Social sphere

Social sphere
	Support of export without negative social impacts	The supported export is assessed as an export without negative social impacts
	EGAP as a responsible employer	Relations with employees Working conditions Health and safety of employees Equal opportunities and diversity Professional and personal development of employees Company culture
	Education	Educating students and supporting their participation in the workforce Educating the public
	Philanthropy and charity	Philanthropy Volunteering

Support of export without negative social impacts

• EGAP evaluates the impact of the supported exports on society and seeks to eliminate the negative social impacts of its activities as much as possible. The assessment of the social impact of exports is carried out in parallel with the environmental impact assessment (see Chapter 4.1). EGAP follows the applicable international rules in the field of social environment protection when supporting export projects, including the revised 2016 OECD Council Recommendation on Common Approaches for Officially Supported Export Credits and Environmental and Social Due Diligence (the "Common Approaches"). An environmental and social impact assessment in the country of the destination of export is one of the basic conditions for insuring export loans, and an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) must be prepared for projects that are expected to have a significant negative impact on the environment, social aspects, and human rights.

  All projects for which the exporter applies for state-assisted loan insurance with a maturity of more than two years, as well as all investments abroad, are subject to a social and environmental impact assessment. The responsibility for a project's environmental and social soundness always rests with the main contractor. If the Czech exporter is in the position of a subcontractor, it is sufficient to submit an assessment prepared for the main contractor.

  EGAP, as part of the initial assessment process, will classify the export concerned into category A, B, or C and, in cooperation with an authorized expert, will decide whether it is necessary to prepare an expert opinion on the environmental and social impact of the project.

  Category A includes exports that are likely to have significant negative social or environmental impacts at the location where the export will take place. In the social field, these are mainly exports with human rights impacts. For this category, the exporter submits an ESIA.

  Category B includes exports for which less serious negative social or environmental impacts can be expected than for category A. Category B will include all selected exports that do not fall into categories A and C. In this case, the exporter shall submit a social impact assessment of a scope that is generally smaller than the ESIA.

  Exports with minimal or no social and environmental impacts are classified in Category C. In this case, EGAP does not require the submission of any assessment.

EGAP as a responsible employer

• Relations with employees

  One of the basic goals that every company should set is the proper selection, retention, and motivation of its employees. EGAP values its employees, whom it sees as its most valuable asset, and aims to be a high-quality and competitive employer. To this end, it supports adequate human resource development and the strengthening of its corporate culture.

  As part of strengthening corporate culture and team spirit, EGAP supports the organization of teambuilding events and activities to help build a friendly atmosphere and trust among employees, for example by providing adequate meeting spaces for employees. In addition to the possibility of holding more informal meetings, a multifunctional room or a common terrace for employees also offers space for relaxation and recreation.

• Working conditions

  EGAP strives to improve working conditions, whether it is the benefits offered, working hours, or working environment. In all positions that allow it, employees have flexible working hours, with basic working hours being strictly adhered to so that employees do not have to work overtime. An extra week of holiday, the possibility of working in the form of a home office or 5 sick days are also provided as a matter of course. EGAP is committed to work-life balance and provides its employees with sufficient space for personal and professional growth, as well as for a satisfying family life.

  EGAP offers a large number of benefits for employees or their family members (e.g. Flexi passes or a holiday allowance). Special attention is then paid to selected groups of employees, such as senior citizens, who are granted a protection period before retirement, or pregnant women and families with children, who can benefit, for example, from extra time off, allowances for children's camps, and similar benefits.

• Employee health and safety

  Employee health and safety is paramount. EGAP ensures a healthy and safe workplace and regularly trains its employees in this area. EGAP complies with all hygiene requirements (e.g. adequate occupancy of office space, ergonomic seating, adequate light, noise reduction) and other occupational safety and fire protection requirements. EGAP encourages employees to participate in sports activities and to attend regular occupational health examinations, vaccinations, etc. EGAP also provides company meals and health care allowances. Employees can also use the MultiSport card and represent EGAP, for example, in running relays.

  Employee health and safety in the coronavirus pandemic At the time of the coronavirus pandemic, EGAP continuously took measures to prevent the spread of the disease among its employees in accordance with governmental guidelines. Considering that EGAP does not use open space, the risk of spreading infections among EGAP employees is generally limited. The measures put in place include, but are not limited to: equipping all EGAP employees with remote access to the system, allowing them to work from home, all staff were provided with effective protective equipment, disinfectants, and immunity-boosting supplements, cleaning and disinfection of the building were intensified, staff were antigen tested in accordance with government regulations, access to the building was restricted in various ways according to the current risks, ranging from the rotation of people in the workplace to maximum use of the home office during the worst periods of the pandemic, face-to-face meetings were kept to a minimum and replaced by online conferences, all areas for staff to spend time together were closed (primarily the multifunctional meeting room), and access to the canteen was restricted, but it continued to serve as a lunch room while maintaining all hygiene measures, increased care was provided for staff whose mental health was adversely affected by the pandemic, including allowing them to take extra time off, staff were also able to volunteer as part of their paid time off. Currently, the health situation of EGAP employees is stable in relation to the coronavirus infection, and thanks to the high vaccination rate of EGAP employees, which is well above the national average, EGAP can be considered a safe workplace, both for employees and for clients, who are again welcome on EGAP premises.

• Equal opportunities and diversity

  EGAP encourages a diverse work team because it believes that such a team can work more effectively by drawing on the different perspectives, knowledge, and experience of its individual members. EGAP has long maintained an equal gender balance, employing people of different ages and educational backgrounds. EGAP also employs people with disabilities.

  As of 31 December 2020, EGAP had 117 employees, of whom 59 were women and 58 men, and 1 person with a disability [1].

  Currently, the youngest employee is 24 years old (female), the oldest is 64 years old (male), and by the end of 2021 the oldest employee will be 65 years old (male).

  Chart 1: Age category of EGAP employees in 2020 (%)

  

  Chart 2: Qualifications of EGAP employees in 2020 (%)

  

  EGAP has long enjoyed low employee turnover, which is a testament to its quality as an employer. The longest-serving employee has been with EGAP for 29 years.

  The longest-serving employees at EGAP are:

  1. a female staff member since 1 September 1992
  2. a female staff member since 24 May 1993
  3. a male staff member since 1 July 1993
  4. a male staff member since 1 September 1993

  In order to attract new talent and to keep in touch with, for example, parents on parental leave, EGAP offers, in addition to the standard employment relationship, cooperation in the form of performance and work agreements. However, standard permanent employment relationships continue to prevail.

  Chart 3: Employees by employment relationship in 2020 (%)

  

• Professional and personal growth of employees

  At EGAP, all employees have room for professional and personal growth. EGAP provides regular training and development of employees in language, presentation, IT, management, and other skills. Employees, together with their supervisors, set individual personal development plans for each year. EGAP also supports employees in furthering their education and pays for further studies at university, CFA programmes, etc. Selected employees are trained in modern ways of leading work teams, using for example coaching or mentoring. Temporary rotations between departments have also proved successful at EGAP, allowing employees to get to know in detail the work of colleagues from other departments and if there is interest on both sides, to change their career focus permanently.

• Company culture

  At EGAP, all employees are involved in the creation of the company values and thus the entire corporate culture, which ensures that employees sufficiently identify with and adhere to the company values. EGAP's corporate culture also includes decent and professional behaviour towards all company stakeholders, which includes adherence to the dress code. EGAP also has an anonymous mailbox for complaints and reporting violations of company values.

  Table 1: Company values

  Our primary focus is a satisfied customer Customer satisfaction is our top priority. We approach each customer individually so that we can meet their specific needs. We continuously raise awareness of export support among our target group of exporters, including small and medium-sized enterprises. Our approach is responsible and professional We are experts in our field and offer considerable added value. We want to excel through our knowledge and unique services. Our analysts are experts in assessing territorial as well as commercial risk. We have the latest information on what is happening in the countries where Czech exports are heading. We accept responsibility for our actions and value our professional honour. We place great emphasis on the clarity and efficiency of the services we provide We are active communicators. We explain our options and work to make our information and processes easy to understand and use. We continuously improve our services, reduce administrative burdens, and speed up processes. Our activities have a long-term perspective We aim for the long-term rather than short-term success. This reflects the time horizon of the support provided as well as the counter-cyclical nature of EGAP. Our financial performance is balanced over the long term. We evaluate our results with a sufficient time interval. We are team players We respect every member of the team. We support each other in our work. The success of one team member is the success of the entire company. We continuously strengthen our cooperation with other institutions supporting Czech entrepreneurs, as well as with other ECAs.

Education

• Educating students and supporting their participation in the workforce

  EGAP actively cooperates with colleges and universities, prepares lectures or presentations on its activities and the functioning of Czech exports to risky foreign markets, as well as supports and participates in Czech and international academic conferences dealing with topics related to its activities. It offers internships or part-time jobs to Czech and international students to gain work habits and experience during their studies. At the same time, EGAP seeks out talent among students and recent graduates, which then enables them to gain long-term employment in its ranks.

• Educating the public

  EGAP also participates in regular conferences and seminars for exporters and the public. These are often organized in cooperation with other state organizations set up to support the business environment in the Czech Republic. At least twice a year, the magazine A Walk Through EGAP is published, where readers are informed about new developments in EGAP, but also about EGAP's experience in various export territories, including their risks. The magazine can be found on EGAP's website (https://www.egap.cz/cs/casopis-egap) and is available to the public.

Philanthropy and charity

• Philanthropy

  EGAP encourages its employees to engage in philanthropic projects. For example, a collection is already regularly organized as part of the Baby Jesus' Grandchildren.

• Volunteering

  EGAP offers employees the opportunity to take paid time off to volunteer in emergency situations, for example in the context of floods or the Covid-19 pandemic. Volunteering is also part of organized teambuilding events; for example, EGAP employees helped the Forests of the Czech Republic to clear forests after logging in connection with the bark beetle.