APC 2003 Annual Report Download - page 19

9. Human resources
Schneider Electric is committed to creating a stimu-
lating working environment for its employees.
Our human resources policies define the Company’s
position in such critical areas as international mobili-
ty, professional development, training, total compen-
sation, skills management and work organization. By
setting out principles and objectives, these policies
provide a basic framework that the units can use to
create programs at the local level.
1) Promoting professional development
and international teams
A global manufacturer’s success depends on its abil-
ity to prepare the future. International mobility, or
cross-border assignments, must be organized to
allow us to form truly international teams and create
the resources we need to expand in all our target
markets. In 2003, 160 international assignments
were made involving 48 different nationalities.
Mobility is part of an active career path.
Our goal is to recruit today the skills we will need
tomorrow. Our international Marco Polo hiring pro-
gram, introduced four years ago, gives young gradu-
ates from different countries the opportunity to get
initial job experience in a foreign assignment. After
two years of total immersion in another culture, par-
ticipants return to their home countries to work in
human resources, manufacturing, purchasing, logis-
tics, management or marketing. So far, some one
hundred graduates, representing 40 nationalities,
have been posted in 32 different countries.
We also focus on training to develop and retain
high-quality employees whose skills will allow us to
meet our strategic objectives.
The Schneider Management Institute organizes
multi-cultural seminars to help our managers gain a
better understanding of the Company’s strategy and
of management fundamentals, share best practices
and network with each other. More than 600 man-
agers from around the world attended Institute pro-
grams in 2003.
New information and communication technologies
play a key role in team development. E-learning mod-
ules are available for office automation, technical
training and marketing. We also have an on-line pro-
gram to learn English, available to 2,000 employees
worldwide. More than 45,000 team members have
access to the Company’s various intranet sites.
2) Encouraging employee involvement
in creating wealth and improving general
performance
Aside from general compensation –a critical factor in
recognizing and rewarding performance– we have a
number of profit-sharing programs that have been
adapted to comply with local legislation. These
include increasing the variable portion of compensa-
tion, profit-linked incentive schemes, stock options
and employee share ownership. Following the third
employee stock purchase plan, offered in more than
60 countries in 2003, Schneider Electric employees
held 3.62% of the Company’s outstanding shares
through mutual funds.
For Schneider Electric, pension and healthcare
guarantees are an important part of human resources
policy. For this reason, we encourage our units around
the world to set up competitive pension and health-
care plans that meet legal obligations.
Lastly, we listen closely to employees to keep track of
professional satisfaction. Surveys are conducted
every two years or so and improvement plans are
then drawn up and monitored in the Country Organi-
zations and functions.
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