Communication
”[ESRS S1-2; GRI 2-29, 403-4]
Regular and varied communication with employees and their representatives ensures a clear understanding of the business strategy, goals, market conditions, financial situation and policies, including contractual terms, conditions, and benefits. Information is disseminated through channels such as onboarding events, townhall meetings, notice boards, internal mail, and internal news.
Key elements of Lenzing’s informative engagement include semi-annual global townhall meetings that encompass all Group companies and employees to address globally relevant topics. Additional site-specific townhall meetings are held to address location-specific issues and general updates. Press releases are used to keep all employees informed about important updates or special occasions as needed. The townhall meetings are held interactively via videochat and allowing employees to participate and ask questions, which are then directly addressed by the respective presenters. Lenzing Connect (intranet) provides ongoing reporting on relevant topics as well as functional applications for everyday work. To ensure this engagement takes place, operational control and responsibility lies with the Senior Vice President Corporate Human Resources.
Works council/social dialog
The Lenzing Group’s management is committed to a transparent information policy involving the employees’ official representatives. Local works councils exist at both sites in Austria. Those at the Lenzing site have a seat and vote on the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG in accordance with the Austrian Labor Constitution Act. They represent the interests of the employees in Lenzing and Heiligenkreuz (Austria). To actively incorporate the insights and perspectives of employees in the decision-making process, the works council schedules a meeting with the CEO before Supervisory Board meetings and meets with the CFO on a monthly basis. Other meetings are arranged as needed. With the exception of the site in Prachinburi (Thailand), trade union representatives from various fractions and/or employee interest groups represent the interests of the employees at all other sites.
Health and safety committees
Where occupational health and safety committees are a regulatory requirement, formal agreements with workers’ representatives are in place and all employees of Lenzing are represented by such committees, which operate at the site level. They provide a forum for Lenzing’s management and employees to work together to resolve any health and safety issues. Each individual site is responsible for arranging and maintaining such committees. Specific details on how often the committees meet, agenda items and the make-up of representatives are the responsibility of the site HSE managers and subject to agreement with union representatives.
Lenzing Climate Survey
This survey is based on a framework (“House of Health”) that includes methods (e.g. employee satisfaction) that are widely recognized and used in both international and academic contexts. This ensures that the assessment is not only methodologically sound, but also meets globally recognized standards and provides a reliable basis for the findings and conclusions. In a combined review, results and next steps are communicated on its internal platform. Sites and departments develop specific actions whose progress is tracked by Lenzing to improve the findings of this survey. The three most important measures per site or department are surveyed and the implementation status is tracked. The survey for 2024 had to be postponed to Q1 2025 due to organizational changes in Q4 2024. For more information, please see the “Health and safety actions” section of this chapter.
Employee Resource Groups
ERGs are a channel of communication for specific groups such as women, different ethnicities, LGBTQ etc. Lenzing has three Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): “Women@Lenzing”, “Multicultural@Lenzing” and “PrideAlliance@Lenzing” For more information on ERGs, please see the “Equity, Diversity & Inclusion” section of this chapter.
Channels to raise concerns
[ESRS S1-3; GRI 2-25]
The following processes are in place for Lenzing’s workforce to raise concerns and grievances.
- Whistleblower system (described in the “G1 Business conduct” chapter)
- Works council at the Lenzing and Heiligenkreuz sites, both situated in Austria (see the “Communication” section in this chapter)
- Trade unions/employee interest groups (except Prachinburi (Thailand) site; see the “Communication” section in this chapter)
- Global Child Labor Remediation Procedure
A mandatory e-learning course entitled “Our Whistleblower System” supports the understanding and use of channels to raise concerns and grievances. In addition, the Compliance team conducts an integrity scan, in the form of a survey, to assess employees’ knowledge of the whistleblower system. A Whistleblower Directive is in place. For more information on the Whistleblower Directive, please see the “Policies” section in the “G1 Business conduct” chapter.
There is no formal process for remediation. This is conducted on an individual case-by-case basis. Lenzing has a Global Child Labor Remediation Procedure. This procedure provides guidance for any instance of child labor found within Lenzing and includes remediation steps that can be followed by managers to ensure that child safety and rights are upheld, and the best interests of children are always served.