SOCIAL SUSTA INABILITY
late a policy at central level. This policy, which will be
part of our human rights policy, will then be translat
ed by the operating companies into local policy.
Child labour
We have invited the European Works Council to dis
cuss the draft position paper on child labour which
was formulated by Heineken in 2003 and we hope to
finalise our position in 2004 so that the policy can be
implemented by all our companies.
Heineken already complies strictly with local and
international minimum-age legislation and employed
no-one under the applicable minimum age in 2003.
In some countries, we also check on the use of child
labour by suppliers and contractors. We support
non-governmental organisations which are active in
combating this problem.
Health and safety
A safe and healthy working environment is a basic
right of all employees. Factors in the working environ
ment which might endanger the health and safety of
employees are analysed and managed to the best of
our ability. Work-related accidents are recorded and
analysed. Information on circumstances which endan
ger health is systematically linked to the provision of
instruction, training and personal protective equip
ment. Heineken's efforts and results in this area are
discussed elsewhere in this chapter.
Training and education
Heineken's policy seeks to develop knowledge and
skills which are consistent with the employee's natu
ral talents. Knowledge productivity is essential to the
preservation and advancement of Heineken's com
petitive position. To make more effective use of the
knowledge which exists within the organisation, the
Heineken University was established five years ago.
This internal training facility has developed into a
meeting place where knowledge can be developed,
shared and translated into a usable form within the
specific Heineken environment. The university experi
ments constantly with new learning and development
processes, including via the internet. Extensive re
search has been conducted in recent years into the
changing demands on management and leadership,
Training and education 2003
Average days' training and education
per employee 2.8 days
Average expenditure on training and
education per employee €361
Percentage of operating companies with
formal training programmes 68 per cent
Percentage of operating companies with
programmes designed to increase
employee flexibility 55 per cent
the effectiveness of virtual teams and learning
processes in different cultures. Over 1,500 Heineken
employees took part in the university's activities in
2003.
4.9 Integrity management
Heineken's reputation is determined partly by the
integrity of its individual employees. To increase their
awareness of the need for integrity and enable them
to conduct themselves accordingly, Heineken has to
do more than simply impose rules and formulate
policy positions. Individual employees need to be
given the knowledge, expertise and skills to cope with
the day-to-day dilemmas which arise in business, and
there must be a culture which enables and promotes
integrity.
integrity programme
Nyenrode University has been commissioned by
Heineken to set up a programme, in conjunction with
Dutch and foreign experts, for instituting a good
integrity policy. The programme addresses three
levels: the organisational level, where the object is to
develop and internalise an ethical business culture,
the individual level, which involves a study of individ
ual learning options, and the professional level,
where the aim is to translate the existing codes for
the various professions into practical codes which are
consistent with Heineken practice.
Because the integrity programme is an ongoing
programme, the shared culture we seek to engender
will be an issue which receives constant attention and
can adjust to changing social conditions and expecta
tions. The programme provides education, coaching
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