Energy Absolute Group is well aware that employees are key factors for elevating organizational competitive advantages. Therefore, human resource management strategies are determined, hiring exceptionally skilled workers through all channels, comprising increasing employees’ productivity, enhancing organizational commitment among employees, developing employees’ capacity in response to rapid and unexpected changes (BANI – Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible), including uplifting human resource standards and management. Employee management – Energy Absolute Group sets up diversity & inclusion policy. In this regard, all employees are treated equally and appropriately without discrimination, regardless of their race, sex, social status, disability, religion, or anything else. Cultural and value differences are accepted, including the process of recruitment, employment, and appointment. Promotion is given to learning, employee development, and overseeing employees to work efficiently to support organizational success, achieving the set goals efficiently and sustaining the growth of business continuously.
The Energy Absolute Group is committed to the company’s success and sustainability together with promoting human rights throughout the organization. The Company recognizes the importance of respecting the human rights of every employee. This is claimed as an essential role of the Company, its Business Partners and Joint Ventures in the supply chain to adhere to human rights principles of equal treatment of employees, customers, local communities, Outsource/Subcontract/Third Party Employees, Migrant Workers, Indigenous People, Women, Men, LGBTQI+, Disabled Person, Pregnant Women, Elderly People and other stakeholders and avoiding all forms of human rights violations.
This is to ensure that The Energy Absolute Group has operated the business without any human rights violations. The Group has established policies and guidelines on human rights to prevent human rights violations in all business activities of the Group. We value and respect human rights as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including collective agreements and treaties relating to the treatment of labor and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, UN Global Compact, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, and the International Labor Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (ILO.) The Group has formulated and declared those policies as Policy Commitment & Human Rights Commitment.
Energy Absolute Group has adopted the Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) process in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) as a framework in Human Rights Management. It covers all business activities in Thailand and country-wide where the Company operates and analyzes potential impacts as well as having a systematic human rights risk management to ensure that the Group has a system to control and prevent human rights violations. Further, there is the effective human rights management to support its business operations, business partners, contractors, and all stakeholders to highly pay attention and respect to the human rights principles in accordance with the Human Rights Management Guidelines of the Group.
EA Groups also prioritizes the hiring of the disabled and the elderly. To increase income and employment opportunities for the disabled and elderly. It also encourages equality in human rights. Furthermore, the Pure Energy Group has received the Human Rights honor for the fourth year in a row, with the 2023 honor being at the excellent level.
There is no human right violation case in 2023, thus, there is no remediation action taken.
Ethics/Code of Conduct training and communication, anti-corruption, risk management, information technology securities awareness, and Personal Data Protection Act Challenge: Promoting ethical decision making in the workplace, including risk awareness in the workplace, be careful with the use of information technology and personal data by means of communication and public relations that can be widely accessible to employees.
Implementation: Content is prepared to enable employees to learn and review the knowledge on their own. Tests are provided to measure knowledge levels of ethics, anti-corruption, risk management, information technology securities awareness, and Personal Data Protection Act among employees at all levels. Thai and foreign employees obtain knowledge and pass the tests, accounting for 91.82%.
Implementation: As Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558 (2015) is enacted in Thailand, which protects all individuals from gender-based discrimination, Energy Absolute Group has monitored and communicated gender equality with all stakeholders to acknowledge and use as a practical guideline. Energy Absolute Group has continuously adhered to the principles of gender equality in terms of employment, remuneration paid, job position and career advancement, and working condition.
The Group focuses on a proactive strategy through building partnerships with leading educational institutions in the country in order to reach and understand students' expectations for the organizations they aspire to join. It also helps prepare them in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies that the organizations required through co-designing the learning courses. This is to get them ready with effectiveness to enter to the organization after graduation.
Student Internship Program
It is a program that aims to provide students with internships in the workplace with related work. This is to enhance their specific knowledge and skills with practical base learning during Co=operative Education Program and Summer Internship. The Group provides opportunities for students from various colleges and universities to join and learn while having mentors from the Group. There are 54 students joining the Co-operative Education Program and the Summer Internship. The Group will pay some allowance to support students’ meal and travelling cost.
Background: There are many employees who are about to reach retirement age in each year. Many of them are expertise in specific fields which they can still work effectively and be able to transfer knowledge and skills to the latter generations. The Group recognizes the importance of retaining such highly competent employees and generate these values to the organization.
Implementation: The Group creates the project called Re-Employment Program to provide opportunities for employment after retirement with careful consideration of the job suitability and numbers of retired employees each year.
Results: In 2023, we have re-employed 9 employees who retired at various levels and it is expected more numbers in the future considering the suitable ability.
Challenge: The disruptive technology which is inevitable in current business world drives the organizations and employees to adapt to such challenges. Therefore, the organization has prepared and developed its employees to cope with the challenges in the digital era.
Implementation: The Group has formulated a strategic implementation and set goals to develop employee capability as well as to be caring organization. The actions are as below.
To improve employee capability at all levels with learning project assignment which is tailored-made to match with skill gap.
To provide internal job rotation opportunity to prepare employees to be multitasking skill. The Group has provided designated and effective job rotation programs so that employees can perform the latter-roles successfully.
To recruit competent employees from educational institutions through a strategic human resource development program with effective communication.
Energy Absolute Group evaluates the effectiveness of employees’ performance at all levels by applying Performance Management System within the organization. It also helps to understand capability level of employees. The system focuses on how the employee achieving the targeted objectives. It links the organization's goals and deploys to department level and each individual employee.
The first dimension is to measure job accomplishment by using OKR or Objective Key Result to measure organization’s or department’s success. We also use PDA, or Performance Development Appraisal, to measure individual success.
The second dimension is to measure behavioral attributes by using the 360 Degree Feedback tool to get feedback from peers, colleagues from different departments, and subordinates. Recipients are assessed on their behaviors which are the identity of the Group (EA's DNA). The frequency of performance appraisal took place by twice a year.
Challenge: The arrival of digital technology has forced the organization change its way of work while the competitive environment in the digital age has great impact for recruiting and attracting talents.
Actions: It is not only developing employees’ capability to create opportunities and career advancement under changing contexts but also creating cooperation with external agencies for recruitment. The Group prepares employee by developing their skills and helping them creating value through participation in innovative projects. Thus, they can apply knowledge and skills related to their job scope, strengthen their leadership and other necessary skills. The Group offers skills development programs for all levels covering Vice Presidents, Managers, Employees, and Officers both in production departments and support functions. For Vice Presidents, the aims to provide performance management tools and concepts through Coaching & Feedback. For Managers, the Group develop them to be good leaders together with project management skills. Moreover, The Group provided “Innovation Leadership Program” to support and endorse the people leader to be an innovation project lead. For employees and officers, the Group focuses on providing knowledge to develop their professional skills. This is to also enhance their skills to deeply understand overall effectiveness of the machines, and to learn the importance of the multi-participatory maintenance. These are key factors to facilitate employees to succeed and advance more in their careers.
The Group creates the online learning platform to enhance learning process and knowledge transfer within the organization effectively. This is to gather key learning contents and place on learning platform technology. It helps encouraging employee to be able to learn anywhere, and anytime. As a result, employees have more access to learning (Learning Adoption). Employee learning adoption is increase of 52.04% compared to the traditional learning approach.
To ensure organizational development is consistent with the direction of the business operations, which is a major challenge that all organizations have to confront, the development of employees to be flexible and adaptable to rapid changes shall strengthen the organization. Energy Absolute Group gives importance to employee development to meet changes that occur at every moment in Today’s world. Employee development method has been developed in the form of 4 various learning models:
Digital learning through online learning platforms (Self-Learning).
Classroom training (Onsite training).
Information, skills, experience shared from experts (Knowledge sharing).
Project-based learning
Blended – Learning
Such training course shall be uplifted from concepts to practice to create a business outcome using design thinking, knowledge sharing, and experiences from executives, experts. Employee development through collaborative projects can measure learning outcomes in a tangible manner with regard to knowledge and skills development, application, success towards goal, and value creation in business. Employees submitted a project to the competition under the EA Inside EA campaign of Energy Absolute Group. Besides, Energy Absolute Group held functional competency development. Emphasis is placed on the 70:20:10 model for learning and development. It reveals that individuals tend to learn 70% of their knowledge from challenging experiences and assignments, 20% from developmental relationship, and 10% from coursework and training. Based on the belief that employee development through real experience by practicing, it shall help generate learning and behavioral changes that truly affect employee performance.
Operating Results 2023 : Based on the 70:20:10 model for learning and development to elevate learning and step into digital transformation, the employee development outcomes of Energy Absolute Group are as follow:
Learn 70% of their knowledge from challenging experiences and assignments i.e.
Developing through the EA Inside EA campaign according to the process of creative cognitive process that focuses on learning through thinking and practicing project-based learning (PBL), 29 projects with estimated value added at 9.4 million baht,
Developing through on-the-job training – employees learn the job while performing it within the actual work environment.
Learn 20% from developmental relationship
This year coaching skill development is given to chiefs continuously. Significant development projects are as follows:
Development project for chief executives, middle level executives, and Executive One on One Coaching for new generation executives individually (Executive Trainee Program).
Skill development project and real coaching for subordinates of middle level executives and supervisors. There were 160 people attending the Super EA Leader Learning Program for 20.9%
Learn 10% from coursework and training
10% of the development is from classroom learning or training among employees. Energy Absolute Group gives importance to learning methods consistent with employees’ different basic knowledge and skills, including applying new technology to achieve actual learning. Details are as follow:
Blended learning is a combination of the development of theoretical and practical knowledge by using case based learning approach including creating skills, supporting and pushing self-learning, etc.
The adoption of digital system to develop employee learning increasingly by self-learning management through @CORE system, QR code is used to conduct a survey and assess training outcomes.
In 2023, the voluntary resignation rate of employees is at 19% which is 21% decreasing from the previous year. The Group plans to improve the rate by developing Succession Plan to provide employee to see opportunity and plan their own career advancement. The Managements will take part in mentoring and coaching them to improve in terms of technical and self-management appropriately.
In the Energy Absolute context, employees below the senior management level are defined as Operator, Officer, and above to Vice President. The Long-Term incentive programs are programs tied to an employee's performance. The performance can be measured during one or multiple years. EA group called that incentive “Trust Fund”
The company invests in the Trust Fund because the CEO is the owner and founder of a collection of business. He has good wish and intention to all employee with the concept "join the company empty-handed, jointly take EA further, and retire from EA like a rich businessman". Hence, the company is a sole investor in the trust fund and allow all employee get profits from the Trust Fund's investment.
Objectives of the “Trust Fund”
To increase financial wealth and stability for employees upon retirement
To create the opportunity for employees with outstanding performance and with outstanding EA employees' identity (EA DNA) to be an important force for the organization to achieve its business objectives by participating in the Company's ownership or partnership through the trust fund to create joint value for joint sustainable growth.
To be an instrument promoting performance, creating motivation and maintaining personnel with the company.
Qualifications of persons entitled to participate in the “Trust Fund” are as follows:
Being an employee with performance in the right lane group at A grade level (A Grade) for 2 years or more consecutively.
Being a talented employee or employee with high performance and potential.
Being an employee with good work achievement creating significant value added to the Company.
Our trust fund provides long-term incentives based on our employee's development,
Result in 2023 : The one qualified partner of the "Trust Fund" program was announced via corporate email in the year 2023. That qualified partner is being from Special Project Team
Benefits from Trust Fund For example, the EA partners, employee have right to take the annual leave of a maximum 25 days per year. Health insurance, by increasing the coverage of the actual excess of entitlement, to a maximum of Baht 2,000,000 per year as necessary and appropriate.
Employee commitment survey was conducted by institutes accepted by leading organizations in the country and foreign countries. Employee commitment outcome in 2023 was 48% while the target of employee commitment was set at 54%. The survey questions can indicate job satisfaction, work has a clear purpose, being happy at work most of the time (Happiness), and having stress at work most of the time (Stress). In 2023, the company implemented employee commitment through development and learning provided to employees. Channels, patterns, and courses of training were added more. Information system was improved to meet usage demands to ensure it is fast and easily accessible. Moreover, a channel to listen to employees’ comment was opened through the training activity “Because we care, please share with us” and the project “Process Restructuring on travelling expenses reimbursement”. Based on both 2 projects, approval –seeking processes to be faster were improved. Purchasing system was developed to be convenient for users, including disbursement procedures that are more explicit, convenient, and faster for users. The purpose of the improvement and development of internal management process is organizational sustainability. Employee metrics to track employee engagement are consists of the following dimension below : 1. Job satisfaction (external motivation, e.g. I am satisfied with my job) : Work Task 59%, Career Development 54% 2. Purpose (internal motivation, e.g., my work has a clear sense of purpose) : Performance Management 53%, Empowerment/Autonomy 49%
Energy Absolute Group has a policy on supporting job rotation to ensure employees achieve career advancement straightly, widely, and diagonally. Job rotation in the organization enables employees to learn and create new skills across divisions or departments. Furthermore, job rotation helps the organization to prepare an adequate number of manpower, consistent with business strategies (Strategic Workforce Planning) of the company in the future.
In addition to adopting digital technology to drive the organization to achieve competitive advantages and to cope with changes in business operations, Energy Absolute Group sets a policy to promote and develop innovation, create an environment for innovation development, one of EA’s DNA. Employees are encouraged to think out of the box, have creative thinking, be brave enough to express their own ideas, be brave enough to confront changes through submitting their work to the competition under the campaign EA Inside EA.
Result In 2023, employees from 12 companies of the group were interested in submitting their work to compete in 29 projects, and it was the 6th year of the campaign EA Inside EA. Since 2018 to at present, there have been 90 projects. The 3 examples of work winning the biggest award from the EA Inside EA 2023 are as follow:
Project : Reduce costs in repair and maintenance of Solar Inverters
Objective : 1. To reduce Energy Consumption and GHG Emission 2. To reduce operating costs
Benefits: : 1.Energy saving 126,327.96 kWh/Year 2. Cost saving 470,737 THB/Year 3. GHG Emission Reduction 63.15 tCO2e/Year
Project : Improve the efficiency of operations in order to reduce maintenance costs for Solar Inverter equipment
Objective : To reduce operating costs
Benefits : Cost saving 3,628,800 THB/Year
Project : Reduce Battery Supply Usage for UPS WTG
Objective : 1. To reduce waste generation and Indirect GHG Emission (Scope 3) from battery disposal 2. To reduce battery usage to suitable for operationists
Benefits : Cost saving 3,010,500 THB/Year
Energy Absolute group adopts people analytics program to measure employee performance, prepare employee development plans, enhance work skills, help recruiting and hiring employees so as to facilitate changes through 2 skill development processes, namely, reskilling and upskilling.
Visions for sustainable employee development:
Enhancing capacity by setting the structure of content and module-based learning method, expected a body of knowledge shall induce sustainable development.
Seeking cooperation with educational institutions by connecting best practices from inside and outside of the organization. The body of knowledge obtained can be developed further. It is expected that it shall induce creativity and knowledge sharing about sustainable development.
. Building knowledge sharing culture by setting knowledge sharing in a systematic and consistent manner. It is expected that employees shall be familiar with the sharing of knowledge, experience, and what they learn and be able to build upon sooner.
Knowledge management (KM) is used as a tool for knowledge sharing within the organization. It is aimed at collecting knowledge from individuals or documents in the organization to develop in a systematic manner to ensure employee in the organization are able to access important business knowledge and develop themselves to be knowledgeable people and perform their jobs efficiently, enabling the organization to enjoy maximum competitive advantages.
Energy Absolute Group fosters employees to be happy and convenient at work. Digital platforms are available to help facilitate their work. A variety of communication channels are accessible to employees to perceive news and activities implemented by the company, including suggestions that the organization brings to develop in a tangible manner, such as positive work environment, training courses, and various activities. Besides, Energy Absolute Group has also embraced a hybrid working. Working with departments that have good working circumstances in practically headquarters. Employees are able to adjust their schedules and working places to be flexible while they can create work-life balance on their own, responding to hybrid working. It seem like they have Flexible working hours. Moreover, the company also supported Working-from-home arrangements for example the internet package for the employees. Energy Absolute Group gives importance to and supports diversity and differences of employees in the organization equally or diversity and inclusion (D&I) by providing child support welfare that comprehensively covers employees who are mothers and fathers so as to enable employees to spend their time building a family bond. Female employees are able to have 98 days of maternity leave according to the law, Breast-feeding/lactation room and male employees are able to take leave for 3 days to care for their spouse after giving birth while they are get paid. Both male and female employees are able to take leave for 6 days to care for their father and mother, husband, wife, and child in case of being admitted to a hospital while they are get paid, or are able to take leave for attending personal errands that cannot be taken by other people, such as making contact with government agencies. It is mean that EA provided the paid parental leave for the primary caregiver plus with the paid parental leave for the non-primary caregiver.
Energy Absolute Group takes care of employees to have well-being in all aspects (Sport & health initiatives). In 2023, health promoting activities were held by encouraging employees to play sports, such as badminton, football, Sport Day (Physical Well-Being). Spacious and airy spaces are available for employees to spend time during their lunch break to relax, which enhances community well-being).
Energy Absolute Group aims at improving quality of life of all employees so that they are able to achieve work-life balance. The company establishes Welfare Committee in the workplace (Freedom of Association), consisting of 9 employee representatives who are elected among the employees to be mediator in transferring employees’ needs of welfare to the company including giving suggestions and inspecting the company’s welfare management. Welfare and benefits are added more from the basic legal welfare, without discrimination. Employees are entitled to receive the following welfare: annual physical checkup, life insurance, accident insurance, dental care treatment, eye care, personal protective equipment, loans from financial institutions at employee interest rate, provident fund, etc.
Flash flood that occurred in 2023 had effects on livelihood of employees in Energy Absolute group who live in the east and northeast region. To mitigate the problem, the company delivered a primary subsidy to 2 employees.