Engaging people and supporting global communities

In constant dialogue with our employees

Our employees gave the company a thumbs up in our 2019 employee engagement survey, the Voice of Sulzer, which registered an 85% overall participation rate – a 12 point increase on the previous year.

The advances from last year are measurable across all areas, and most in the categories of communications and personal development.

Learning and development

Sulzer invests in learning on-the-job and targeted training programs aimed at increasing management effectiveness, improving customer partnership, building awareness of digital technologies and more.

In response to feedback from the 2018 Voice of Sulzer survey, the company developed and introduced the Sulzer Learning Pathways, a global learning and development framework to increase visibility of and access to different learning opportunities. In 2019, the first 500 people participated in virtual and in-person training courses offered under this new umbrella, with great feedback. We will continue this ambitious roll-out in 2020.

Leveraging ESG ambitions

We have introduced ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) metrics into our compensation framework. Starting in 2020, ESG is included in the personal objectives of all our long-term-incentive eligible leaders, shining a spotlight on what our annual employee survey tells us is one of the main contributions our people expect from Sulzer. We continue to pursue significant advances in the areas of health and safety, emissions, water and energy efficiency, waste management, community engagement and R&D for more efficient or sustainable products such as eco-packaging, biopolymers or energy-efficient pumps.

Diversity – A force for positive change

Sulzer has a long and continuing tradition of providing internship, apprenticeship and university support programs for students in many countries. In 2019, the company launched the “Sulzer Scholarship for Women in Science and Engineering” for female students studying towards university degrees in this area. Reflecting Sulzer’s presence and the unique requirements of the countries, in 2019 the company awarded 13 scholarships – three in South Africa, four in Indonesia, four in China and two in India.

At Sulzer, diverse teams with more than 80 nationalities and people of all ages work closely together for the success of the company. In 2019, roughly 17% of the total workforce were women, a number Sulzer strives to increase steadily. The scholarship is a first step towards fostering female talent to pursue a career in STEM disciplines. With Hanne Birgitte Breinbjerg Sørensen and Jill Lee, female leaders are represented in Sulzer’s Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, respectively.

Supporting communities in need

In 2019, Sulzer teams participated in the Winnovators challenge, organized by the charity WaterAid. The teams competed internationally to solve real-world clean water access and sanitation issues in Colombia, India and eSwatini.

Money raised goes directly towards supporting these communities and implementing the innovative solutions that were proposed during the challenge.

As a global company, we help communities in need of urgent help. In 2019, we donated several fiber fishing boats to coastal communities worst hit by the Tsunami disaster in Indonesia. Sulzer is also participating in the ongoing Tsunami Recovery Program to ensure that the boats are properly maintained.

Sulzer employees taking the initiative

All across Sulzer, individuals and smaller groups organize or participate in events to support a wide range of charitable causes around the world. We encourage these numerous local initiatives to raise funds and awareness and often support our employees with time and/or resources to assist their cause.

Key figures

Please find further sustainability data at www.sulzer.com/sustainability.