Employee care has been a long-term priority for Unipetrol, which is also attested by the results of this year’s Employer of the Year 2020 competition. In this prestigious independent ranking, Unipetrol finished first again in the Ústí Region. Intensive long-term support of talented students and the Czech education system is an integral part of the successful HR strategy, too.
“The competition in the Employer of the Year ranking has been getting tougher each year. Therefore, it is not easy to defend our results from previous years. Despite that, we maintain our leading positions and strive to advance and improve our approach to employees,” says Michał Chmiel, HR director of the Unipetrol Group, and adds: “We are happy about our other achievements in this prestigious competition. As the Employer of the Year in the Ústí Region, we not only continue improving employee conditions, increasing their qualifications and creating an optimal environment for the career advancement, but also think about long-term support of Czech schools and talented students. The latter has continued under the current difficult conditions without interruption.” Over 4,800 employees work at Unipetrol, of whom more than 2,600 in the Ústí Region. Last year, 337 new colleagues joined them. The excellent care is also attested to by the fact that in 2019 Unipetrol paid out almost CZK 109 million in employee benefits.
The Employers’ Club has declared Unipetrol the Employee of the Year 2020 in the Ústí Region based on a comprehensive assessment of participating firms. The evaluation is done according to a methodology by PricewaterhouseCoopers Czech Republic, which prepares documentation as the competition’s expert guarantor. The goal of the ranking, organized since 2003, is to publicly present firms with an excellent approach to their employees. The Employer of the Year award ceremony took place on Thursday, 10 September 2020, at Staré Splavy.
“In the Employer of the Year, Unipetrol confirms each year that it is above the usual level on the local labour market in the majority of key indicators,” explains director Pavel Hulák from the organising Employers’ Club, adding: “Our independent assessment according to an international methodology factors in remuneration and education on the one hand, while on the other hand, we take into consideration many other important factors, be they internal promotions or career-advancement possibilities. Economic indicators, mainly financial results, also play an important role.”
In the Ústí Region, Unipetrol has been promoting modern trends in the employee approach for a long time. Apart from conventional tools from a wide range of benefits to support employees’ personal and professional development, the company also puts a significant emphasis on employee engagement in CSR projects. This year’s employee projects include the komUNIta platform that supports corporate volunteers and the involvement of employees in the life of local communities. The Unipetrol Group’s running club is also worth mentioning, which earned almost CZK 300,000 for non-profit organisations last year.
Unipetrol is a traditional winner of the regional round of the Employer of the Year competition, but it also usually does quite well in the associated vote “The Most Wanted Employer according to Students”. However, this year, this vote did not take place due to the measures against the spread of COVID-19. Still, Unipetrol has not rested on laurels and has continued its consistent support of talented students and the Czech education system.
The Unipetrol Foundation also plays a vital role in this development. For instance, it awards scholarships to secondary school and university students in chemical and natural sciences. A grant programme to support educational and scientific activities contributes to the development of secondary schools in the entire Czech Republic. In the last academic year alone, the leader of the petrochemical and refinery industry provided CZK 8.25 million to schools and students. Almost 1,200 children had the opportunity to see the backstage of Unipetrol production plants, and almost a hundred students had their internship or a paid temporary job there. The company also collaborates with many secondary schools in the region. It provides study opportunities directly at its Litvínov plant at the University Centre VŠCHT Prague – Unipetrol. Unipetrol also organises a range of educational activities focused on promoting chemistry with young people across all stages of education, for instance, “A Wonderful Day with Chemistry”. It is an interactive show for primary school pupils. Within the PC Bazaar, schools in the region receive discarded functional computer equipment.
The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude-oil processing and on the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it belongs among the important players on the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with its Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes a network of Benzina filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 417 filling stations, Benzina is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in terms of turnover in the Czech Republic. It earned over CZK 130 billion last year and employs more than 4,800 persons. In addition to its business development, Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives which focus on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, Unipetrol became a member of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude-oil processor in Central Europe.
For more information, please visit the “Responsible Company” section at www.unipetrol.cz.
Contact information: Pavel Kaidl, spokesman, telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520, e-mail:
pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz