Danone brings 'One Planet. One Health' to Life through a Healthy and Engaged Workforce in Southeast Asia

Danone is cementing the 'One Person,One Voice,One Share' programme in Southeast Asia to empower Danoners in shaping its 2030 Business & Sustainability Goals roadmaps

To support inclusive diversity in the organisation,Danone is investing heavily in employee development programmes,including the Agile Organisation pilot initiative

Danone is introducing a progressive parental policy to support Danoners in Southeast Asia during the first six months of parenthood,in line with the 'One Planet. One Health' vision

SINGAPORE,Oct. 15,2019 -- Danone,parent company of iconic brands such as Dumex,Aptamil and Evian water,today announced an enhanced focus on employee well-being and engagement as part of its 'One Planet. One Health' vision in Southeast Asia. In line with Danone's belief that people are its biggest asset in achieving its mission and addressing new challenges facing the world,Danone is committed to create and maintain an inclusive,diverse and participative workplace environment. Building a healthy and engaged workforce through an innovative talent management model is integral to realising Danone's 'One Planet. One Health' vision,starting with its own employees.

"I am a proud Danoner"campaign in Southeast Asia: celebrating Danoners' diversity and uniqueness

Danone has launched 'One Person,One Share',an innovative employee engagement programme to further foster company-wide engagement and increase the sense of ownership among Danoners in Southeast Asia. The 'One Voice' programme is driven by the belief that all employees should co-own the company's agenda,including by helping to define the roadmaps to implement Danone's 2030 Goals,which are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To equip Danoners in participating in these conversations,the 'One Voice' programme has developed an internal platform with learning resources related to the company vision and goals,including content derived from collaborations with like-minded partners such as the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) as well as internal initiatives such as the annual 'Campus for All' event,a week-long series of learning activities to nurture local talent and help them co-lead the food revolution. Through the 'One Voice' consultations with employees in Southeast Asia,Danoners identified strongly with wanting to impact people's health locally and this has been integrated into our strategic plans for Southeast Asia through the focus on addressing iron deficiency.[1] Complementing 'One Voice' is the 'One Share' programme,which gives every employee a share in the company combined with a global annual dividend-based incentive scheme,thereby deepening a symbolic ownership mindset among Danoners.

Danone,as a company that believes in inclusive diversity,recognises the uniqueness of each Danoner and invests in enhancing the added value that these differences bring to the organisation. Developing local talent and providing career growth opportunities are key components of this strategy. All Danoners have the chance to experience other markets and cultures through short-term assignments in other offices across Southeast Asia and beyond. In line with the digitalisation of the global economy,Danone is also piloting Agile Organisation,an initiative that focuses on competency development and adopting digital means of working.

To demonstrate Danone's commitment to supporting employees in the workplace of the future,Danone is introducing an extensive parental policy covering pre-natal support,gender-neutral parental leave as well as post-natal support. This policy includes adapted working conditions for expecting mothers,extended parental leave of up to 18 weeks of paid leave and unpaid leave of up to six months for parents,job protection policies and flexible working schedules for parents as well as lactation rooms in all its corporate and manufacturing sites across Southeast Asia. These practices reflect Danone's support for employees during the important early days of parenthood and is with a view to encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life,in accordance with the World Health Organisation's recommendations.

"At Danone,we prioritise the well-being of our employees. Danone's dual commitment to business success and social progress is guided by the 1972 landmark speech by our former CEO Antoine Riboud outlining a new vision of corporate social responsibility. The 'One Person,One Share' programme is our way of inviting our employees to actively participate in co-creating and co-owning our collective future. We have also invested heavily in employee development through programmes such as short-term overseas assignments and the Agile Organisation initiative. As a sign of our commitment to support our employees into the future,our new parental policy includes flexible work-life options to help parents keep families at the centre of their life and guidance on the importance of optimal nutrition during the first six months of a baby's life. We want to be the most parent-friendly company in Southeast Asia. I am happy that our efforts have been reflected in Danone's excellent retention rates in Southeast Asia," said Normalis Mohd Sharif,Director of Human Resources,Danone Southeast Asia.

Khwankaew Dhanasettakorn,SEA Product Development Team Manager Global Brand,Danone Dumex Thailand,said: "I am proud to be working for a supportive company like Danone,which values my opinion and has allowed me to have a say in the company's agenda through initiatives such as 'One Person,One Share'. The company truly believes in employee development and the Agile Organisation pilot initiative has given me the chance to take on a regional role even though I am based in Bangkok. Not only is Danone going beyond in taking care of the employees' wellbeing,Danone cares about our family's wellbeing too. I could not ask for anything more valuable than the parental leave policy,which allows me to breastfeed my baby fully,to comfort him when he cries,to hug him as much as he wants,and to build strong parenthood bonding during the first six months with my baby."

[1] Iron deficiency is the top cause of anaemia,a form of malnutrition affecting a third of children below five years old in Southeast Asia and whose symptoms may range from extreme fatigue to effects on cognitive development and productivity,according to the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.

About Danone (www.danone.com)

Dedicated to bringing health through food to as many people as possible,Danone is a leading global food & beverage company building on health-focused and fast-growing categories in three businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based Products,Waters and Specialized Nutrition. Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices,in line with its 'One Planet. One Health' vision which reflects a strong belief that the health of people and that of the planet are interconnected. To bring this vision to life and create superior,sustainable,profitable value for all its stakeholders,Danone has defined its 2030 Goals: a set of nine integrated goals aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Danone commits to operating in an efficient,responsible and inclusive manner; it holds itself to the highest standards in doing business,as reflected by its ambition to become one of the first multinationals certified as B CorpTM. With more than 100,000 employees,and products sold in over 120 markets,Danone generated €24.7 billion in sales in 2018. Danone's portfolio includes leading international brands (Actimel,Activia,Alpro,Aptamil,Danette,Danio,Danonino,evian,Nutricia,Nutrilon,Volvic,among others) as well as strong local and regional brands (including Dumex,AQUA,Blédina,Cow & Gate,Horizon,Mizone,Oikos,Prostokvashino,Silk,Vega).

Listed on Euronext Paris and on the OTCQX market via an ADR (American Depositary Receipt) program,Danone is a component stock of leading social responsibility indexes including the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes,Vigeo Eiris,the Ethibel Sustainability Index,MSCI Global Sustainability,MSCI Global SRI Indexes and the FTSE4Good Index.

Photo - /20191011/2602357-1?lang=0