At SK Tes, we believe that sustainability and social responsibility start with our people. From diversity and inclusion to health and safety, our initiatives aim to create an environment where every employee feels valued, engaged, and empowered. We are proud to say that our annual employee turnover rate in 2024 was 17% - within normal industry ranges.
We provide a safe, diverse, and inclusive workplace and community in which people can thrive. There are 5 tangible ways we do that:
Here are 5 tangible ways we are driving inclusion and engaging employees globally at SK Tes:
- Building successful employee engagement programs through training, employee surveys and communications
- Employee diversity and inclusion initiatives - a global commitment
- Collaborative approach to upholding international labor standards
- Health & safety training and reporting for employees
- Well-being employee engagement programs and initiatives
1. Building successful employee engagement programs through training, employee surveys and communications
As a part of the SK Tes Sustaining Tomorrow global sustainability training framework, we focus on the "Provide" principle, which involves employees in our Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) journey. The program is designed to strengthen ownership of our ESG commitments. This training programme has achieved an impressive 97% participation rate among targeted employees.
As part of our strategy to enhance employee engagement and retention, in 2024 we implemented more robust feedback mechanisms, including an annual engagement survey. This was conducted at selected locations, with a comprehensive organization wide survey planned for 2025. Forming part of our materiality assessment exercise, the goal is to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of employee priorities across regions.
Since 2023 our internal Engage hub (finalist in Ragan Communication's Awards 2025) has a key part of our Employee engagement program. The hub was created to inform and inspire those in the SK Tes circle of influence. In 2024 the site continued to amass a wide range of articles building engagement, readership, improving staff retention, bringing awareness to sustainable development risk and opportunity, and enhancing the level of skill and knowledge retained in the business.
Image: Tangible results in 2024 annual turnover rate and employee engagement in the "Sustaining Tomorrow" training program at SK Tes
2. Employee diversity and inclusion initiatives - a global commitment
We celebrate diversity across our global operations. In 2024, we have been particularly focused on ethical, international and diverse employment, women in leadership and more.
SK Tes is a truly multi-cultural company employing from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. In Germany, employees represented 31 nationalities and 34 ethnic backgrounds, while our Rotterdam site with just below 40 employees recorded 19 different ethnicities. These insights guide our future benchmarking and local inclusion strategies.
Similarly, we have been focused on women in leadership, and we are proud to say that in 2024, 36.84% of leadership roles were held by women and gender distribution of new hires increased to 37.84%.
Images: Diversity and inclusion initiative at SK Tes UK and women at SK Tes Japan facility
Our 2024 Human Rights Risk Assessment prioritized vulnerable groups, leading to targeted programmes for persons with disabilities. As part of this focus, we have initiated targeted programs in selected locations to increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Across European region we participate in some local Charters and Diversity schemes:- United Kingdom: Proud participant in the Disability Confident scheme, partnering with the Department of Work and Pensions to provide tailored workplace support.
- Italy: Signatory to the Charter for Equal Opportunities and Equality at Work, promoting inclusive HR policies free from discrimination.
- Germany: Member of Charta der Vielfalt, Germany’s largest employer-led diversity initiative, and partner with Diakonie for disability inclusion.
3. Collaborative approach to upholding international labor standards
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining
- Elimination of child and forced labor
- Non-discrimination and responsible conduct
- Prevention of workplace violence and harassment
- Decent youth employment opportunities
Image: SK Tes UK operations are proud to be part of the government’s Disability Confident Scheme, which has led to full time employment for our current employee.
In Europe: In the UK, SK Tes works closely with our local Department of Work and Pensions and their ‘Access to Work’ team, providing support to individuals who need extra assistance in familiarizing themselves with workplace environments or gaining valuable work experience. One participant performed so exceptionally well that we offered him part-time employment, later increasing his hours until he became a full-time permanent employee who remains with us today.
In Asia: Beijing and Shanghai have formal collective bargaining agreements to ensure fair working conditions, wage distribution, and protections for female employees.
4. Health and safety training and reporting
Safety is non-negotiable. At SK Tes we prioritize the safety of our employees, striving for zero injuries through our comprehensive health and safety management system, which is reinforced by ongoing training.
We protect our employees - both remote and at our facilities. At SK Tes, we have maintained a formal Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management system since 2005, reflecting both legal compliance and industry best practice. This system is certified under ISO 45001:2018, covers 99.4% of employees across 35 sites.
At SK Tes, health and safety trainings are carried out for all employees in our operations, with a mandatory introductory training on health and safety procedures and best practices for all new hires. And training on health and safety topics accounted for 50% of all training hours. The OHS system is embedded in our Integrated Management System (IMS), alongside our quality, environmental, and responsible recycling (R2) management systems.
Through thorough implementation of OHS reporting and training, we are proud to report zero high-consequence injuries and fatalities achieved in 2024. Also, our global facilities successfully managed multiple thermal events during 2024, demonstrating effective response capabilities.
Images: SK Tes training and OHS reporting initiatives to protect employees and create a safe working environment
In Europe: Our facility in Rotterdam received ISO 45001:2018 certification in 2024, and our battery recycling site in France is scheduled for certification in 2025.
5. Well-being employee engagement programs and initiatives
At SK Tes, we also focus on employee wellbeing, and engagement in social initiatives.
Consistently, across the different demographic classifications, we primarily promote permanent, full-time employment, which represents a commitment to job stability, boosted by benefits which include health insurance, retirement plans, and professional development opportunities. This approach is part of our effort to ensure that our employees remain engaged and committed to our vision, helping to reduce turnover and increase employee retention.
In Europe: In the UK, SK Tes has also implemented the Yu Life app to all employees to assist with wellbeing campaigns through different activities in walking, running, workouts or meditation, while engaging employees with ESG initiatives through these gamified challenges.
Globally: Every year, our employees participate locally at career events in schools, training programmes and support charitable work through various activities.
Employee engagement and inclusion are at the heart of the Provide principles of SK Tes - a social impact company.
To sum up, we aim to constantly improve engagement with our employees through commitment to diversity and inclusion for all through training, surveying, reporting and more, to ensure we provide a safe workplace for everyone and sustain business success. By embedding a sustainable mindset across operations, we ensure that decisions align with economic, environmental, and social responsibility.
Download SK Tes Sustainability Report
Our latest Sustainability Report details how we engage employees and communities, improve social impact across regions, and report on our verified, science-based targets. Download the full report here.
For more information download our sustainability report or explore more about sustainability at SK Tes supports here.
