We strongly believe that responsible, sustainable development cannot be just one of the items in a strategy — continuous improvement of an organisation should include large-scale involvement of employees who are aware of their joint responsibility for their environment. In line with this principle, we encourage employees to initiate and implement good CSR practices, while our incentive system is aimed at rewarding commitment, innovation and conduct in line with our system of values. The following competitions, which have been organised for years, form a part of our company’s history:
⦁    The Amber Galen Award — the most prestigious distinction for individuals and teams which achieve excellent results, exhibit an exceptional attitude, and fulfil the company’s values to the fullest extent;
⦁    Innovation of the Year — a competition for procedural, product or organisational innovations submitted by employees;
⦁    Kaizen — a competition strengthening the culture of continuous minor improvements in daily work;
⦁    The Green Process Programme — a competition promoting environmentally-friendly initiatives which are in line with the idea of sustainable development;
⦁    The Distinctions Programme — acknowledgement of effort made by employees beyond the norm; the points awarded by superiors are exchanged for attractive rewards.

There are many competitions and incentive schemes within the Polpharmа Group, aimed at employees in different locations. With such a large number and scale of the initiatives, proper project management and communication with employees is challenging. Due to the long-term, cyclical nature of competitions and programmes, a lot of effort goes into sustaining the employees’ interest and involvement in these competitions. Another challenge is correct selection of practices and individuals for these competitions; therefore, the Polpharmа Group has clearly defined selection procedures in place.

The sense of agency and joint responsibility for the directions in which our company develops, while individuals who achieve above-average results and exhibit above-average innovation are rewarded, has a major impact on work satisfaction, commitment and loyalty. Qualitative benefits obtained from acknowledgement of employee initiative in the long-term translate into a greater competitive advantage. Quantitative effects are also significant: organised competitions result in tangible savings. For instance, in 2013–2014, the benefits from ideas implemented under Kaizen amounted to more than PLN 1 in savings; initiatives implemented under the Green Process programme allowed for savings amounting to nearly PLN 7 million.