APC 1999 Annual Report Download - page 23

The Schneider Electric Foundation
is working for the future
T he Schneider Electric Youth Opportunities
Foundation operates under the aegis
of the Fondation de France. As an organization
dedicated to helping youth get a successful start,
it embodies the vitality and openness of our
enterprise and the enthusiasm and commitment
of our people.
T he Foundation has participated in renovating
a welfare center in Egypt, assisting earthquake
victims in Turkey and Taiwan and flood victims
in Venezuela, and supporting youth education
programs in Brazil, South Africa, and Europe.
It is also a partner to France’s national
employment office.T he driving spirit behind all
these initiatives is our commitment to participate
in the schooling and training of young people
in the regions and countries where Schneider
Electric operates.
In 2000, the Foundation will join the Children’s
Hour global campaign to raise funds for support
programs. It will donate the equivalent of one
hour’s net pay for the entire Schneider Electric
workforce and encourage employees to make
a personal contribution as well.
A global employee stock
ownership plan
As part of the Schneider 2000+ program,
we launched our second global employee stock
ownership plan in 1999. In 135 subsidiaries
and 48 countries, 16,000 employees subscribed
to the new plan, gaining a personal stake in our
corporate results and performance. Following
this transaction, Schneider Electric employees
hold 4.5% of the capital. Our goal is to raise
that percentage to 10% by 2005.
Leadership:
an exercise in transparency
T he Leadership initiative is designed to help our top managers develop
the essential skills and managerial behavior for coping with the changes
in our enterprise and business environment. In 1999, the initiative was put
into practice with full-circle evaluations. Based on a single questionnaire
available in all the languages spoken at Schneider Electric, the method relies
on self-assessment, as well as feedback from the manager’s team, colleagues
and immediate supervisor. Nearly 700 managers have already gone through
this leadership analysis and development program.The initiative
will be extended to 2,000 managers by the end of 2001.
A more entrepreneurial culture 21
He@rt: putting
information at the heart
of Human Resources
He@rt (for Human Resources Electronic
Area Tool) is the name of Schneider Electric's
Corporate Human Resources intranet, which
offers three levels of access. Seventy-five percent
of the information on the site is available to all
employees, while some sections are restricted
to Human Resources staff and mobility managers.
He@rt is a general public information and service
site, a vehicle for promoting mobility,
and a professional resource and forum for
the entire Human Resources function.