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9. WORKPLACE
Within our own backyard, we continue to value our niche as a unique brand with a unique style, even in the larger, more complex organization of our parent company, Unilever. Our generous workplace practices and our relaxed company culture at our Vermont sites are an important part of maintaining the right balance. Some Ben & Jerry’s employees working outside of Vermont, including our European brand team in Windsor, U.K., and a handful of brand development people in Asia receive Unilever benefits and workplace programs in their locations. In Vermont, highlights in our 2008 workplace included the following:
Global Reorganization We completed a global reorganization in 2008 to continue evolving our role as the fastest growing global ice cream brand within Unilever while staying true to our three-part Company Mission. Various human resources initiatives were completed to support the implementation of this new structure, including the creation of new job descriptions for some positions, the hiring and orienting of key new talent, and — where appropriate — adjusting compensation.
Livable Wage Policy Ben & Jerry’s is committed to paying all of its full-time manufacturing workers a livable wage. In 1995 we established a method for calculating a livable wage benchmark for Vermont. We defined it as the starting wage for a single person that will sustain a reasonable quality of life to include expenditures for housing, utilities, out-of-pocket health care, transportation, food, recreation, savings, taxes, and miscellaneous expenses. Since then, we’ve adjusted this livable wage annually to ensure the relative value is sustained in today’s marketplace. Ben & Jerry’s livable wage benchmark for 2008 started at $13.06 per hour, but we revised it upwards to $13.25 per hour halfway through the year in response to significant inflation in the broader economy in 2008 and specifically the rising cost of gasoline. This hourly wage translates to $27,560 per year. For comparison, in 2008, the minimum wage in Vermont was $8.06/hr ($16,765/yr) and the national minimum wage was $6.55/hr ($13,624).
Bonus Plan Every full-time Ben & Jerry’s employee is eligible for some form of variable pay over and above their base pay. In 2008, Ben & Jerry’s salaried exempt employees and salaried non-exempt employees were eligible for the Variable Pay Award (VPA) plan which allocates bonuses based on the Company’s financial performance and the individual’s progress on goals and targets. Ben & Jerry’s company-owned scoop shop managers received variable pay through Ben & Jerry’s Retail Incentive Plan which is calculated based specifically on criteria relating to scoop shop sales and performance criteria. Ben & Jerry’s full-time hourly manufacturing employees were eligible for bonuses and incentives in 2008 through a “Keys to Enterprise” (KTE) plan. The KTE payout in 2008 included cash; ‘Ben Bucks,’ our own in-house currency which can be redeemed in Company stores; and other awards. The average value of the KTE payout in our Vermont plants in 2008 was just over $510 per employee, up from $474 in 2007.
Benefits Ben & Jerry’s maintains a competitive benefits package that includes many unique elements. In addition to standard benefits such as health care and 401(k) matching, all Ben & Jerry’s employees have access to company-sponsored memberships to local fitness centers; health screening programs; personal financial planning advice; on-site lactation rooms; an on-site Company store that stocks a wide variety of Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever products; and a hybrid car purchase incentive, among other things. Employees at the Central Support office in South Burlington also have an onsite workout facility and a dog-friendly workplace.
New People Mission initiatives for 2008 In response to our 2007 Global People & Social Mission surveys, a grass-roots employee team participated in an all-site brainstorming session to generate ideas and suggestions to improve employee engagement and address ongoing issues. Some of the outcomes of the session were:
Global Brand Ambassador Training We launched a week-long brand immersion session — the Global Brand Ambassador Training program — for the people responsible for growing the Ben & Jerry’s brand within Unilever organizations world-wide. The program introduced international brand champions and new employees to the unique culture, history, product, and business that is Ben & Jerry’s. Nine new employees attended, with 24 more (six from the Waterbury facility) participating in the creation and/or implementation of the orientation process.
Wellness Programs We established a Wellness Team within Ben & Jerry’s in 2008; the team created a survey that was sent to all employees in the South Burlington location to gain feedback on various health-related needs. Based upon the results, changes were made to a number of current programs, which have helped boost employee participation in Wellness initiatives (including health screenings, flu shots, and on-site massages) to 43 percent. We also have a shared community garden space at our South Burlington location, which allows our employees to get exercise and enjoy healthy foods all at the same time! The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness awarded Ben & Jerry’s a gold award for our Wellness Program this year, recognizing our “outstanding programs” and “models that other Vermont work sites should strive to emulate.”
Diversity Ben & Jerry’s is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in our workforce. We believe that when we leverage the skills and experiences of employees from diverse backgrounds and experiences, our whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. One tangible element of this commitment — one that holds a deep respect for individuals inside and outside our Company — one that holds a deep respect for individuals inside and outside our Company — is our application of Affirmative Action practices to look for conspicuous imbalances in our workforce and take positive steps to correct them. Affirmative Action plans focus on equality in hiring, training, promoting, and compensating employees. We are proud to say that this year (and once again), for the facilities where we completed analysis, there were no areas in which statistically significant adverse impact to our employees were found.
Facility Facelift Phase Two of a two-year facilities revitalization project was launched in our Central Support offices in South Burlington, Vermont, including the upgrading of carpet, data systems upgrades and the further upgrading of cafeterias.
DREAM Partnership Within our South Burlington office, Ben & Jerry’s donates office space to DREAM, a nonprofit mentoring organization that matches college mentors with young people growing up in subsidized housing projects. Thanks to a nomination from DREAM, and in recognition of our financial and volunteer support for DREAM, Ben & Jerry’s was the recipient of the Spirit of Service Award in 2008 presented by The Corporation for National and Community Service.
Leadership Development & Training Through our parent company Unilever, we organized a number of employee training programs in 2008 hosted at Ben & Jerry’s facilities, including workshops on Career & Development Planning, Time & Priority Management and Working Cross Culturally. A two-day Leadership Development program was created and implemented for the newly established Global Brand Team in January, which included assessing our team’s effectiveness and reviewing useful methods for resolving conflicts.
Employee Recognition Programs Ben & Jerry’s recognizes and celebrates outstanding employee contributions to our business through the following programs: Busted Hump Award (69 awarded in 2008) Applause Pause Award Provides an opportunity for co-workers to recognize and celebrate employee contributions by providing a spontaneous, monetary pat on the back for a job well done. The recipients receive a certificate of appreciation and some Ben Bucks (up to $25.00 equivalent), which can be redeemed at the Unilever Employee Store or Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops. Golden Cone An annual award in which the Company recognizes, rewards and celebrates employees who have made an exceptional business contribution while preserving and promoting Ben & Jerry’s culture, social mission, and organizational values. All full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible, and recipients receive an engraved statue and a cash gift of approximately $2,000. Service Awards Forty-five service awards in the form of gift certificates were handed out in 2008 to recognize employees who reached significant career milestones with the Company, starting at five years of tenure.
Communication and Company Meetings The company holds a wide variety of meetings for the purposes of communicating important information to employees, including: Site Meetings — Quarterly — Business updates, including department presentations on new products, initiatives, and employee service recognition. Comfy Couches Meetings — 20+ held — Informal short-notice gatherings to keep employees apprised of timely company news. Town Halls — 6 held — Video Live Meetings driven by Unilever to communicate global business information. Round Tables — 6 held — On-site, informal meetings with company leadership over lunch open to all employees to share information on projects or concerns.
Community Service and Activities Participation in community action projects is one of the most enjoyable ways for Ben & Jerry’s employees to give back to the community. For more information on group community service activities that were sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s, see our section on Giving Back. Our employees are also encouraged and supported in taking on individual service projects. South Burlington employees have a paid community service benefit that totals 40 hours per year. Salaried workers in our manufacturing plants who do community service on their personal time are given up to three days of additional community service time off on a day-for-day matching basis. For the record, here are the totals of individual volunteer hours contributed under these programs: |
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