Bridgestone Colombia recognizes that its employees are the central force that drives the company and that serves as a pillar for its sustainability. The company’s business profitability is built on the basis of the capabilities, motivation, security, and integral development of human capital, as well as the satisfaction and trust of all stakeholders.

Employees

In 2017, the Bridgestone Colombia team had 32 members, 41% of which are women and the remaining 59% are men. The company hired 11 new employees over the course of the year, adding 4 women and 7 men to the workforce. The employee turnover rate stood at 2,34% per month.

The information and statistics of the template of Bridgestone Colombia are obtained through the databases that go from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017. They considered only full-time collaborators.

Training

Bridgestone Colombia seeks to promote the development of its employees. Improving the team members’ skills and abilities is essential to building a work environment that presents challenges to ensure their professional development. Daily operations include efforts to provide complementary training to each worker, and this work is reflected in the positive contributions that each one makes with their ideas and work on projects that nurture quality at work and creativity for innovation.

In 2017, a total of 21 employees were trained, including senior and management, middle managers, assistants, and operators. This implies that 66% of Bridgestone Colombia received some type of training over the course of the year.

The company imparted a total of 2.134 hours of training, for an average of 101 hours per employee. Bridgestone Colombia invested USD 23.695 in training in 2017, representing a 500% growth over 2016.

Performance Assessments

Bridgestone Colombia values continuous feedback as a means for each employee to find areas for improvement and opportunities to enhance their talent. All team members are subject to regular performance reviews in the middle and at the end of each year. In 2017, 100% of all staff received a performance evaluation.

In order to ensure an objective performance review process, Bridgestone Colombia applies the Performance Management and Appraisal (PMA) System to set simple and clear metrics for each worker. The results indicate the solid performance of 75% of the employees, while 4% exceeded expectations.

Talent Attraction, Retention, and Development

Bridgestone Colombia is a company that takes responsibility for its stakeholders. The company knows that in order to deliver the best quality to the customer service, it must have the best talent and ensure their well-being in the workplace. The organization engages in a variety of activities to achieve this goal, aimed at attracting, retaining, and developing its talent.

Some of these activities are described as follows:

a) The Professional Bridgestone Experience

This program seeks to build solid ties with the university community. It is used to evaluate and retain young university talent among students who wish to strengthen their academic knowledge and gain professional experience in an internship and with possibility of being hired at the end of that period. A total of 2 trainees were hired to work full time for Bridgestone Colombia.

b) Mentoring for Leaders

As part of the initiatives created to develop talent in Bridgestone LAN, the company implemented the Mentoring Program at a regional level in 2017, to allow staff members to exchange experiences, develop competencies and receive guidance through their Mentor-Mentee relationships. The purpose of this program is to contribute to both their personal and professional development and provide exposure for each one at a regional level.

The program is structured as follows:

1. Fields of Interests and Learning Areas

2. Build the Mentor-Mentee Relationship / Objectives

3. Maintaining the relationship

4. Measure of Effectiveness

The program was started in September 2017 with 2 high potential employees in the organization.

c) Leadership Program

Another initiative focused on the development of talent is the Dan Totsu Leadership and Business Program, for which a group of teammates is selected to develop their leadership, coaching, strategy, customer management, process, project, innovation, and negotiation competencies.

The diploma is carried out at a Latin America North level and in 2017 Bridgestone Colombia counted with the participation of 4 teammates.

Work-Life Balance

Bridgestone Colombia respects the work-life balance of each of its team members, which favors enhanced performance in all daily activities and seeks to ensure the overall well-being of each of its staff members. Thus, Bridgestone Colombia strives to ensure that its work-life balance initiatives benefit both the employees and their family members.

Some of the initiatives in 2017 were:

• Celebration of special dates such as Women's Day, Father's Day, Children's Day and Valentine’s Day.

• Birthday Day: Each employee has a day off during their birthday month so that they can enjoy it with their family. A birthday gift is also given, which in 2017 consisted of a branded cup for coffee.

In addition, in response to the results obtained in the Great Place to Work survey in 2016, the Flexible Friday strategy was implemented. This work model allows Bridgestone Colombia teammates to leave at 2:00 p.m. every Friday, so they can do more leisure activities and spend more time with their families. In the same way, greater flexibility is offered in permits and licenses according to personal needs.

Benefits

Bridgestone Colombia seeks to create an atmosphere of certainty and stability so that each staff member can make specific plans, have the means required to address their needs, and enjoy a good quality of life. This increases the bonds of trust between them and the organization, guaranteeing peace of mind for all and creating a sense of internal cohesion.

In Colombia, the benefits granted by law to teammates are:

• Premium for Services (30 days according to the law).

• Severance payments (equivalent to 30 days of salary plus 12% per year).

• Holiday voucher and 10 days off guaranteed.

• Pension plan in accordance with Colombian law.

Additionally, teammates enjoy benefits such as prepaid medicine, discounts on tire sets, food support and holiday bonus.

Recognitions

Recognizing the talent and efforts made by the employees is essential to reinforcing the link with the company. Bridgestone Colombia understands this as a key factor in motivating its team members and promoting desirable actions and behavior throughout the organization. In 2017, the company recognized its employees’ performance through a variety of activities.

Each year the following recognitions are carried out:

• Recognition by Antiquity (BSCO).

• Bridgestone Group Awards (BSJ).

• Bridgestone Americas Awards (BSAM).

• Bridgestone President Awards (BS-LAN).

a) Bridgestone Group Awards

Bridgestone Group launches an annual invitation to nominate a project, idea or activity that has produced a positive impact on one of the following categories:

• Achievements.

• Mobility.

• People

• Environment.

• Management Fundamentals.

This award recognizes the employees that contribute to the business with their initiatives and go the extra mile in their daily work activities as they reflect the Bridgestone Essence.

b) Bridgestone President Awards

This recognition is given to individuals selected for their performance or for making high impact contributions to the business; In addition to the recognition itself, it is accompanied by an incentive of 300 USD. In 2017 this award was granted to 4 collaborators.

Occupational Health and Safety

The business approach of Bridgestone Colombia is purely commercial, and therefore does not represent greater risks to the health or safety of teammates. In 2017, there were no injuries, fatalities or days lost due to illnesses linked to the execution of work.