Case study: How IPL promotes employee health and wellbeing
With 66 manufacturing facilities and 4,820 employees, IPL is a recognised world leader in the resources and agricultural sectors, manufacturing ammonium nitrate-based explosives, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers and nitrogen related industrial and speciality chemicals. IPL’s ambition is to achieve industry leading performance in occupational health, safety, and process safety, safeguarding employee health across the Group. Tweet This!
This case study is based on the 2019 Sustainability Report by IPL 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
At IPL, each business unit and site offers health and wellbeing programmes appropriate for local needs and to suit local regulatory and cultural requirements, so as to effectively promote and protect employee wellbeing. In order to promote employee health and wellbeing IPL took action to:
- implement the IPL Employee Assistance Programme
- apply the IPL Mental Health Strategy
- promote driver safety
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) IPL has identified;
- How IPL proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by IPL to promote employee health and wellbeing
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report IPL identified a range of material issues, such as ensuring ethical conduct, environmental compliance, customer safety, product quality, climate change risks and opportunities. Among these, promoting employee health and wellbeing stands out as a key material issue for IPL.
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 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 IPL engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Employees & contractors
| · Direct engagement at IPL sites, including leadership as coaching · Direct participation and/or representation on site based Zero Harm Committees · Real time ‘Safety Alerts’ via internal email · ‘The Hub’ intranet communications, including a range of newsletters, external HSE Alerts and links for employee feedback · Interactive/ collaborative annual employee performance management process · Indigenous Engagement Strategy (Australia) · Internal workshops and conferences · Global ‘Your Voice’ Company wide employee surveys in 2018 and 2019 · The ‘Engaging Leaders’, ‘Diverse and Inclusive’ and ‘Collaboration’ themes in IPL’s ‘Talented and Engaged People’ strategic driver, supported by programmes such as ‘Leader as Coach’ and ‘Better Conversations Everyday’ |
| Customers – mining
| · Direct engagement at customer sites · Collaborative problem solving to meet customer needs · Participation in EcoVadis customer sustainability questionnaires · Customer technical workshops · Dedicated Customer Relationship Managers · Collaborative product research and development |
| Customers – fertilisers
| · Direct engagement with customers · Engagement during collaborative tailoring of product use through Nutrient Advantage laboratory soil and plant testing · Nutrient Advantage Advice interactive software and app · Monitoring of customer satisfaction through Net Promoter Score software and Fertshed, IPL’s online customer transactional portal · Collaborative product research and development · Online ‘Agronomy Community’ engagement · In person Agronomy Community Forums · Formal complaint/product feedback process |
| Suppliers & business partners
| · Direct engagement · Supplier questionnaires · Supplier audits · Supplier meetings · Supplier Performance Scorecards · Conditions of contracts · Regular meetings with joint venture partners |
| Shareholders & the investment community
| · ASX announcements, Annual General Meeting · Sustainability Investor Briefings · Half-year and end-of-year results presentations and webcasts · Direct shareholder engagement including calls and meetings, with feedback to the Board where appropriate · Shareholders may also write to the Chairman of the Board |
| Community & local residents
| · Site-specific programmes for community contact, information sharing and community investment · Employment opportunities via the IPL and Dyno Nobel websites · Direct engagement with individuals · Systems to register, investigate and promptly respond to community complaints · Transparent reporting |
| Research partners | · Direct engagement in collaborative research projects |
| Government | · Direct engagement with government and regulatory agencies in the countries in which IPL operates · Written submissions regarding regulatory impact either directly or via professional groups or industry associations |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics IPL engaged with its stakeholders through six ‘issue-scoring’ surveys to rank the importance of sustainability issues for customers, employees, suppliers & business partners, investors & shareholders and local communities & residents.
What actions were taken by IPL to promote employee health and wellbeing?
In its 2019 Sustainability Report IPL reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee health and wellbeing:
- Implementing the IPL Employee Assistance Programme
- The IPL Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provides a number of confidential specialist counselling sessions each year, and is available 24 hours per day, offering support for work and personal issues either face-to-face, over the telephone, online or via a mobile phone app. The counselling and tip sheets offered through the IPL EAP can help with managing conflict, coping with change, stress, grief, career transitions, relationship issues, gambling, alcohol and substance abuse, parenting conflict, pain, trauma, anxiety, depression and many types of emotional difficulties.
- Applying the IPL Mental Health Strategy
- The IPL Mental Health Strategy seeks to promote a mentally healthy workplace and a mentally healthy workforce at IPL. A key strategy of the programme is to increase the awareness of mental health, its effect at work and where and how to seek help. As of 30 September 2019, over 900 workers have participated in Mental Health Workshops.
- Promoting driver safety
- IPL’s North American Driver Alertness Programme screens IPL’s drivers for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and those who are diagnosed are assisted to access treatment to improve their sleep. As with all of IPL’s drivers, determination for fitness for driving is made by the Department of Transport doctor. In the case of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), doctors confirm CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) treatment compliance and monitor progress before issuing drivers with a medical card to drive. IPL’s Dyno Nobel Transportation has also partnered with Sleep Well to electronically monitor CPAP compliance where required. In Australia, ‘fitness for driving’ medical assessments are carried out as part of the requirements for Dangerous Goods Drivers’ licencing.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 403-6 Promotion of worker health
Disclosure 403-6 Promotion of worker health corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- Targets: 3.7, 3.8
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by IPL, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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