Japan Tobacco International is one of the companies that showed exceptional employee care and rapid adaptation to the new circumstances during the pandemic.
Their excellent practices and initiatives have been recognized through the Excellence During Challenges award, an award given by SELECTIO since April this year with the aim of recognizing companies that in this period put employees first as well as sharing good HR practices related to crisis management.
JTI points out that, since the first appearance of coronavirus in the region, they have focused on what they can do as a company to make employees feel safe and stay motivated. All employees whose job description allowed it were transferred to work from home, while production, field work and work from offices were carried out in a planned and systematic manner, respecting local measures and recommendations, as well as regularly monitoring employee health indicators. Salaries were not reduced and all existing material benefits were retained.
JTI employees and their managers regularly go through various mandatory and additional trainings, which ensured that the company is very well prepared for various extraordinary circumstances. The key competencies that emerged during the crisis were agility, digital competence and empathy, so through various trainings and webinars employees had the opportunity to learn how to make working during this period easier for themselves and their colleagues.
What makes JTI stand out in particular is the additional health insurance for employees, which includes a whole range of services such as psychological and psychiatric support. During this period, special initiatives were introduced such as joint virtual exercise, virtual team coffees and personalized gifts sent to employee addresses to maintain a sense of togetherness and belonging. In addition, the global Inspire Awards project was organized, where employees had the opportunity to nominate colleagues who have especially inspired and helped them in their work.
“In the face of the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, we have focused on creating a safe environment and continuing to provide the best possible working conditions. It was important for us to keep a sense of community, for people to know that everything that is happening and that they are not alone but that they are part of one big team. We are glad that our efforts have been recognized and rewarded with the Excellence During Challenges award, and that gives us additional motivation to continue with good practices.”, said Milena Rajić, People and Culture Director of JTI Adriatica