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SPAR receives employees from other sectors

SPAR received almost 900 new employees from other sectors in the past two weeks providing immediate job opportunities for jobseekers in its store chain nationwide. SPAR considers collaboration highly important in order to preserve the workplaces.

„In this current particularly difficult situation, it is extremely important to the Hungarian economy that as many people can get a job opportunity and have a workplace as possible. SPAR as a value-creating company considers it a mission to help immediately by providing job opportunities to those compatriots who lost their jobs because of the pandemic” – said Márk Maczelka, head of communication at SPAR.

SPAR employed nearly 900 new workers between 16 and 30 March. It becomes clear from the statistics that the crisis reached firstly the field of catering and tourism because from this sector have moved the most people to retail trade. SPAR on its career website (https://www.spar.hu/karrier) publishes continuously its job advertisements that offer positions not only in the stores nationwide, but also in the logistics centre and the Regnum Meat Processing Plant and Training Centre and in the administration centre also in Bicske.

SPAR has recently announced that during this extraordinary situation, it accounts gross 400 HUF loyalty reward after all hours worked to its employees working in the stores, in the field of logistics and food production plants which is transferred to the bank accounts together with the monthly salary. SPAR also exempted from work its 65-year-old and older employees including those who reach the age of 65 this year. For the period of measure taken to health protection, SPAR colleagues exempted from work temporarily are entitled to a remuneration appropriate for the legislative provisions.

Henkel will reduce fossil-based virgin plastic by 50 percent

Henkel is stepping up its commitment for sustainability and has set further ambitious packaging targets for 2025 to promote a circular economy. By then, 100 percent of Henkel’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable* and the company will reduce fossil-based virgin plastics by 50 percent in its consumer goods packaging. Additionally, Henkel wants to contribute to avoiding plastic waste being disposed in the environment.

As a global consumer goods company, Henkel wants to foster a circular economy – meaning that packaging materials remain in economic cycles as long as possible and do not end up in the environment. Henkel has already made many advances in the field of sustainable packaging. For example, the company further increased the share of recycled plastic in its packaging and a number of Henkel’s packaging already consists of 100 percent recycled material. With its new ambitious packaging strategy, Henkel strives to use material from sustainable sources and develop smart designs to close the loop.

“Packaging and plastic have captured the attention of the public, governments, and businesses around the world more than ever – plastic waste ending in the environment is one of the greatest global challenges. The search for solutions is well underway, and our packaging experts are working intensively to deliver on our ambitious targets,” says Sylvie Nicol, Executive Vice President Human Resources at Henkel and Chair of Henkel’s Sustainability Council. “To drive further progress and promote a circular economy, we are working closely together with our partners along the entire value chain.”

New packaging targets for 2025: 100 / 50 / Zero

Henkel’s commitment to sustainable packaging is reinforced by new, even more ambitious targets:

  • 100 percent recyclable or reusable*: By 2025, all packaging material will be recyclable or reusable; today the company is already at 85 percent. The main aim is to overcome the recycling hurdles specific to each packaging category – for example, by introducing solutions for multi-layer flexible or black packaging. Henkel is working on these challenges in cross-industry partnerships such as CEFLEX, a consortium of more than 130 companies and organizations aiming to enable flexible packaging to be recycled.
  • 50 percent less fossil plastic: Henkel wants to reduce the amount of virgin plastic from fossil sources in the consumer goods businesses Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care by 50 percent – by reducing the volume of packaging, through increasing the proportion of recycled material in its consumer goods packaging to more than 30 percent globally and by using bio-based plastics.
  • Zero waste: Henkel wants to help prevent waste from being disposed into the environment. Therefore, the company is supporting waste collection and recycling initiatives and invests in innovative solutions and technologies to promote closed-loop recycling. Examples are Henkel’s long-term partnership with social enterprise Plastic Bank or the company’s membership in the global Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Additionally, Henkel aims to support its consumers in responsible usage and disposal of its products. Each year, the company wants to reach more than 2 billion consumer contacts by providing targeted information about recycling and correct waste disposal, for example through dedicated icons on the packaging.

More information can be found at www.henkel.com/plastic.

170 new employees and Ice Cube drivers are helping with food delivery at Tesco

More than 170 new colleagues have joined the Tesco Grocery Home Shopping team recently, whose work is also supported by staff and cars from the delivery company Ice Cube. The company can thus deliver food to even more customers at home, while also providing job opportunities for those who have lost their jobs. This way, Tesco is able to deliver orders to 460 new households a day.

Tesco employees work tirelessly to ensure that, in addition to customers in stores, those staying at home have convenient and safe access to everything they need. In order to ensure a smooth supply of food for online prescribers even in the current extraordinary circumstances, the store chain has hired more than 170 new colleagues to serve Grocery Home Shopping. What’s more, with 26 cars and 28 drivers, Ice Cube is also helping with home delivery from now on. This way Tesco is able to offer job opportunities to even more people, supporting families who have temporarily lost their livelihoods due to the pandemic.
The store chain’s new pickers and delivery assistants typically came from other sectors. New employees hired on a fixed-term contract receive the same benefits as those who have worked for the company for a longer period of time. They start their induction with a short training and then acquire most of the knowledge in a live, experienced manner, while the drivers receive practical training as well.

Ice Cube drivers, on the other hand, are already experienced in car delivery, as they have been supplying ice cubes to the country’s various catering units and the public for 30 years. In this segment, they have released significant capacity now, which Tesco can use in food delivery in the framework of the cooperation. Colleagues from Ice Cube must meet the same quality and hygiene requirements as Tesco staff. Therefore, in an abbreviated but comprehensive training, they also receive theoretical and practical training, including rules for safe transport and delivery.

In addition to expanding its online delivery capacity, Tesco has also introduced a service called Tesco Box. The Box contains basic food and household products and can be ordered to Hungarian households where the online shopping service of the store chain is not yet available. The boxes filled with unified content, pre-assembled by Tesco, are delivered to homes by the Hungarian Post.

Nestlé Group is actively engaged in mitigating the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic

Wage supplement and extraordinary benefit for all Nestlé Hungária production and supply chain employees, but the company also plays an important role in helping people in need. Nestlé joins forces with the International Federation of the Red Cross and its national associations and donates CHF 10 million to support their work. Its Hungarian subsidiary adds a donation worth about HUF 100 million to help people in need and support the efforts of healthcare workers.

Nestlé Hungária introduced exceptional wage benefits in the extraordinary situation caused by the coronavirus epidemic. On top of the 10% wage supplement on average, company employees in production and the supply chain receive, among others, wage guarantee, moratorium on company loans, free meals as well as additional wage supplement for the time of sick-pay and sick-leave in the next three months. The key tasks of the good giant right now, besides retaining workplaces, is to ensure uninterrupted production and satisfy the demands of consumers.

As one of the largest food producers in Hungary, the priority strategic duty of Nestlé Hungária is to ensure the continuous supply of food and pet food products to its consumers. At the same time, it must first and foremost safeguard the health and financial security of its employees. For this purpose, on top of the strict hygiene regulations implemented in the past weeks, Nestlé Hungária introduced an extraordinary salary and benefit package for its production and supply chain frontline employees with a retroactive effect from 01 April.

All Nestlé and hired employees in Hungarian production facilities and warehouses will receive a wage supplement of HUF 1,800 gross for 8-hour shifts and HUF 2,400 gross for 12-hour shifts for each day worked on top of their base wages, shift supplements and other extras as part of the package. This may result in up to 20% salary increase for production line operators in Nestlé’s Hungarian factories.

“I am immensely grateful for my colleagues for working in the frontline in this extremely difficult situation to ensure the continuous food supply of communities. We take all efforts at Nestlé to provide for our active employees and also those who cannot attend their work duties due to the current circumstances.” said Péter Noszek, managing director of Nestlé Hungária. “Besides staying safe and healthy, the financial security of our employees is our top priority. This is why we considered it necessary to introduce additional benefits as soon as possible” he added.

Kép előnézete

10 million CHF and 12 tonnes of chocolate

Nestlé joins forces with the International Federation of the Red Cross and its national associations and donates CHF 10 million to support their work. Its Hungarian subsidiary adds a donation worth about HUF 100 million to help people in need and support the efforts of healthcare workers. Nestlé Hungária offered seasonal products and 12 tonnes of Easter chocolate to the Hungarian Food Bank to make the days of families in need easier. The company also distributes product and cash donations in support of the work of healthcare workers and the Hungarian Red Cross.
Besides cooperating with the Food Bank, the company has recently given further support to healthcare professionals by sending two lorries of products, including coffee, coffee machines, chocolate and other delicacies to the medical staff of Szent László Hospital. Nestlé Hungária also provides financial support to the Red Cross, another strategic partner. Nestlé employees may decide to waive a part of their salary in favour of the Hungarian Red Cross, which the company will forward and match 1:1.

Unilever is helping to protect lives and livelihoods from Covid-19

Unilever Hungary is offering Domestos, Knorr and Baba products among others to help those in need. The company contributes €100m globally to help the fight against the pandemic through donations of soap, sanitiser, bleach and food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The company also offers €500m of cash flow relief to support livelihoods across its extended value chain through

  • early payment for the most vulnerable small and medium sized suppliers, to help them with financial liquidity and
  • extended credit to selected small-scale retail customers whose business relies on Unilever, to help them manage and protect jobs.

Unilever Hungary is helping communities through product donation

  • Knorr donation to homeless shelters,
  • Around 700 litres of Domestos to nursery homes,
  • More than 1200 litres of bleach and soap, and hundreds of portions of food and icecream to hospitals,
  • Domestos and Baba soap to schools participating in the Domestos School Restroom Restoration Program.

 


Moreover, Unilever Hungary is reorganizing the production to fulfill the needs of hospitals, schools and other institutions in terms of bleach.

The company will also protect its workforce from sudden drops in pay, as a result of market disruption or being unable to perform their role, for up to three months. Unilever will cover the employees, contractors and others who they manage or who work on their sites, on a full or part-time basis. This will apply to workers not already covered by government plans or by their direct employer.

For Shell, safety and health is always top priority

The spread of the coronavirus is currently creating uncertainty in everyone’s lives. In these times, it has become even more important to take responsibility for each other and for people’s health living around us.

In order to be able to ensure the safety and health of customers and site staff these days, Shell has further strengthened its hygiene and disinfection rules at all filling stations in Hungary. Frequently used surfaces and the areas where customers and staff are mostly around are disinfected regularly, several times a day. Thus, the areas used by the customers, the rooms used for cooking and the staff rooms are also cleaned with great care. For refuelling, disposable plastic gloves were placed to the dispensers, while the stocks last.

In addition, further measures have been introduced to minimize the spread of the virus. In order to minimize contact between employees and customers, as well as customer contact with each other, customers are warned by signs to keep the appropriate distance of 1.5-2 m. In addition, a maximum of five people can stay in the shops, a dividing plexiglass wall has been placed at the cashier desk, and staff welcomes customers in mask and rubber gloves. The card terminals are turned towards the customer, so they can manage to arrange all card payments (bank cards, Shell fuel cards and ClubSmart cards) with self-service. Foods are only available pre-packed and customers are encouraged to buy in takeaway form. Now, the use of tables and chairs in the seating area is not permitted.

In addition to the extra measures, Shell welcomes all not-everyday heroes during this emergency situation, and invites all paramedics, doctors, nurses, police officers, soldiers, firefighters and truck drivers to the filling station for a delicious Caffé Perté cappuccino or espresso for free. More than 15,000 Shell filling stations in 30 countries have joined this initiative.

More information can be found on the shell.hu and Shell Facebook page.

LeasePlan donated cars and fuel cards to the local governments and recruited volunteers to help their work during the Coronavirus crisis

The market leader fleet management company, LeasePlan, with its used car business unit, CarNext donated cars and fuel cards to the local governments who are deeply affected by the Coronavirus’s consequences and work hard to ensure social care to the those in need. Furthermore, the company recruited volunteers who also help elderly and disabled residents in shopping staple food and medicine for them. Balatonalmádi and two districts in the capital have been supported by the initiative.

We are stronger together!

Coronavirus forces us to keep physical distance from each other, however, people show unprecedented social solidarity in this situation. Several initiatives from all around the world have been offered by companies and private people as well, to support the workers who stand in the frontline. LeasePlan, the market leader fleet management company is committed to people being the strongest only by supporting each other so they donated cars, fuel cards and offered help in human resources to support the local governments, who work hard to ensure social care to those in need.

We are in this together!

The coronavirus pandemic has different effect on each industry, area and individual, and it causes various kind of problems. Keeping ourselves apart from our loved ones is a big challenge for all of us, but there are people all around the world who need others’ help in such ordinary things like going to buy food, medicine or visiting the post office. In the meantime, numerous workers in healthcare and social care, who fight the virus on the frontline work 7/24 for the people in need.

The endangered people – the elderly, sick and disabled residents – can stay safe if they reduce their social contacts to the minimum and ask help in shopping for food and medicine. This help needs to be provided by the local governments according to the measures of the Hungarian Authorities. The number of the requests are increasing permanently but their capacities of logistic tools and human resources are limited. That’s why LeasePlan decided that they offer help directly to this segment.

Giving is great. Giving well is greater.

The company contacted several institutes and made needs assessment to find out how they can help in the most efficient way. According to the results LeasePlan contracted with the local governments of IV. and XXII. districts and donated five cars in co-operation with its used car business unit, CarNext. Besides the cars they provided fuel cards and vignettes for the complete logistic support.

Some of the local governments have shortage of human resources so LeasePlan recruited volunteers among its colleagues who now work remotely. Several employees applied not only in the capital but on the countryside as well. One of the colleagues who provides help in shopping for food and medicine in Balatonalmádi said: „I really like these kind of initiatives and I was happy when LeasePlan started to recruit volunteers. I think this kind of help gives much more than money because local people can feel that they can count on somebody even if they are alone. The volunteering inspires me as well and I feel that it’s worth to wake up in the morning as I do something good. A lady of those people who I visit from the very beginning wanted to give me money first and then some homemade cookies to thank my help. Of course, I rejected but I think it’s worth living for these moments because we experience this huge kindness very rarely.”

LeasePlan follows closely the updates of the coronavirus and they are ready to offer further help.

How and at what price can we keep our employees?

There is no question that the key to successfully rebooting the economy is retaining employees, but how and at what price can we do this? Sándor Baja, Managing Director of Randstad, had a conversation with the leaders of BCSDH’s member companies about this issue.

The online event was organized as the first item in the newly launched CEO discussion session of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH). The organization, which brings together 94 member companies that account for 30% of GDP, considers it important to create a forum for business leaders at which their dilemmas can be frankly discussed, and their solutions to the challenges of the current situation can be shared. This will also support the rebooting of the economy, and, as lessons are learned, it will help to create a more sustainable new course for business. The host of the event was Sándor Baja, who is also a member of the BCSDH Advisory board, and moreover the leader of the Action 2020 Employment working group.

As a result of the pandemic, CEOs face a number of new challenges. In almost every sector, hundreds of thousands had to switch to working from home within a matter of days. There are also serious disruptions in the supply chain that formerly always operated reliably, and demand has also changed drastically, thereby transforming the need for labor. Many companies are making real efforts to avoid having to lay off their employees, but the number of unemployed people has already increased exponentially. Many employees are now on forced leave, and in terms of wages a significant decline can be expected.

“As the crisis is extended, so is the uncertainty. Honest communication with employees becomes extremely important, because otherwise distrust can make it difficult to operate and restart. The labor market is also radically changing. We need to prepare for a longer transitional period in which we need to reboot the economy from its frozen status, while still living with the virus. The home office is becoming deeply important, but employees who still return to the workplace also require completely new conditions. The development of this infrastructure and culture is now the task of companies. Once the virus is defeated, the most important thing will be to maintain a more flexible and sustainable labor market in the long run” explained Sándor Baja in his presentation.

The tasks demanded of companies are often completely new, and involve changing to absolutely unexplored business models from one day to another, which requires an entirely different approach and a high degree of flexibility from both employers and employees.

However, the current situation may lead to more flexible and sustainable employment later on when the economy reboots, just like BCSDH’s Action2020 Recommendations on Employment called for in 2017.

Several members of BCSDH have reported about their effective job-preserving measures, and company leaders have confirmed that processes need to operate in a more sustainable way after the economy has rebooted.

Tesco to further support families in need with a donation worth 42 million HUF

In the current, extraordinary situation there is more need of little helps than ever. Therefore, Tesco gives a one-off food donation to support the work of the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the families in need supported by them. The sum amount of the donation is 42 million HUF.

Tesco is committed to support the communities where its colleagues and customers are living. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, thanks to its colleagues’ effort, Tesco is able to continue the cooperation with the Hungarian Food Bank and support people in need with its daily food surplus donation programme. Just last week Tesco donated 75 tonnes of food to support those in need in Hungary.

Besides maintaing the daily cooperation with Hungarian Food Bank, Tesco decided to give a one-off support to families in need. The company gives a food donation to those who need it the most through its strategic partners, the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid. The donation was funded by the reallocation of the budget of the spring edition of the company’s You Choose, We Help programme which has to be cancelled due to current situation.

The support is provided in the form of food and other essential products (e.g.: baby care, detergent, canned meat, long life milk, marmalade and other durable food), the actual list and number of products donated is constructed in cooperation with the recipient organisations, and the first delivery was already received.

Tesco is committed to tackling food waste. Therefore, the chain is operating its daily food surplus donation programme, in which the colleagues are collecting the fruits, vegetables and bakery products which are still perfectly edible but cannot be sold and donate them to people in need. In Hungary since September 2014 until the end of February 2020 Tesco donated almost 26 000 tonnes of food, equalling to more than 64 million of meals. The daily food surplus donation programme is currently operating in more than 170 stores in Hungary, the donation is continuos and safe despite the pandemic.

Toyota supports protective measures against coronavirus in Hungary by offering 20 vehicles for immediate use

Toyota Central Europe Kft. in Hungary assists the fight against coronavirus in Hungary with a generous offer – announced Máriusz Révész, member of parliament and head of the Action Group for Volunteering and Donations in Budaörs on Monday, 6th of April, at the company’s headquarters, after one of the leading players of the Hungarian automotive market, Toyota and its dealer network have offered 20 vehicles for use in support of the protective tasks against the coronavirus pandemic.

“Toyota’s Hungarian headquarters has offered a total of twenty passenger vehicles, people movers and vans for the period of the health emergency,” said Máriusz Révész. The head of the Action Group added: “After consultations held with professional organisations, a decision was made to send the vehicles – just as other donations – where they are needed most: to the National Ambulance Service, the pandemic hospital in Kiskunhalas and humanitarian aid agencies. The facility in Kiskunhalas will receive six vehicles for its employees to travel to service, and the humanitarian aid agencies operating as members of the Action Group may use eight vans for delivering donations.”

Toyota, in consideration of the pandemic situation, have channelled its sales activities to an online platform and concentrates its service activities on urgent repair/service works while complying with rigorous infection prevention measures. The dealer and importer test vehicles released as a result were offered to support logistics tasks pertaining to the defensive measures.

“The government will make available any resources required by those in the frontline of the fight against coronavirus, but such offers strengthen social cohesion. These efforts can be only successful if we join forces. We will find the best place for any donation received at the website segitunkegymasnak.hu and would like to also express our gratitude to the companies and individuals already providing altruistic assistance in the control of the pandemic,” said Máriusz Révész, head of the Action Group.

“We can use these vehicles for transporting both people and equipment, also for taking tests, which will considerably reduce the load on ambulance vehicles,” added Pál Győrfi, spokesperson for the National Ambulance Service.

“We are fully aware that protective measures against coronavirus present an unprecedented challenge for the state apparatus, which faces organisational tasks and the duty of making available the necessary personnel and equipment, constituting equally serious burdens. For this reason, it is natural that, in order to alleviate this burden, we offer our released test vehicle capacities, thus contributing to the success of the work of the heroically courageous staff of medical services and charities fighting in the first line.” said Richárd László, country director Toyota Central Europe Kft.

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