Sustainability

The total employee benefit expenses in 2022 is 10,930,248,000, accounting for 0.13% of the revenue, which is equivalent to the proportion in 2020. The full-time employee benefits maintained at the same level. Benefits include economic, insurance, entertainment, facilities, training and development. Moreover, an annual Model Employee Award Ceremony is held. Employees who have demonstrated excellent performance receive public recognition and get to personally accept their awards from management. They are also given personal leave and a bonus. Additionally, Long-Service Gold Medals are awarded every five years to thank senior staff for their long-term contributions. In 2022, the number of qualified people was about 1,075.

Chailease immediately promoted Employee Stock Ownership Trust plan in 2012, after its IPO in the end of 2011. Employees with sufficient rank and performance evaluations will be allocated a fixed incentive every month according to the operating results of the current year. The amount will be deposited into the Employees' Trust account on a regular basis. Employees can be shareholders of the Company without contributing any capital. Employees who do not contribute can also share in Company profits in the form of an equivalent bonus awarded on top of regular salary.

In September 2022, the Employee Stock Ownership Trust plan was expanded to cover all full-time employees in Taiwan, regardless of their rank. The coverage rate is greater than 90%. Moreover, incentive amounts will increase as we continue to invest NT$100 million annually. In addition to receiving the full amount upon retirement, employees can also directly receive cash dividends from the annual stock distribution. Stock dividends that are credited to the trust account will create a long-term appreciation effect. Employees can keep track of trust assets through the online trust platform and company email notifications.

Chailease Holdings, as the company with the most solar power plants in Taiwan, is actively expanding diversified green energy projects. The Company has been honored to receive ESG and green energy-related awards for many years. Sustainability objectives and various ESG indicators were considered when the Company purchased shares for our employees. These purchases are a contribution to the sustainable development of our environment and ensure that our employees also share in the fruits of sustainable operations. We make joint contributions to employee pensions funds, creating a winning situation for the environment, the Company and employees that helps our employees with early planning for their retirement.

The unique aspects of the Employee Stock Ownership Trust at Chailease Holdings compared to those at ordinary companies are as follows:

  • It is the first Employee Stock Ownership Trust plan that the company set aside additional reward to purchase shares for the employees, enable employees to become shareholders of the company with zero extra cost, we wish the plan could effectively improve the retention of talents and share business results.
  • We set some scenarios for employees can reclaim their shares in the trust funds in advance, such as getting married, having children or encountering emergency events, we wish to become the fund of happiness for employees and their family.
  • If an employee is in urgent need of funds due to natural disasters or health reasons, the employee can withdraw a portion of his or her personal stocks to tide him or her over the difficult times.
  • The ultimate goal of this plan is to share the fruitful result of business with employees, meantime jointly reserve extra pension, and assist employees to prepare financial planning for retirement in advance.

To solicit the opinions of all employees, Taiwanese subsidiaries organized labor-management meetings in accordance with the "Regulations for Implementing Labor-Management Meeting ", and 24 labor-management meetings have been held in 2022. Furthermore, we provide a variety of communication channels such as a staff discussion area on the company platform and senior executive forums where employees can discuss business operations, working conditions, and employee benefits. Although the Company’s Employee Welfare Committee is not a labor union, the Committee will not interfere with or violate employees’ mutually agreed upon freedom of association. The Committee also oversees employee benefits and consists of all departments, which elect labor representatives to participate in regular meetings. The purpose of the meetings is to take the needs of all employees into consideration and promote harmonious labor relations.

In order to improve workplace health and safety, Chailease has introduced the occupational safety and health management system ISO 45001:2018, and passed third-party verification to provide healthy and safe working conditions, comply with local government occupational safety and health laws and related requirements, eliminate hazards and reduce occupational safety and health risks , Promote employee occupational safety and health consultation and participation, which covers all employees, contractors, and personnel whose work activities are controlled by the organization, and follow the PDCA cycle for continuous improvement.

In order to prevent occupational accidents and protect the health and safety of workers, and in accordance with the provisions of the "Occupational Safety and Health Law", a full-time management unit - Occupational Safety and Health Management Department was established, with full-time occupational safety managers and nurses, and the "Occupational Safety and Health Law" was established. Sanitation Management Regulations" and the establishment of the "Occupational Safety and Health Committee". The number of the committee includes more than one-third of labor representatives (labor representatives’ account for 45% of the committee members). The occupational safety and health committee holds regular meetings every quarter to review occupational safety and health. Issues and risk management issues, participants besides labor representatives, department heads at all levels, occupational safety teachers, nurses and top management personnel also participated.

The Occupational Safety and Health Department’s duties include formulating, planing and promoting occupational safety and health management measures and assisting relevant departments in their implementation to reduce risks from environmental hazards, prevent workplace accidents, and continually improve workplace environment and safety. The department is also responsible for promoting safety education among labor safety staff, employees and contractors.  These measures will help ensure the safety and health of our employees. 

In order to prevent occupational accidents and ensure the safety and health of workers, the top management of the company formulates occupational safety regulations in accordance with international standards (ISO45001, International Labour Organization-ILO), taking into account the participation of workers and representatives in consultation, the needs and expectations of stakeholders, and hazard identification risk assessment. Hygiene policy, the scope of protection covers all workers, contractors, and personnel under the command and supervision of the organization. The contents are as follows:

 

In order to ensure workplace safety, hazard identification and risk assessment were implemented, through the evaluation of the probability of occurrence of hazards and the degree of impact, identify the hazards that the company should first attention to, and carry out hierarchical management and control. A total of 144 hazards were identified: physical hazards: 100, chemical hazards: 16, biological hazards: 13, human hazards: 12, psychological hazards: 3 items, implement target control for medium risk and above:

In order to enhance each employee's knowledge of occupational safety and health related laws and regulations and the Company's safety and health management mechanisms, we refined the safety and health education and training courses by adding online courses to the original physical courses to enhance the learning and training effects and create a culture and concept of safety, health and wellness. The new online courses include: Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health Law, Maternal Health Protection & Overload & Human Hazard Prevention, CPR & AED First Aid Training, Fire Prevention and Response, Gender Equality Awareness in the Workplace, Prevention of Unlawful Assault and other related education and training courses.

In addition, in order to prevent occupational hazards, we have implemented procurement management, contracting management, and change management at the source, considered occupational safety and health to reduce risks before procurement and change, and implemented hazard factor notification and safety and health education training when contracting.

In order to build up the workplace safety of Chailease Holdings, we regularly implement disaster prevention education drills, explaining the causes of fires and practicing fire-fighting drills to enhance the awareness of disaster prevention and disaster response capabilities of our employees. In the future, we will continue to enhance training on disaster prevention, ambulance and epidemic prevention to provide a healthier and safer workplace environment and fulfill our corporate social responsibility.

In order to comply with occupational health and safety laws and regulations and to place greater importance on employees’ physical and mental health so that they may avoid fatigue and other problems, we have hired a full-time nurse and a doctor for consultation. In doing so, we hope to provide, in a more professional manner, a healthier workplace for the benefit of all employees. We provided employees with free regular health check reports that highlighted irregularities and included in-depth analyses of body weight, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and an abdominal ultrasound. This promoted overall health programs and assisted employees in improving health self-management.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are one aspect of employee benefits. They provide resources to enable employees to stay healthy mentally and physically, which helps them focus on their jobs and enhances productivity.

Family care and work development are both important for employees. The company believes that the definition of a happy company is not limited to providing basic benefits. It also includes substantial ambition, sense of responsibility, and continued pursuit of excellence and sustainable development. A company should give employees opportunities to reach their full potential and grow with the company, while helping them strike a balance between work and home. 

Chailease Holding has a team of healthcare professionals to look after the health of its employees. Each year, we plan annual health management plans and health promotion activities, such as annual health checkups, onsite physician consultations, healthcare seminars, and blood donation activities, based on indicators such as employee health checks, health management effectiveness, and epidemiology. For employees with abnormal examination results, potential health risks and those in need of health consultation, we provide case health management, care and regular follow-ups, and aim to improve employee health by providing correct diet and lifestyle adjustment activities and seminars, such as digital movement activities, workplace stress management, smoke-free workplace, weight loss activities, etc.

Flexible work hours—employees can apply to arrive at or leave work early or late for personal reasons, such as taking classes or picking up and dropping children off at school. Flexible paternal leave—paternal leave time has been extended to four weeks and can be taken starting before actual delivery. Family care leave—the ten days for family care leave are not counted as part of personal leave. Reduced work hour program—employees can reduce the amount of hours they work on a daily basis for needs related to family care issues like pregnancy, caring for children, caring for older family members. Encourage getting off work on time—the company is promoting getting off work punctually a set number of days each month to encourage employees to enjoy their family lives or cultivate personal interests. We encourage them to work more efficiently as opposed to longer hours to get the same amount of work done. In addition, in order to continue to implement maternity protections, pregnant employees are not required to fulfill or may reduce their performance targets to reduce the stress of work while they are on maternity leave.

Hybrid Work
Chailease Holdings has implemented a "hybrid work" since 2020. Remote work standards were instituted for all employees throughout the Coronavirus Pandemic in conjunction with a mobile time clock, remote connectivity, and video conferencing to help employees work from home. In response to the post-epidemic era, the scope of the hybrid work was expanded in 2022 to provide employees with a variety of work environments. In light of considerations that maintain existing productivity while meeting employee's need for flexibility, employees can arrange 1-2 days of remote work per week according to their work schedule to save on commuting time and improve productivity.

Chailease Maternity Subsidies – 70 Thousand NTD Subsidy for A Child

Leaves Better than the Statutory Requirements

To understand employees' job satisfaction, sense of purpose and happiness, the new employee engagement survey from 2020 covered four areas: work recognition, core values, growth development and motivation, and organizational recognition. The target population for this survey was the subsidiaries in Taiwan. In 2022, a total of 3,094 employees from Taiwan subsidiaries participated in the survey, with a response rate of 95.2% and a dedication rate of 94.8%. The average score discrepancy between men and women increased slightly from 0.24 last year to 0.26.

 The Chailease Holding Company Human Rights Policy was approved in September 2018 and revised in May 2021. It is a symbol of the company’s dedication to the maintenance of worker rights, opposition to any form of discrimination, commitment to providing a safe, healthy workplace, and establishment of a smooth and transparent communications channel. At the same time, our support for international human rights treaties is reflected in specific actions with regards to our employees, suppliers, customers, contractors, public interest groups, business partners, and communities.

Assessing Human Rights Risks

Chailease Holding conducts human rights due diligence in accordance with the human rights policy approved by the Board of Directors. Chailease Holding adopts systematic approaches to identify the potential risk of human rights violations which might interfere with the business. All Chailease Holding’s subsidiaries are required to include human rights norms in their regular risk assessment and to apply them in line with a risk-based approach. In 2020, Chailease Holding developed a human rights due diligence process to identify critical suppliers with a high potential for human rights violations.

Due diligence for the human rights survey included topics like: working hours, child labor, forced or compulsory labor, sex discrimination, workplace violence, workplace sexual harassment, labor disputes, workplace health and safety and employee health, maternity protections, human trafficking, freedom of association, and collective bargaining rights. The groups surveyed include employees, women, children, indigenous people, immigrants, third-party contractors, and local communities.

Human Rights Risk Evaluation and Impact Assessment

●Reporting Human Rights Violations

Employees and business partners are requested to speak up and report incidents if they believe in good faith that someone relevant to Chailease Holding may be involved in something that violates our ethical or human rights principles. Whistleblowing channels were established for employees, clients and suppliers of Chailease Holding and all subsidiaries, to report incidents of fraud, illegality and violation of human rights or the Code of Conduct to the company via the formal report system. Once the content of the report is confirmed, we will take appropriate corrective actions. If an incident involving human rights concerns is confirmed, it should be reported to the Board of Directors and the Corporate Governance Committee, explaining the details of the incident and reporting contingency measures.

●Human Rights Training

Human rights training for internal employees has been increased. For example, new hires receive training and education regarding corporate ethics, including the company code of conduct and classes related to business operations, including working hours, gender equality, and other human rights considerations. In 2022, new hires attended a total 27,264 hours (human rights protection issues accounts for approximately 13.19%) in Taiwan.

A sexual harassment prevention and complaint coordination mechanism was also established. Email accounts were set up for department heads, to enhance employee training and concept promotion, helping to prohibit any form of gender harassment, discrimination, or other acts of intimidation. Moreover, staff incentive and disincentive measures were outlined and then implemented by the Human Resources Committee. No major human rights violations occurred in 2022.

In 2022, our subsidiary Chailease Finance established Labor-Management Meeting Guidelines, in accordance with the Labor Standards Act and Regulations for Implementing Labor-Management Meeting. The same year, Chailease Finance held elections for labor representatives. Labor and management representatives serve as delegates at labor-management meetings during their four-year terms. Labor representatives can be reelected and management representatives can be assigned for multiple terms. Labor-management meetings must be held at least once every three months.

Contracting of employees is as per all labor laws and regulations, and employees are guaranteed all labor rights. For example, in Taiwan, if there is a change to an employee's work content or location, notice must be given at least one week in advance, and various helps, subsidies, leave time or pre-service training provided. If a worker is unable to do his or her job, there is a transfer or a shrinkage of duties, notice period is determined by seniority, with a minimum of 10-30 days previous notice required.

Talent cultivation at Chailease Holdings uses four essential pillars: Core Skillset Training, Management Skillset Training, Professional Skillset Training and Digital Empowerment Training to establish a complete education and training network together with a strict performance management system. Every year, 100% of our employees participate in regular performance evaluations and career development questionnaires. Functional evaluations and employee performance reviews that reflect the annual development and team goals of our organization in conjunction with the personal growth plans of our employees are the foundation used to create a comprehensive career development, team performance and Individual Development Plan (IDP) for each employee based on gradual annual progress with respect to individual professional development, career development, and personal performance counseling programs. In addition, through schedule management and performance counseling, we provide immediate feedback and guidance to employees on a regular basis, review performance goals on a monthly basis, and conduct year-end evaluations based on goal achievements and work development.

The total number of employee training hours in 2022 was 553,920 hours and the average training time per employee was 61.74 hours. Since 2009, we have been promoting an "Independent Departmental Training System" to systematically plan and execute training activities that improve the diversity of overall training programs, truly satisfy specialized training requirements of individual units, and meet the needs for our employees to enhance their professional knowledge in various niche markets. We have authorized each department to organize various courses in different industrial fields. First to supplement and then to reinforce training provided by the head office in an effort to build and strengthen the professional ability of our employees. This also ensures that our employees can apply what they have learned and foster a positive corporate learning culture to create further performance advancements.

The Company encourages employees to take the initiative to acquire new knowledge outside their work. There is an incentive mechanism for those who have obtained relevant licenses, such as accountant, real estate appraiser, Financial Risk Manager (FRM), Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), Advanced Financial Management Associate (AFMA), etc. In addition, when recruiting new employees, priority is given to those who hold the above financial licenses or professional licenses relevant to available vacancies.

★Digital Empowerment Creates New Key Development Skillset for the Golden Decade

The development of financial technology has gradually become one of the core competitive competencies of the Company. In 2020, Chailease Holdings launched the "Next Generation Fintech Digital Talent Training Program" in Taiwan. The goal is to combine three aspects of the digital transition strategy at the Company: Digital Optimization, Data Science Application, and Digital Products and Platforms into a tiered, cohort-based approach that seeks to integrate the DNA of Digital Empowerment into the core values of long-term operational development at Chailease Holdings.

The digital transition at Chailease Holdings focuses on a "product growth mindset" and optimization of the crop information system. We actively pursue diverse business applications and collaborative technological development. The Company encourages related professionals to continue acquiring new knowledge in development technology, digital tools, data application and digital trends. This knowledge was applied across more than 3,167 hours of professional training in 2022, while also driving an annual growth rate of 90% for business opportunities in digital channels. In 2022, 19%  of employees are participating in the program.

We offer complete and competitive salary packages and performance-linked bonuses. Moreover, we regularly commission a professional management consulting company to conduct financial industry salary surveys and we adjust salaries accordingly. For example, according to one report, our new hires with two areas of specialization earned approximately 1.58 times the average basic monthly salary. (There is no gender difference in initial emolument)