Business Overview 2006 - Synthes

Synthes. Annual Report 2006
Sustainability. Employees
In 2006 Synthes continued its successful development and created
824 new jobs across the globe, mainly in production and sales. As a
growing company we rely on recruiting new employees through various
channels. For example, in the United States we successfully run
a cooperative program with Drexel University in Philadelphia. Students
from this college spend six months working at Synthes as part
of their credit hours towards their engineering degree. The students
profit from gaining practical experiences in the field of product development,
and Synthes has been able to attract highly talented students
who on occasions have accepted full time positions upon the
completion of their degree.
Performance Management System
Synthes has introduced a Performance Management System geared
towards the company’s various peer groups. Peer groups are organizational
groups whose tasks and goals are comparable. With the new
Performance Management System employees go through an appraisal
review process that covers the performance features and assessment
criteria characteristic for their particular peer group. In this way,
the strengths and areas for development identified during the appraisal
review can result in a stronger contribution to the overall performance
of each individual peer group.
change characteristic of a rapidly growing and highly innovative company.
We are fortunate to be able to count on employees who exhibit
great dedication and motivation and who are prepared to continuously
develop and acquire additional skills to excel in new situations
and challenges.
Following the merger and standardization of our initial training and
continuing training program, we further optimized and expanded the
training portfolio in 2006. The basis for this work was partly the performance
management findings, and partly the needs identified from
current change management processes and operative requirements.
One of the major highlights was the design and introduction of a special
training course for our product development process. Highly Synthes-specific
specialist training courses in the field of product engineering
and production were developed on a global level with experts
from the USA and Europe. In this way, we ensure that Synthes employees
around the world are receiving the same practically-oriented
training content.
Corporate Compliance Program
Synthes is dedicated to maintaining the highest levels of professional
and ethical standards in the industry. To support our efforts we have
continued the development of our global corporate compliance program.
Our compliance program is overseen by the Audit Committee
of the Board of Directors, is lead by the Chief Compliance Officer, and
is supported by management and staff across the company. The program
is structured to satisfy government and industry standards,
while providing the Board of Directors with effective mechanisms to
monitor and address the legal and ethical compliance of our business
operations. To achieve these goals, the program strives to ensure that
our employees and business partners receive appropriate and clear
guidance and instruction on our policies and practices regarding legal
and ethical compliance. Moreover, we implement measures to prevent
and address any misconduct, and any waste or abuse of our assets,
as well as to foster a consistent culture of ethics and compliance
across the company. In doing so, we strive to strengthen our business
operations, to enhance our reputation for integrity, and to minimize
the risks and costs associated with unethical or illegal conduct.
Continuous training and development
We believe as an employer we have the responsibility of supporting
our employees in dealing with the demanding climate of constant
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