sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report

72
IV. Values supporting
responsible growth
Communicating Group values
Saint-Gobain’s response to the challenges of sustainable
development is rooted in the values shared by all
our employees.
These shared values are enshrined in the Group Principles
of Conduct and Action, which everyone in the corporate
community is expected to apply.
The Principles have been translated into more than
30 languages and distributed to employees on every site
in our 59 host countries.
In addition, their importance was emphasized in a vast
employee communication campaign deployed in 2007
and 2008, in particular with articles presenting points of view
and best practices in the various countries.
ARTICLE EMPHASISING
THE PRINCIPLE OF LOYALTY
The viewpoint of the Sales & Marketing Director,
Saint-Gobain Hanglas China:
“In my view, loyalty is not an exceptional quality;
it is the basis of professionalism. Like all company
employees, I represent Saint-Gobain, and my main
priority is to defend its interests. It is something that
is constantly on my mind, and my commitment
to Saint-Gobain is recognized in the same way as
my professional skills are.
Source: The Month, June 2008.
Over the years, dedicated national and regional management
seminars have been organized to present and explain
the Principles, with the aim of gradually covering
all of the host countries, particularly those deemed
to be more “at risk.”
The Responsible Development Department coordinates
programs to ensure that the Principles underpin daily
management practices. For example, the Principles are
often referred to in many employment contracts,
a practice that is currently being extended across
the organization. The Human resources Department’s
standardized performance review form, which is primarily
intended for managers, includes a question on compliance
with the Principles and their practical application,
while other corporate departments, such as Purchasing
and Environment, Health & Safety, have prepared charters
adapting the Principles to address their specific issues.
In addition, Delegations in the United States, India
and other countries have drafted local charters
extending the Principles in their region.
Lastly, the Responsible Development Department participates
in all of the thirty management seminars organized every
year by the Group Training Department. The General
Delegations also arrange targeted awareness-building
initiatives for employees in their respective territories,
in liaison with the Responsible Development Department.
More effectively preventing business risks
Compliance with competition law
The effectiveness of our risk prevention mechanisms
depends to a large extent on ensuring that management
and employees embrace and strictly observe the Principles
of Conduct and Action.
As soon as it learned in March 2007 about the European
Commission’s planned investigation of the construction
glass business, the Group took vigorous action
by implementing a Competition Plan designed to reinforce
managers’ awareness of the need to comply with competition
law. Clear rules have been introduced in every host country,
benchmarked to European law whenever local legislation
was too lax.
Since then, the Competition Plan has been gradually
deployed across the Group by Group senior management:
• More than 15,000 managers have attended the “Comply”
e-learning course, which has been translated into
12 languages.
• More than 1,500 managers in eight countries have attended
two to four-hour intensive courses with lawyers.
• 48 unannounced audits have been performed, covering
more than 200 people across all Sectors in 13 countries.
• In September 2008, 23,000 managers received a copy
of the Practical Guide to Competition Compliance, which
reviews competition rules, banned practices and the
consequences of non-compliance. It has been translated into
13 languages.
Also in September, the Competition Plan’s initial results
were presented to the Group’s 150 top executives,
to strengthen their support for compliance. At the same time,
the executives decided to push the Comply e-learning course
further down the management pyramid, pursue the intensive
courses in every country, support compliance through
unannounced audits and clearly affirm the principle
of zero tolerance.
Saint-Gobain - 2008 Annual Report