Arree Thongpream, HR Director – Thailand and Laos, Danone Specialized Nutrition (Thailand) on creating a workplace that values and supports employees.
Danone is a global leader with a unique health-focused food and beverage portfolio and a long-standing mission to bring health through food to the masses. It has a historical presence in Thailand through the Dumex brand, which has happily raised generations of Thais, as well as the iconic global brand Hi-Q.
During the third annual edition of HR Excellence Awards – Thailand in 2023Danone Specialized Nutrition (Thailand) won bronze for “Excellence in Workplace Wellbeing”.
To celebrate this important milestone, we find Arree Thongpream, HR Director – Thailand & Laos, Danone Specialized Nutrition (Thailand) (photo above, with price)on workplace wellness initiatives that aim to create a workplace that values and supports employees.
Q Congratulations on your excellent performance at the HR Excellence Awards! How has your HR and HR strategy contributed to your success this year?
At Danone, our mission is “to bring health through food to as many people as possible”, and we believe that the first step to achieving our mission begins with our employees. We put people at the center of everything we do. The well-being of employees is a top priority and is an integral part of our strategy.
We always strive to provide our employees with the best working environment, opening new growth opportunities for them to grow and flourish. We believe that sustainable value creation and performance always starts with people, with a focus on building capabilities and creating career progression for our people to make Danone a unique work destination. genre for talented people who want to make an impact on the world.
Additionally, we focus on culture and capacity building by continuing to upskill and reskill team leaders to ensure they are equipped to care for their teams, to make programs well-performing. be more effective in the organization. To ensure the success of the program, we continually review it to ensure it is impacting employees and the organization’s purpose through focus groups and employee surveys.
Our wellness program aims to enable employees to be healthier. It is based on three key pillars, namely mental health, physical health and nutrition, all of which draw on Danone’s expertise to support healthy and sustainable food choices and diets. Last but not least, the work environment and a leadership style that promotes caring and collaboration are essential to our culture of well-being.
Q Looking back at your accomplishments, what aspect of your HR initiatives are you most proud of and why?
Our proudest HR workplace wellbeing initiatives revolve around creating a workplace that values and supports our employees. From our parental policy to our “work from anywhere” policy to our focus on employee health and well-being, each initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to fostering a positive work environment. These efforts have resulted in greater job satisfaction, greater engagement, and a more motivated and connected workforce.
Parental policy:
One of our most notable HR initiatives is our Parental Policy, which provides extended parental leave to biological parents and legally adoptive parents. This policy not only meets legal requirements; she goes above and beyond to support employees in their role as parents. We recognize that caregiving responsibilities extend beyond a single parent and we provide flexibility in how these responsibilities are shared. This inclusiveness reflects our commitment to all forms of parenting, ensuring that every employee feels supported and valued.
Our parental policy contributes significantly to creating a positive corporate culture. When employees know we put the needs of their families first, it results in greater satisfaction and engagement at work. We believe that a supportive work environment is essential for our employees to thrive both personally and professionally.
Remote Work Policy:
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped work trends, highlighting the importance of remote and flexible work arrangements. Our “work from anywhere” policy, which allows employees to work from anywhere on Mondays and Fridays, aligns with these evolving expectations. This policy demonstrates our commitment to employee well-being, flexibility and adaptability in the face of changing work dynamics.
Employee health and well-being:
Our commitment to making a positive impact on people’s health starts with our employees. On the last Wednesday of every month, we offer nutritious refreshments using Danone products and collaborate with popular food and beverage brands to empower Danoners to be healthier and take pride in their products. Additionally, we offer massages to help our employees relax and release stress, thereby improving their physical and mental well-being.
Q During your HR journey, what were the significant obstacles you encountered and how did you overcome them to achieve excellence?
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous challenges, business uncertainty and unprecedented disruption. However, the pandemic has also been an opportunity for businesses to learn leadership. Since the 2020 pandemic, Danone has continued to transform according to needs and situations.
The company has made adaptations to enable digital interactions and collaborative efforts across existing business functions, while ensuring the safety and health of employees is a top priority.
Focusing on positive morale and employee motivation was also one of the company’s main objectives to ensure business continuity through structured engagement interventions and employee bonding. Taking care of its employees by offering them opportunities for development and continuous learning also becomes a priority for Danone. In addition, Danone advocates that employees have the opportunity to design a meaningful career path within the company, and that this is co-constructed with their managers and supported by HR business partners.
The human agenda being the company’s top priority, the objective is not only to guarantee the health of our employees, but also that of their families and our ecosystem.
Q How does your organization measure the success and impact of your HR initiatives?
We have always focused on the health and well-being of employees, but we have also launched a sustainable organizational project and made health and well-being an important pillar.
In our Danone 2022 people survey, safety and well-being was selected as having the highest score for the theme: “What works well in our company?”
Our success is also reflected in the awards we have obtained, such as the “Environmental Governance Flag and Certificate 2021”, certified “B Corp Business” in 2021, and the awards for “Occupational Health Management” awarded by Asia’s Best Employer Brand Awards 2022.
These encourage us to continually and sustainably develop the health and well-being of our employees, in line with our commitment to our “one planet, one health” vision.
Q In what direction do you see the HR/personnel function evolving in the future, given emerging trends?
We believe that health and well-being are more essential than ever to impact employees and employers in the future. For a business to be successful, it must provide better employee health and well-being, awareness of healthy living, foster a positive work environment that promotes holistic well-being, a culture of well-being, be improved and a state of mind of kindness and collaboration. See increased productivity and engagement.
To achieve such a goal, we must fully implement “Be Well,” our wellness and benefits program. The program is the combination of mental, physical and nutritional priorities to make our employees healthier. Additionally, we need to put in place a leadership program focused more on people leadership.
We should also emphasize the need to equip leaders with the leadership skills required to meet today’s challenges. Such programs can build empathy, adaptability and help create authentic leaders for our employees. While equipping and preparing our employees, it will help us be the healthiest organization and continually create meaningful impact for our business.
Read more interviews about why organizations have won awards for their HR practices – head to our Winning Secrets Section!
Photo / Supplied
