Case study: How Compeq promotes labour-management relations
Compeq is a global leader in technology research and development and the first specialised printed-circuit board (PCB) manufacturing company in Taiwan to support the government in developing the high-tech industry. Employees are one of Compeq’s most important assets and having a dialogue with them in the hope of understanding their needs and opinions, through various communication channels, is a top priority for Compeq.
This case study is based on the 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report by Compeq published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
With approximately 18,000 employees worldwide, promoting labour-management communication and cooperation is highly important for Compeq Tweet This!, not least for optimising key policies and practices. In order to promote labour-management relations Compeq took action to:
- support employees’ freedom of association
- provide communication channels
- build a friendly workplace
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Compeq has identified;
- How Compeq proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Compeq to promote labour-management relations
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Compeq identified a range of material issues, such as employee recruitment and retention, occupational health and safety, economic performance, effluents and waste, market presence. Among these, promoting labour-management relations stands out as a key material issue for Compeq.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process s of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Compeq engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Employees
| · Employee conference · Communication hotline, suggestion box, and email · Intranet and extranet · Memo/weekly assembly announcements · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Union
| · Union Directors and Supervisors · Labor Union Congress · Employer-Employee Meeting · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Customer
| · Email · Extranet · Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire · Client Audit · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Supplier
| · Email · Supplier Monthly Review Meeting · Supplier annual audit and review · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Investor (Shareholder)
| General shareholders: · Shareholders Meeting · Annual Report · Information Publication · Website · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire Institutional investors: · Company Visit · Seminar · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Government authorities | · Correspondence of official documents · On-site interview and inspection by competent authority · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Media | · Press conference · Press release · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
| Local communities | · Local community organisation · School · Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics Compeq engaged with its stakeholders through a survey. Out of a total of 485 copies of the survey questionnaire that were distributed, 256 were collected, representing a response rate of 53%.
What actions were taken by Compeq to promote labour-management relations?
In its 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Compeq reports that it took the following actions for promoting labour-management relations:
- Supporting employees’ freedom of association
- Compeq respects the rights of employees bestowed by law and has never inhibited employees’ freedom of association. In 2016, all employees joined the labour union. The labour union holds a meeting bimonthly or a provisional team leader meeting, as necessary. The union also holds a general meeting of its members every year. A board meeting is held monthly or whenever necessary. Team leader meetings take place on an ad hoc basis, to communicate organisational policies and union policies to members and collect their opinions. Employee concerns are reviewed and discussed by labour representatives and management representatives, so effective responses can be proposed. The meeting minutes are also published internally, to inform employees of the actions to be taken for every issue. Labour-management meetings are held on a regular basis, for management and labour representatives to review and discuss issues that concern employees and propose practical measures. Weekly and monthly meetings are regularly organised to inform employees of the company’s business direction and accomplishments, and important announcements are emailed as memos to all employees or announced during shift changes for on-site workers.
- Providing communication channels
- Compeq values having a dialogue with employees, to understand their needs and opinions, through various communication channels. Accordingly, Compeq has established diversified internal grievance and communication channels and releases memos every month to encourage employees to use various communication channels. These channels include “direct communication with supervisors”, “direct communication with the HR unit/HR head”, “employee suggestion box”, “email”, “grievance hotline”, and “seminar”. In Taiwan, Compeq translates memos into the languages of foreign workers and posts them in each plant and the shoe changing area, to achieve barrier-free communication with employees. The scope of CSR grievances covers labour practices, industrial safety, and environmental safety.
- Building a friendly workplace
- Since 2015, Compeq started holding quarterly meetings for building a harmonious and friendly work environment. Attendees include the parties involved and supervisors or management staff of the general affairs unit, industrial safety unit, and the Employee Welfare Committee (EWC). Compeq also requests all function owners to make quarterly suggestions or proposals for improving working conditions or employee benefits. Improvement policies proposed in 2016 included employee relations training courses for supervisors, monthly health topic sharing, and breastfeeding room environment optimisation.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes
Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Labor/management relations
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Compeq, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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