Employees

Employees are a true asset of PGE Group. PGE operates based on their experience, commitment and competencies.

As at December 31, 2020, PGE Group employed 41,629 persons. At present, the most significant challenge in the HR area is to prepare employees for the process of a sustainable transition. This is the key objective of the new human resources management strategy which PGE Group companies were asked to formulate. A working team has been established which, having prepared conclusions resulting from a detailed analysis of the business strategy, will develop solutions responding to the challenges of the individual segments of the Group’s operations.

One of the initiatives is a plan to establish a competence development centre in Bełchatów. In 2020, the concept was developed and presented to the Marshal of the Łódzkie voivodship by the President of the Management Board of PGE SA, Wojciech Dąbrowski. The project was submitted to the “Territorial Just Transition Plan for Łódzkie Voivodship.”

A working team for the Turów complex transition program is developing a coherent and comprehensive concept for the transformation of the Turów lignite mine and power plant branches. Developed at PGE SA in cooperation with other companies, initiatives for the transformation of the Turów complex were sent to the Marshal of the Dolnośląskie province to be included in the “Territorial Just Transition Plan for Dolnośląskie Voivodship”.

A special place in the new business strategy is devoted to demographic trends, including the deepening generation gap, which may have a very significant impact on the future of the PGE Group. Currently, the proportion of the working age population is 63 percent. According to forecasts, in 2050 the potential workforce in Poland will account for 56 percent of the population. By 2050, the size of the population of mobile working age (18-44) is expected to decrease by 6 million (i.e. 39 percent), with the greatest loss occurring by 2035. Demographic forecasts of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) predict that by 2050 the median age will increase to 50.1 years for men and 54.8 years for women, and the rate of ageing will be the highest in the next 10 years.

Poland will become one of the oldest societies in Europe. In PGE, models and forecasts are made that take these assumptions into account. Demographic changes require appropriate measures for each age group.

In 2020, “A concept for bridging the generation gap in PGE GiEK” was developed, the purpose of which is to define actions and systemic solutions in the area of, among others, employee retraining, as well as rules and standards for employee mobility, which will enable the efficient allocation of resources during the implementation of projects, investments or operational tasks. Minimisation of the generation gap is also possible through the proper use of experience and knowledge of PGE Group employees, the implementation of mentoring programmes, and precise planning of succession in the areas of key importance to the Group’s operations. The PGE Group attaches great importance to the development of internship and apprenticeship programmes, as well as cooperation with technical schools and universities.

The PGE Group participates in successive editions of the „Energy for the Future” internship programme, providing internships for university students. It is a programme carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Climate in cooperation with the energy companies such as PKN ORLEN, PGNiG and PSE. In the fourth edition of the programme, which ended in September 2020, 29 interns took part. The fifth edition of the programme started in October 2020.

Internship programs and sponsored classes have been on-going for several years. PGE cooperates closely with schools to improve the quality and effectiveness of vocational education and to help them to adapt their curricula to future needs. PGE GiEK supports 27 schools with more than 660 pupils in the Zgorzelecki, Bełchatowski and Pajęczański districts. The Company helps to educate, among others, future electricians, mechanics, power engineers, as well as automatics and mechatronics technicians.

PGE Energia Ciepła runs a project entitled “Energetic Career with PGE Energia Ciepła” in cooperation with a group of technical secondary schools. The participating schools are integrated into a single network for the exchange of information and cooperation aimed at the training of personnel in the energy sector. Within the framework of the project, students have the opportunity to acquire appropriate technical and professional skills, while close cooperation between the company and the schools makes it possible for the latter to adapt their curricula to the market needs of the Polish heat generation sector. Currently PGE Energia Ciepła cooperates with 11 schools located in Kraków, Gdańsk, Toruń (two schools), Wrocław, Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów, Zielona Góra, Gorzów Wielkopolski and Lublin. As part of the project, since its inception, over 600 students have taken part in classes at various CHP plants operated by the company, over 120 students have completed apprenticeships and 41 graduates already work as energy sector specialists at various locations within PGE Energia Ciepła.

For several years PGE Dystrybucja has cooperated with 19 vocational and sectoral schools located in its territory of operation. In each of the company’s branches there are schools with which cooperation agreements have been signed. Their pupils visit PGE Dystrybucja’s offices and learn the specificity of the work of energy sector specialists, as well as systematise their knowledge about the Polish energy market, PGE Group and the role of the Distribution System Operator. They also participate in month-long training programs.

PGE Energia Odnawialna entered into its first cooperation agreement with secondary schools in Siedlce. At present, the company provides patronage for six secondary schools (in Wejherowo, Gorlice, Radom, Opole, Zgorzelec and Siedlce), where it supports the teaching process in the following specialist subject: “Technician for renewable energy devices and systems”. The company also financed the purchase of state-of-the-art educational laboratory equipment such as heat pumps, wind and water turbines, portable educational sets with solar pumps, solar collectors and educational sets dedicated to energy storage.

One of the key areas subject to continuous improvement is the area of occupational health and safety.

The need to respond to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic at the beginning of 2020 created a completely new reality for all PGE Group companies, which had to face new challenges. The Corporate Centre monitors the situation on an ongoing basis and continuously communicates the principles, conditions and other relevant issues in this regard across PGE Group.

PGE Group companies developed principles for the functioning of all processes under epidemic conditions. All locations were equipped with means necessary for functioning in such conditions (e.g. disinfectants, protective masks, visors, etc.). The availability and inventories of such equipment throughout the Group were monitored on an ongoing basis by the Corporate Centre. The subsidiaries established local crisis teams based on the so-called Emergency/Crisis Teams, which were prepared in advance for similar circumstances. Their main task was to ensure operational continuity, develop emergency scenarios and principles of remote work, prepare daily reports and communications for employees, coordinate all activities, develop guidelines on sanitary regime principles in areas such as work organisation, shift handover, training, recruitment or delegations. The work of the crisis teams was supervised by the central Crisis Team at the Corporate Centre. It cooperated effectively with its counterparts in PGE Group subsidiaries, the Ministry of State Assets and the Ministry of Climate and Environment. Cooperation was also established with entities of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Authorities to ensure a smooth flow of information. The team regularly discussed the current situation. Employees were kept informed on the current pandemic situation, including changes in the legal environment, guidelines and rules for maintaining safety.

PGE Group employees have adapted work rules in their facilities to the epidemic situation. Where possible, the handover of shifts took place in a contactless manner, with no contact between the outgoing and incoming shift. Contact with outside visitors was kept to a minimum.

Employees of some companies have been able to use a special line offering psychological support for those who may have felt the discomfort of isolation and increased tension due to the pandemic. Willing employees have been able to participate in online training with a psychologist on managing stress and emotions in times of crisis and rapid change.

To support managers, a set of Good Managerial Practices has been developed with examples and advice on how to transfer managerial tools to the online world (remote working for managers, remote communication, emotions and stress). The HR team supported managers in coping with the management of remote working teams by means of cyclical online training courses entitled “The Manager in Hard Times”. They focused on development in two areas: management of oneself and one’s effectiveness while working remotely, and remote team management.

PGE offers comprehensive medical packages in private health care facilities run by Enel-Med and other medical partner across the country to all of its employees. Employees can quickly benefit from professional medical care, i.e. medical consultations with various specialists and diagnostic tests. In the autumn-winter period, each employee can receive a free flu vaccination preceded by a medical consultation.

An employee opinion survey (EOS) was conducted for the first time in PGE SA. Its measures employees’ involvement, development opportunities, leadership, safety and well-being at work, and, given the current situation, issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was completely anonymous. Ninety percent of the Company’s employees participated in it. The results were presented in 2021. Subsequently, on the basis of the results, an improvement action plan will be developed together with employees. Last year, a similar survey was also conducted for the 14th time in PGE Energia Ciepła and its subsidiaries.

In 2020, the HR team made efforts to run the training courses that had been planned before the pandemic. Language, computer and soft skills development courses were organised and conducted in an online format. PGE SA launched a programme called “Networks of Development” and conducted in the form of 90 minutes’ webinars. A total of 49 training sessions were conducted with the participation of 434 employees. In 2020, the second edition of the HR Business Partner Academy was conducted. The Academy is an internal development programme preparing future HR business partners from across the PGE Group to work effectively with managers. Also, a three-semester MBA degree programme run in cooperation with the Warsaw University of Technology came to an end. Its participants included 40 managers from the PGE Group. Another project finalised in 2020 was PROInv Academy, or the Programme of Effective Management of Investment Projects.

The Company launched a new e-learning programme focusing on counteracting bullying, discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It was obligatory for all employees. The provisions of the procedure for counteracting mobbing and discrimination were updated. The document was forwarded to all employers in the PGE Group with a recommendation for implementation at the local level.

Like every year, also in 2020 PGE employees very actively participated in the Global Management Challenge – a competition that consists in an advanced simulation of running a business. Despite the pandemic, 26 teams from the PGE Group began the struggle in the 20th edition of the games. The FullJoin team from PGE Systemy was the winner of the national final and was advanced to the world final. The AtomicPeople team (PGE Systemy + PGE SA) took the third place in the national final.

Employees of the Elektrownia Bełchatów Branch conduct extensive activities in the area of improvement innovations and optimisation initiatives. In 2020, the Power Plant conducted the 13th Innovation Ranking. Its result was the implementation of 40 innovations submitted by 78 authors. Innovations generate benefits by increasing efficiency and improving working conditions, organisation and ergonomics at the workplace.