Press release
Ljubljana, 15 May 2023 – The SIJ Group is aware of the importance of a healthy work-life balance when it comes to employee satisfaction. That’s why, at the end of last year, the company set about choosing activities to help its employees achieve a better work-life balance, despite the demanding nature of the production work environment, and was awarded the basic Family Friendly Enterprise certificate.
The SIJ Group is proud to have become one of the more than 300 Slovenian companies that recognise the importance of treating employees with care and make it easier for more than 120,000 employees of different generations to reconcile their family and professional lives. By becoming certified, these companies demonstrate a responsibility that they try to pass on to their staff and their families. They aim to help their workforce be effective, feel good at work, and to take advantage of activities to facilitate a better work-life balance, thereby reducing worries and stress about their various commitments and demands outside of work.
Today, 15 May 2023, on the International Day of Families, the certificates were awarded to these companies by Špela Isop, Acting Director-General of the Directorate for Family of the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, at a ceremony held by the Ekvilib Institute at the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum. Aleš Kranjc Kušlan, Director of the Ekvilib Institute, congratulated all the recipients.
On behalf of SIJ Group, the certificate was received by Liudmyla Maslii, SIJ Group Human Resources Director, who emphasised: "In line with our sustainability strategy, SIJ Group is committed to continuously improving our work environment and creating conditions conducive to a healthy and happy workplace. The Family Friendly Enterprise certificate is a concrete step consisting of 14 activities that will make it easier for employees to balance their professional and private lives. Despite the complexity of our industry, we have been able to design measures that will make us an even more responsible and attractive employer."
The SIJ Group has identified employee care as one of the most important factors of social responsibility in the context of its sustainability strategy. It has chosen a strategy that it believes is a win-win for employees and their families and for the company, and that will improve effectiveness in the organisation and employee well-being through work-life balance activities. The activities were designed and chosen in workshops involving around 50 employees from shared services and production. The workshops were held separately in Ravne na Koroškem, Jesenice, and Ljubljana – the locations where the SIJ Group companies operate – and the activities were confirmed on a wider level at a joint final workshop.
The measures chosen will maximise benefits for both production workers and their colleagues in shared services, although this cannot be guaranteed for all measures depending on the nature of the work. The measures will be phased in gradually, taking into account in particular the complexity of their implementation. In addition to the mandatory measures for holders of the Family Friendly Enterprise certificate, the SIJ Group has also established additional measures, such as the family time bonus, i.e. additional days off for the introduction of children to kindergarten and for accompanying them on orientation days, additional days off to care for and help sick family members, holiday offers for school-age children, gifts for employees and their family members (children) on special occasions, social skills development sessions for managers, the introduction of annual sit-down discussions about work-life balance, the drawing up of end-of-career plans for seniors before retirement, psychological counselling and support, and flexible working hours and occasional working from home.
The measures will be phased in gradually at SIJ Acroni, SIJ Metal Ravne, SIJ Ravne Systems, SIJ SUZ, SIJ ZIP Center, and SIJ d.d., i.e., the core companies of the SIJ Group.
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SIJ – Slovenian Steel Group is one of the leading producers of stainless steel and special steels in Europe. We are committed to global and European climate goals and operate in line with circular economy principles. With our steel and steel products, we are the right partner for facilitating the green transition in Europe. We are aiming to confirm our sustainability credentials by achieving certification to the stringent ResponsibleSteel standard by the end of 2023. This will position us as one of the most responsible and sustainable steel producers in the world. Our two largest companies are modern recycling steelworks, and our steel is recycled because it is made from steel scrap. With more than 3,800 employees, we are one of the largest employers in Slovenia and a pillar of the Slovenian steel sector. We are one of Slovenia's leading exporters. About 85% of our revenue is generated in foreign markets.
More information:
SIJ – Slovenska industrija jekla, d.d.
Sara Wagner, Head of Corporate Communications
Corporate Communications
Telephone: +386 1 242 98 27
Mobile phone: +386 41 313 532
E-mail: sara.wagner@sij.si
