Again this year, the HERA Group was awarded the “Top Employers” certification by the Dutch certifying body, Top Employers Institute, which, since 1991, has conducted research focused on the quality standards of working conditions in the best companies worldwide.
Today, Top Employers is one of the most prestigious awards at international level, which recognises those companies that demonstrate an ability to offer excellent working conditions to their employees.
The certification process, which has become increasingly rigorous and selective over the years, is based on an analysis of objective data and detailed assessments.A stimulating and constructive workplace environment, investments in training and development, careful career planning, targeted strategies for talent growth, tailor-made benefits, personalised pay policies and an innovative corporate culture are some of the parameters subject to scrutiny. Only the companies that achieve the high standards required by the certification may qualify as Top Employers.
This year, 79 companies were certified in Italy: amongst these, the only multiutility company is HERA Group, which has participated in the project since 2010 and has been awarded this recognition for the eighth consecutive year.
In particular, Hera stood out thanks to “Hextra”, its new integrated company welfare plan in place since July 2016 for the Group’s more than 8,500 employees, characterised by a share of resources that can be “personalised” by workers based on their own needs; thanks to its work-life balance measures (such as policies regarding leave and other absences from work, as well as the support provided when employees return to work, nurseries for employees’ children in the various communities and mobility support) and its policies that provide the possibility of development opportunities for the entire company population.
Hera is also one of the top Italian companies in terms of investment in employee training and personal and professional development, offering roughly 29 hours of training per capita in 2016. Training experiences have been made increasingly engaging and effective thanks to HerAcademy, the Group’s Corporate University, which provides opportunities for ongoing dialogue with businesses and the main academic institutions, and initiatives aimed at supporting employees’ children in selecting their path at university and as they enter the workforce.
The Hera Educational project, relating towork-study programmes based on the integration between business skills and the skills acquired in upper secondary schools in Emilia-Romagna, also bears witness to the company’s considerable investments in training and its connection to the communities in which it operates. Indeed, last year the first 60 courses of 2016-2019 were held with technical institutions, while another 80 were launched this academic year, also, for the first time, with the inclusion of high school students.
The HERA Group’ full profile, including the certification justifications and criteria, can be viewed on the website: www.topemployers.it