that. We support and facilitate our employees’ wishes to learn and obtain new knowledge.
As the reporting period was dominated by the corona crisis, we had to transfer most of our training to online formats. Despite that, we held more than 20 training courses in which over 300 employees of the Group took part. In total, we invested 180,000 euros into increasing the qualifications and skills of our employees.
The development of employees in order to achieve new work techniques, effective work organisation and high management culture continues to be our priority goal also in 2022.
In training, we have mapped three areas of main focus for us in 2021-2022:
- development of competences facilitating teamwork and cooperation;
- increasing the level of user skills in the software programmes used in the Group;
- improving the user skills in software and various programmes.
In our area of activity, it is extremely important to ensure the necessary inflow of new employees, to ensure that the instruction, training and consistent improvement of the knowledge and skills of the employees meet the needs. For instance, merely one subsidiary of the Group, which is responsible for the valorisation of oil shale, uses as many as 13 unique technologies. We also actively use internal training instructors who both share specific knowledge with their colleagues and provide more general training. The company supports the development of its employees with internal training programmes, thus providing employees opportunities for specialised further training in public training sessions or courses. In addition to that, we constantly prepare information letters and supporting articles in which we introduce a wide range of different opportunities available today for self-development and independent learning to our employees.
In autumn 2021, we launched a progeny project for VKG Oil’s technology equipment operators. In an extensive advertising campaign, we recruited a group of trainees who started learning under a workplace-based study programme of the Ida-Viru Vocational Education Centre and commenced work as VKG Oil’s technology equipment operators. Those who graduate from the workplace-based study group in 2023 are important progeny for our qualified employees.
VKG and the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund concluded a cooperation agreement
In November last year, Chairman of Management Board of the Group, Ahti Asmann, and Chairman of Management Board of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, Meelis Paavel, concluded an inter-institutional cooperation agreement. The cooperation agreement is a practical outlet for previous cooperation between the private and the public sector, which has several objectives – to offer development opportunities to employees in the increasing labour demand and competition conditions, to improve qualification, organise training and implement support measures in workplaces where the education system has not prepared a sufficient number of suitable specialists.
“The concluded cooperation agreement is a confirmation of goodwill and a continued wish to cooperate. We are the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s long-standing and important partner as well as an advisor on regional labour needs, the development of labour market services and further and re-training. The Unemployment Insurance Fund has been our steadfast partner in the Group’s active development phases and in more complicated times,” Ahti Asmann commented the cooperation agreement.
“The concluded cooperation agreement is a confirmation of goodwill and a continued wish to cooperate. We are the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s long-standing and important partner as well as an advisor on regional labour needs, the development of labour market services and further and re-training. The Unemployment Insurance Fund has been our steadfast partner in the Group’s active development phases and in more complicated times,” Ahti Asmann commented the cooperation agreement.
Traditional events in a new format
We value our employees and show it with our traditions: the Day of Chemists and the Day of Miners, Christmas parties, the jubilee gratitude event, and the School Bell Party for new first-graders and their parents, in the course of which children receive a school bag packed with all the necessary school supplies as a present.
The pandemic situation has also had an effect on our yearly events. During the reporting period, we were unable to celebrate traditional events important for the Group – the Day of Chemists and the Day of Miners – as grand events. However, that did not prevent us from selecting the best chemists and miners. The recognition ceremonies were held in open air and only in the presence of the awardees and the management. The employees were congratulated more widely via video greetings and concerts.
Thanks to the virus receding and the alleviated measures, we were able to hold the School Bell Party in August in the ordinary format, while strictly adhering to all the control measures. In 2020, one of our beloved traditions celebrated its 20th jubilee. Seventy-two children of our employees started attending school in 2020 and sixty in 2021. We send the children to discover the school world with a fully packed school bag that contains everything for a successful start on the journey through school.
We take part in the international Handcar Rally. A hundred and forty kilometres on handcars, fighting the wind, pumping with teeth crossed, challenging personal limits, emotion-filled additional tests, ups and downs, unbelievable mutual support, inspiring songs, exhaustion, blisters, the passion to win – all these words give a very short, but impressive description of our competition. VKG’s team again did very well at the 2021 event!
VKG Moving for Your Health
Health has become an ever increasingly important topic in recent years and takes up an increasing part of our time. At VKG, we know that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body and want to promote this lifestyle among our employees. We therefore contribute to the employees’ healthy lifestyle by allowing each employee to use the Group’s sports support via the Stebby environment (the former SportID), if the employee himself or herself also contributes.
For a long time, we have also cooperated with the YuMuuv team, offering our employees different monthly challenges which inspire and make it easy to take care of the most important thing – our own health. It has been proven that moving releases happiness hormones which improve our wellbeing. By moving, we keep our physical health in a good state, while also taking care of our mental health. It is also an important step towards reducing the level of stress at work.
Cooperation with educational establishments
VKG has been granting scholarships via the TalTech Development Fund since 2006. From 2006 to 2021, we have granted scholarships in a total amount of 132,000 EUR.
VKG’s bachelor’s degree scholarships are granted to up to two successful bachelor’s students of electrical engineering, mechatronics, earth sciences and geotechnology, environmental and chemical technology or thermal engineering at TalTech’s School of Engineering. One scholarship is 1,300 euros.
VKG’s master’s degree scholarships are granted to one successful master’s student of environmental and chemical technology, fuel chemistry and technology, thermal engineering, and electrical engineering at TalTech. One scholarship is 1,400 euros.
VKG’s professional higher education scholarships are granted to up to four successful professional higher education students of fuel technology, industrial automation, machine building engineering, energy technology, chemistry technology, energy technology processes control and telematics and smart systems at TalTech’s Virumaa College. One scholarship is 1,000 euros.
Since 2020, we are also awarding two VKG Medallist Scholarships to the students of the TalTech Virumaa College. The total fund of VKG’s gold and silver scholarships is 2,500 euros.
VKG’s scholarships support the students’ motivation in acquiring the professions necessary in the Group and give a clear signal that we expect young specialists to joint our ranks.
The Group also places great importance on cooperation with schools. We strive to create an uninterrupted path of education: school – university – company, aiming to ensure a constant inflow of young people and the proper qualification and competence of our future specialists.
Our employees have a good specialised qualification and are experienced and eager to learn. In 2021, 14 employees of the Group graduated from a higher education establishment and 11 of them from the TalTech Virumaa College.
In order to build a bridge to future colleagues, the Group’s team also takes part in the career fair A Key to the Future (Võti Tulevikku) every year.
Cooperation with trade unions
The Group has a long-standing partner relationship with a trade union organisation called the Trade Union of Chemists. The representatives of the trade union actively participate in the development of the Group’s production safety culture, discussions on changes in the system of social benefits, and measures to create safe working conditions. Viru Keemia Grupp has a collective agreement which establishes the Group’s social obligations towards its employees. As at the end of 2021, 30% of the Group’s employees were members of the trade union and the collective agreement covered 100% of the employees.