Communities
From the Fields to our Offices
As we continue to work for human rights across the globe, we know it’s vital that we create a workplace that protects the rights of the individual here at home. A big part of that mission rests upon the shoulders of our employees. It is essential that every Monsanto employee uphold our values and commitments. GRI HR 3 GRI LA 10 That’s why we provide human rights computer-based employee training modules. In 2012, we didn’t introduce new training for all employees, but focused on training newly hired employees. 3,000 employees were trained—that’s a 99 percent completion rate— which resulted in 1,546 hours of human rights training.
3,000 EMPLOYEES WERE TRAINED
99% COMPLETION RATE
RESULTED IN 1,546 HOURS OF HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINING
GRI HR 4 UN 6 Our Monsanto Business Conduct Office gives our employees a channel to raise human rights matters confidentially and anonymously. A toll free, dedicated telephone number has been provided, along with a company email address to log complaints or concerns.
GRI HR 11 Our Business Conduct Office complaint system has 45 different categories of allegations, and ten of them overlap with our Human Rights Policy. In these ten categories, there were sixteen cases brought forward for consideration and addressed in 2012. Of these sixteen cases, eleven were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. Three were determined to be an infraction of company policy or have legal or regulatory consequences. The remaining two resulted in an intervention to correct the situation, although they were not classified as a specific policy or regulatory violation.
Additional Efforts at our Headquarters
Monsanto offers a resource group for our GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) employees. Encompass is a group dedicated to supporting the GLBT community and also championing equal rights and gender equality. In 2012, Encompass held their second Annual Meeting and focused on the importance of having allies in the workplace. An ally is someone who supports the GLBT community and also gender and racial equality, regardless of sexual orientation. Our people continue to support Encompass in their mission and their efforts to educate and empower the GLBT community and their allies.
We are also sensitive to the challenges of our disabled guests and employees. In 2012, we undertook more than 20 projects at an investment of $750,000 to improve the conditions of our walkways and ramps. The end result of these improvements is a more inclusive campus for disabled individuals. We are grateful for our relationships with disability advocates and St. Louis-based organizations such as Paraquad, Life Skills, Special School District, AgrAbility and many others. Our conversations with these advocates have developed into invaluable partnerships.
We continue to do all we can to ensure that the rights of the worker are respected and championed. Not just because it’s good for business, but also because we believe it’s our responsibility to improve lives wherever we do business.