The ambition that drives us is to allow all the Talents in the Group to enjoy a fulfilling professional experience, contributing to the objectives pursued by John Cockerill. In 2021, the Group continued its efforts to combine quality of life at work and operational efficiency in the context of a pandemic, while ensuring their health and safety.
Covid-19, a life and work habit
In this second year of the pandemic, the protection of employees and activities to face up to Covid-19 have become a structural activity under the coordination of the health monitoring unit. The result: barrier actions, adjusted presence in workspaces, teleworking, teleconferences and systematic pre-mission risk analyses have demonstrated their effectiveness in all aspects of business life. New habits have been adopted, and have drastically limited the sources of infection in the workplace, while allowing the teams to continue to stay as close as possible to their customers and partners.
That said, Covid-19 did not spare the employees of John Cockerill. As has been the case in civil society, the internal statistics on infection and disease have experienced a few spikes. In India, we had to mourn the death of an employee, whose already fragile health deteriorated following his infection with Covid-19.
« In order to best protect our employees and our activities around the world, we have followed the evolution of the health situation on a weekly basis, geographical area by geographical area. On this basis, we have adapted the barrier measures and developed other possibilities to interact with our customers and partners. »
Gaëtan Lefèvre, Co-President of the Health Monitoring Unit
A 100% digital Health & Safety Day
Under the circumstances of the limitation of physical contact, or even lockdown, John Cockerill completely digitalized its annual Health and Safety Day. Eight thematic workshops were offered online in three languages, bringing together nearly 700 participants.
These practical and dynamic training courses have been designed to meet the needs, in particular, of confined teleworkers, focusing on ergonomics in the tele-workplace, well-being, gentle gymnastics, diet or even to the management of stress, sleep and personal energy.
Accident frequency rate: 2.75
Accident severity rate: 0.064
Growth and new Talents
In order to support the development of its activities, John Cockerill recruited more than 350 Talents in 2021. Among the teams that have expanded the most, let us mention the one in charge of developing green hydrogen production channels. As today’s world leader in the manufacture of large capacity alkaline electrolyzers, with 33% of the world market in 2021, John Cockerill has seen its workforce grow by 250% in order to support the growth of this activity in Europe, India, Africa and in the Persian Gulf.
In addition to John Cockerill Renewables, John Cockerill Services in France and Africa has also significantly increased its workforce in 2021. It should be noted that there is also a high demand for new Talents in the activities of John Cockerill in the environmental field (water, air and solids treatment).
Expatriate to enrich your skills
One of the strengths of John Cockerill is its international presence, and travel and international mobility are thereby an integral part of its DNA. Moving from one activity to another within the Group, taking on missions abroad and expatriations: John Cockerill offers these and many more development opportunities to meet the individual aspirations of its Talents.
With their unmistakable appeal, these missions make it possible to enrich their skills and broaden their experience. This inevitably has a positive impact for the employee, but also on the company: the circulation of resources, the harmonization of operations and the sharing of good practices. John Cockerill is investing in its Talents through this internal mobility, bringing worlds together and developing a real Group spirit.
John Cockerill Awards: honoring the best innovations of 2021
This year’s winners are:
- Technology: The TNCB, a catamaran equipped with a Cockerill® 3030 turret and dedicated to securing the coasts of Indonesia.
- Business models: The diversification of solar thermal technologies at the service of the nuclear energy of tomorrow.
- Digitalization: Connect, the internal television news, which reminds everyone of the good sense of the activities carried out across the Group throughout the year./li>
- Security, Health and the Environment: E2BET, the well-being at work program at John Cockerill Europe Environnement in Alsace (France).
- Public Award: The improvement of the performance of a 6-Hi cold rolling mill by teams from John Cockerill India.
Bringing technology creators together
As has been the case every year since 2010, John Cockerill brought together some 200 technologists at the beginning of the year, to explore their common passions and expertise: technology, research and development and innovation.
This international meeting took place remotely once again this year. This did not damp the spirits of John Cockerill’s collaborators and experts however: exchanges of ideas, enriching interactions and sometimes surprising discoveries marked this 12th edition of the International Technological Meeting. This is further proof that, at John Cockerill, the interest in technology goes well beyond the community of technologists, with more than 450 employees from all backgrounds and professions watching the sessions in replay.
79% sustainable engagement rate
In 2021, John Cockerill launched its 4th biennial survey to gage the opinion of all its employees. Available into 11 languages, this survey makes it possible to obtain feedback about the feelings – both positive and negative – of each person, and to engage in a constructive dialog aimed at improving the employee experience.
The participation rate, which has been stable from edition to edition and which amounted to 78% this year, gives a representative view of the opinion of John Cockerill employees around the world. Their rate of sustainable commitment remains at 79%. More specifically, this 2021 edition points to a better feeling in terms of well-being at work, leadership and recognition. It also raises the changing expectations in terms of development prospects, understanding of strategic decisions and exemplary leadership.
Finally, this survey highlighted a great disparity of results according to region, profession, status or age. All these lessons will be used to provide specific responses through the ‘Employee Experience 2023’ plan.
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25%
Anne-Françoise Laime, General Delegate for France at John Cockerill, interviewed at Europe 1.
Media and international exposure
In 2021, John Cockerill strengthened its good name by multiplying its publications on social networks. With more than 200 publications, its LinkedIn account has passed the milestone of 40 000 followers. During the year, John Cockerill also attracted the attention of several renowned audiovisual media, such as TF1 and Europe 1 in France or RTBF, RTL-TVI and LN24 in Belgium, which devoted reports and interviews to the technologies developed by John Cockerill.
Beyond the media, participation in international events such as the COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland) or the Dubai 2020 World Expo has given visibility, not only to the Group, but also to its Talents. This serves as a source of pride of them and of inspiration for the younger generations, and even for the not-so-young.
Diversity, a lever for development
Diversity is at the heart of the Group’s reality: diversity of activities, diversity of locations, diversity of customers, diversity of technologies. And there is also diversity within the Group’s workforce: 60 nationalities, a balance between the age groups, a balance of statuses (37% workers, 32% employees and 31% managers), etc.
The only downside: the low representation of women, which is only 13% of the workforce. In order to try to remedy this imbalance, the Group has initiated several actions in 2021: a survey of women within the Group in order to assess their feelings and collect their proposals, support for the Belgian ’Womenpreneur‘ initiative, aimed at removing the obstacles to hiring young graduates, the establishment of the ’Women@JohnCockerill‘ working group that will be in charge of raising awareness on the subject, and the publication of portraits of female employees for International Women’s Day.
« Our objective is to offer everyone, whether they already work at John Cockerill or are still on the job market, an employee experience designed to meet their aspirations and our needs. »
Pierre Dosogne, Global Workforce Manager and HRBP Corporate
