ANNUAL REPORT 2008/09 - Sonova

Employees by region 2008/09
1,164
1,920
13
1,011
1,231
Switzerland
Europe (excl. Switzerland)
Americas
Asia/Pacifi c
Africa
The rise in the number of people employed in Switzerland
is part of our drive to strengthen our Group-wide functions,
particularly research and development. The headcount
in Europe (excl. Switzerland) and in the Americas
increased due to the expansion of our sales and marketing
teams. Production capacities were also increased in
China and in Vietnam.
Committed to sustainable practices
As an internationally active company, Sonova is socially
responsible for each of its employees in every country. The
company also follows generally recognized ethical principles
in its dealings with customers, suppliers, business
partners and shareholders. The values and rules of
behavior for Sonova Group employees are set down in an
employee Code of Conduct applicable across the Group.
Proper ethical conduct is very important to Sonova, as it
strengthens the company’s reputation and at the same
time makes a sustainable social contribution.
The employee Code of Conduct is binding for all employees
working in the Sonova Group. Corresponding web-based
training programs are being introduced across the Group
in the fi nancial year 2009/10. Sonova also operates a
Compliance Hotline, whereby all Sonova Group employees
can voice their concerns anonymously. Calls are answered
by independent specialists and forwarded to the relevant
offi ce within the corporation for further processing. The
Code of Conduct is available on the Sonova website in
13 languages.
Sonova puts sustainability high on its agenda: the degree
of importance attached to sustainability within the
Sonova business is also refl ected in the Group’s management
structure. The Group Vice President Corporate
Human Resources is responsible for sustainability management
in the areas of employee and social matters, the
Group Vice President Operations looks after aspects concerning
energy, environment and suppliers, while sustainable
client relationships are the responsibility of the
Group Vice President Marketing.
Long-term relationships with customers and suppliers
The sustainability of relationships with both customers
and suppliers is a key success factor for the Sonova Group.
Optimal reliability, consistently high quality and transparency
on both sides form a solid basis for eff ective collaboration
in the long run.
For Sonova, creating sustainable added value for hearing
specialists means more than just delivering top-quality,
technologically advanced products. Service, training and
the quality of advice off ered to end users also play a key
role in the hearing instrument business. For Sonova, suitable
continuous professional development is vital, and the
company organizes and supports various audiological
conferences and conventions through its diff erent brands.
Last year, for example, around 500 customers took part
in the international pediatric conferences organized in
Brighton (UK) and Munich (Germany). Over 500 participants
from more than 40 countries registered for the 2 nd
Phonak Virtual Audiology Conference, at which 39 internationally
renowned speakers presented lectures and led
discussion forums on a wide range of current audiological
topics via the Internet.
SUSTAINABILITY
25