Respect for employees and their rights lies at the heart of Nornickel's business. The protection of human rights is reflected in a number of the Company's documents, including Business Ethics Code, Personal Data Policy, Anti-Embezzlement Regulation and Human Rights Policy.

Talent pool

In 2017, the Company continued rolling out its talent pool management system to include the process of recruiting lower and middle line managers. The relevant approaches are set out in the Talent Pool Regulation of MMC Norilsk Nickel. In 2017, the Company primarily focused on designing and implementing training and development programme for the talent pool and their mentors, with 99 mentors fully trained during the year. Also, the Company set up a new programme for the talent pool. The comprehensive training system offers a combination of classroom and online sessions to enable transition from easy-to-follow on-the-job programmes to a free choice of resources for professional development.

In 2017, the Company started assessing the capacity, current performance and development prospects of its middle and top managers, with 81 managers from Kola MMC, Pechengastroy, Norilsknickelremont and Norilsk Support Complex listed as those with a high career growth potential in 2017.

To define priority development areas for its management, at the end of 2017, the Company ran a 360-degree competency review using an updated competency model built around values and management competencies. Based on the review results and relevant feedback, each participant could choose the right path for development and select required tools and methods using a dedicated roadmap for development activities. In 2018, the training programme for the Head Office’s managers will be based on their individual development plans.

In 2017, we proceeded with our project to automate talent pool management using SAP HCM. The new system will help standardise talent pool management methods across the Company's operations, consolidate relevant data into a shared database, boost efficiency and streamline approaches to talent pool building. Its other advantages include:

The reporting year saw the Company complete its project to assess professional competencies of managers in the Power and Mechanics functional units. As part of the assessment, 250 managers took specially designed tests that helped identify areas for their professional development.

In 2018, Nornickel will partner with Russia’s leading universities and institutions to organise training for all unit managers giving them an opportunity to learn more about the cutting-edge technologies and best practices. The training programmes will enable managers to enhance their managerial and professional competencies at the leading business schools.

The operating efficiency training

In September 2017, 55 managers embarked on the operating efficiency training at Moscow's Skolkovo School of Management. The project seeks to develop key management competencies with a focus on operating efficiency, a new approach to production management, better understanding of business and business environment, wider planning horizon, enhanced vision of the Company's prospects, analysis of the latest technologies, approaches and best practices in production management, and also their possible use and roll-out across the Group. At the end of the session, the trainees will have to come up with target strategic projects to boost operating efficiency of the Company's facilities.

More details on other programmes, please see Recruitment.

Enhancing professional excellence

With our reconfigured production cycle, modernised operations, new technologies and approaches, and a rapidly changing operational environment, we need to make sure our employees meet the new expertise, skill and competency requirements. The corporate training framework must provide employees with a quick and easy access to new knowledge, helping them master new professional skills and receive training and development support for horizontal and vertical job rotation.

In 2017, we proceeded with the diagnostics and management of professional skill development across our mining facilities, building a professional competency model for lower and middle line mine managers, defining knowledge and skills requirements for each position, and developing a set of test questions to assess professional competencies of line managers at mining facilities. This year, we will carry on with this work.

In 2017, we completed a large-scale programme to retrain over 94,600 employees of the Group, including more than 24,000 people aged below 30. Over 52,000 employees were trained in corporate training centres.

An area of special attention is the introduction of modern technologies to assist in the training of various personnel categories. In 2017, we developed interactive training in occupational safety.