Our people

Ensuring safe working conditions

Our business expansion strategy means we need to continue to build and operate larger, more complex projects. We are committed to preventing incidents at these sites – such as spills, fires and accidents – that are a risk to people, the environment and our facilities. All Shell companies, contractors and joint ventures we control are obliged to operate in line with our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standard.

All our major facilities must be certified to an external environmental standard, like ISO 14001. Sites must have emergency response plans and test them regularly. We investigate serious incidents and near misses so we can learn from them and help prevent similar incidents happening in the future.

Our award-winning “Hearts and Minds” programme, was introduced company-wide in 2004, to strengthen compliance and tackle the cultural issues that can lead to unsafe behaviour. We launched our three Golden Rules for Health, Safety and the Environment the following year to clarify our expectations – and increase people’s feeling of being accountable for their and their colleagues’ safe behaviour. An online learning package on safe behaviour was rolled out in 2006, and we stepped up our internal communication efforts, with more focus on leadership positions. A downstream safety week in 2006 reinforced that safety is everyone’s responsibility and the top priority for key management.

Protecting our people and facilities

Our Security Standard defines the way we protect our people and assets while respecting the human rights of others, including local communities. We will only use armed security when it is required by law or where there is no other acceptable way to manage the risk.

In those cases, armed guards are required to follow our Shell guidelines, which are based on United Nations guidelines and conventions on the use of force.

By the end of 2006, several operations in countries with high security risks, including Nigeria and Pakistan, were also implementing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. These Principles were developed for the energy sector by companies, governments and leading human rights NGOs.

Investing in training and recruitment

In 2006, we hired almost 6,000 people – nearly 50% more than in 2005 and more than double our hiring levels in the late 1990s. Over half were from technical disciplines and, for the first time, we recruited more people in Asia than in any other region. We strive to recruit locally and in ways that are sensitive to local conditions. For instance, to help build new skills in Algeria, we are hiring and training local graduates, rather than recruiting experienced staff from the national energy company. In 2006, we hired just under 200 local university graduates and 75 experienced Indian professionals to support the establishment of Shell Technology India. In Nigeria, we recruited more than 350 graduates and experienced professionals, record numbers including the largest number of Nigerians returning home from abroad for many years.

To help this wave of new staff understand our values from the start, our introductory training programmes have been improved. New employees are offered a series of training sessions and workshops including courses on the Business Principles. We provide a balance of on- and off-the-job learning. In 2006, about 10,000 staff participated in our company-wide leadership development courses. Sustainable development issues are integrated into the courses that are run jointly with leading business schools in Asia, Europe and the USA. Our Project Academy, launched in 2005, is a dedicated learning programme including ongoing assessment and support for project managers to help them build skills, learn from Shell and external experts and apply our standards and approaches. In 2006, the Commercial Academy was launched for commercial staff.

Valuing the diversity of our staff and being committed to equal opportunities

We have a long-standing commitment to creating a workplace that values differences.
We have three company-wide objectives: to raise the representation of women in senior leadership positions to 20% over time, to fill the majority of senior positions with local people from their own country and to increase continually the percentage of staff who feel that their workplace is inclusive.

We are also committed to equal opportunity, including for those with disabilities, in recruitment, career development, promotion, training and reward. We use clear and objective criteria when deciding whether to hire job applicants and when assessing the performance of employees.

Allowing their voice to be heard

Employees in every country where we operate have access to staff forums, grievance procedures or other support systems. Staff are free to join a union wherever permitted by national law. According to our annual internal questionnaire of senior country representatives, an estimated 12% of staff, in countries where that information is legally available, were union members in 2006.

A firm anti-child labour commitment

We have made a specific commitment not to exploit children, through direct employment or indirectly through joint ventures, contractors or suppliers. According to our annual internal questionnaire of senior country representatives, at the end of 2006, Shell companies in 95% of countries where we operate had procedures to prevent child labour. Of the 5% who didn’t, nearly all were in countries with well-enforced laws on child-labour.

Visit our Environment and Society website to learn more about our commitment to our people.

Related links

Shell Code of Conduct