Our secret ingredient – our people

884 employees had a contract for an indefinite period, of which 299 were women and 585 were men. There were 22 employees on contracts for a definite period, 14 women and 8 men.

In 2022 our Company had 150 line managers and 756 employees without subordinates.

There were 894 full-time employees. In the Czech Republic, it was 766, of whom 264 were women and 490 men, in Slovakia 140, of whom 49 were women and 91 men. In terms of FTE, 12 people were employed part-time. 52 people were employed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia under a work agreement (Agreement on Completing a Job or Agreement to Perform Work).

In 2023 we hired 211 new employees and 155 employees left.* This results in a fluctuation of 17%.

*Here we report specific entries and exits, not average counts.

We regularly conduct surveys focused on the satisfaction and engagement of our people and use these to create specific action plans for individual teams. In 2023 our Employee Engagement Index reached a record 85%. This is a levelling off of the highest measured value of this index since it began tracking. In 2022 the value was 83%. This sustained trend is a testament to the diligent work of our teams in executing the action plans and the good work of our leaders in creating an ever-improving company culture. We value the honest feedback of our employees and will continually work on areas where they have shown us room for improvement.

The increase in scores was also evident in some key survey questions. The question on confidence in our strategic priorities saw a 6% increase in points. 86% of employees strongly believe in them. The willingness to recommend our Company as an employer received 8% more points. 87% of us would recommend it. Pride in our Company internally climbed 5 percentage points. That means 91% of employees are proud to be part of Coca-Cola HBC.

The high rating was achieved even though the year-on-year average of monthly unscheduled overtime rose from 5.39 hours to 6.1 hours per month.

Fair remuneration and personal growth

We make sure that our employees are fairly rewarded and that our Company is a place for their personal and professional growth. In 2023 we increased wages by an average of 6%.

Our popular employee benefits package includes pension contributions, drinking plan, cafeteria and a popular stock programme where the company contributes equal value of stock with monthly purchases up to 3% of the employee’s salary. English classes are also in demand. 39% of our employees have the option to work remotely, and we recommend a model of two days working from home and three days in the office to foster teamwork. In 2023 we spent over CZK 27.9 million on benefits, an increase of more than CZK 2 million year-on-year.

We promoted a total of 75 colleagues internally in 2023. We continue to develop talent programmes that start with onboarding for new colleagues, continue through the Sales Academy, Supply Chain Academy with programmes for the development of operators and lab technicians, and end with the development of our managers at all levels of management in Fast Forward programmes. Our young talent programmes, such as the Early Talent Internship Programme and the Trainee Programme for graduates, have a special position in our Company.

Participants of the Fast Forward 2 International Conference

We use our internal Performance for Growth tool to manage employee performance and growth. This year-round, comprehensive employee performance management and evaluation system is linked to regular feedback tools (from subordinates, teammates, project teams or spontaneous feedback) and a personal development plan for each employee. This plan either strengthens employees in their current role or prepares them for future roles. Employee performance and the achievement of set targets are subsequently reflected in the variable component of pay - bonuses.

A record year for safety

One example of preparation and prevention in safety issues was the first aid training that we organised together with the Slovak Red Cross for Slovak colleagues. Occupational safety training is mandatory for all new recruits on their first day of work and is regularly renewed. In addition, we regularly organise Health and Safety Week and Health Days, which provide free health screenings, workshops and training to employees.

An important benefit that can help our employees with their mental health is the Employee Assistance Programme provided by Morneau Shepell. It is a confidential support system that can help solve a wide range of life issues. EAP offers fast and qualified support that is accessible 24/7. In 2023 we added the services of a psychologist / personal coach to the programme.

Communication with our employees

Our employees are not organised in a union, but are instead represented by a works council, whose members are elected for three-year terms. It has 15 members in the Czech Republic and 5 in Slovakia, representing 2.2% of all employees. The structure of the CCHBC Employee Council is also organised at a European level. Meetings with the employer are held every month. The works council has its own budget, which it uses for selected activities.

We benefit from diversity

Our CCHBC group is working towards a gender balance within Company management. In 2023 we managed to achieve 50% female representation in the Senior Leadership Team, with the CEO position above this group.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, women represented 45% of Company management in 2023. This is a huge shift from the 33.6% in 2022. In addition, for 2023, we have managed to equalise the remuneration of women and men to the same level.

We regularly comment on the topic of women in leadership at external conferences. For example, we are a long-term partner of the Inspirational Networking for Women in Leadership, which takes place at the Opero in Prague. We also contributed to the AIESEC conference discussion on gender balance. We once again dedicated the internal event June Belongs to Women to the support of women in management, during which workshops were held supporting the following topics: women’s self-confidence, women in management and returning to work after maternity and paternity leave. We also added a new self-defence course.

Every year we run the D&I Week awareness campaign on diversity and inclusion. We regularly dedicate a ‘D&I Week’ awareness campaign to diversity and inclusion, reminding us of our zero tolerance policy on discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender or gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital or partner status, including pregnancy, maternity, paternity or other nursing and care status, race, including ethnic origin, nationality or colour, religious, political or other beliefs, full-time or part-time employment and any other characteristic in respect of which legal protection is provided under local law. We also strictly adhere to the equality policy in the recruitment process.

In the year under review, 9 people with disabilities worked in our Company, representing 0.99% of our workforce. Positions suitable for employees with disabilities are available, for example, in our customer service centre, where work can also be done 100% from the home office.

We provide aid wherever it is needed

Whenever a natural or man-made disaster strikes, we are quick to help. In 2023 our drinks helped, for example, during flash floods around Rožňava in Slovakia or at summer camps for young Ukrainian refugees. Our main partner in this effort is the Red Cross in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Drinking regime in partner health facilities

Our employees volunteered once again

Once again we opened the way for young people to get a better job

We have long been partners with the largest student organisations. As regards secondary schools this is the Junior Achievement organisation and in universities AIESEC. We have supported a number of our partner schools events, such as the traditional StreTech at the Czech Technical University in Prague.

With Coca-Cola, everyone can be Santa

Get moving for a good cause

We are proud that in 2022 we became a partner of the Teribear Moves Prague event, where our employees’ mileage, financial contribution and donated drinks all made their mark. In addition, we rewarded the most active employees at a meeting with their families. We ran for Světluška and supported sporting events of the Jedlička Institute, such as Scooter Day and Run for Jedlička.

In charity cafés, the drinks are on us

We want to be a good neighbour

We are in touch with the management of the Prague 14 municipal district mainly through representation on its Public Involvement Board. The most frequently discussed issues here are the joint sustainability strategy of the district within the framework of Agenda 21. In addition we have long co-organised various community events with Prague 14. These include, for example, a march through Prague 14, during which residents can visit the premises of our production plant.

Certification, audits and summary

According to the reported data for 2023, we donated EUR 452,034 to charitable and community purposes in the Czech Republic. In Slovakia, it was EUR 80,988 for charitable and community purposes. The values ​​of material donations and supported environmental community projects are also included here.

Other relevant social certifications and audits:

• ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety management