Ongoing commitment to talent

At PAREX, every employee’s contribution is appreciated, acknowledging that his or her work makes the operation possible and facilitates the implementation of the corporate strategy. As a responsible and committed employer, PAREX upholds current legal labour regulations.

PAREX values employment stability and provides competitive benefits to encourage its employees’ motivation and sense of belonging, always respecting the principles of integrity and diversity, and highly regarding teamwork and openness to change.

In 2011, Marisol Gutiérrez first came to PAREX as an employee of a general cleaning and cafeteria service company. Due to her excellent performance and accountability, the Company offered her a direct job in 2013, starting with systems training and English courses.

A year later, through an internal open recruitment process, Marisol accepted a new growth opportunity as a Records Assistant in the Finance department. She was selected to take this new step and continue to develop her career.

Today, Marisol is studying Technical Management, and, as a result of her potential, she was promoted within the Finance department to Accounts Payable Filing Assistant. From that first day at PAREX, her professional development has never stopped. Her technical knowledge and skills, particularly in Excel and SAP, are continuously evolving.

Marisol is grateful to every employee who has helped her rise in PAREX. Thanks to their human touch and support throughout her career, she has been able to overcome challenges, acquire knowledge, and forge new paths for growth.

“When I first came to PAREX, I didn’t know how to use a computer. Taking on new challenges has helped me grow as an individual and develop my career. I feel so grateful to the Company because thanks to the opportunity I was given, I now serve as an example for my children. I can give them a better education, and I can show them that dreams can come true. Today, I receive more support from my husband who is very proud of me,” says Marisol.

Marisol has a bright future at PAREX. She expects to continue to learn and be assigned new responsibilities that will further her career development in the Company.

PAREX is focused on being the best employer. With that in mind, the Company provides a competitive and equitable plan of benefits that provides for the well-being of its employees and meets their needs. This plan is part of our corporate Employee Benefit Plan policy that is provided to all direct employees.

One of the benefits of our plan is the SAR (Stock Appreciation Right) program, that rewards employee efforts and commitment to the continuous growth and success of PAREX’ operations. Similarly, we pay an annual performance-based bonus, based on individual goals and Company’s achievements completed during the year.

With the intention of improving employees’ and their families’ quality of life, PAREX develops sports and recreational activities, as well as business acknowledgment activities. These activities strengthen the organizational environment and culture.

To promote continuous improvement in employee skills, PAREX offers formal and non-formal training programs. In 2016, we offered 43 programs, which were completed by 89% of the Company’s employees. Investment in training increased by 29%, from COP 320 million (USD $116,644) in 2015 to COP 412 million (USD $135,038) in 2016. The reason for this increase was a higher number of employees, and the initiative to strengthen employees’ interpersonal and leadership skills.

Non-formal training programs included English courses that increase bilingualism and help employees feel more integrated. Time invested in education and training in 2016 reached 7.5 hours per month on average per attending employee, to a total of 7,863 hours for the year. This decrease of 33% was the result of a pause in the training program during the first quarter of the year.

In 2016, PAREX focused on training leaders, coordinators, and supervisors to develop their leadership skills in addition to providing training on eight organizational competencies (quality-based achievement, innovation, teamwork, sense of urgency, adaptability to change, conflict resolution, communication and leadership).

The Company is interested in boosting the ongoing development of our human talent by providing feedback through performance reviews. Every year, each employee sets individual goals with his/her next-level manager. They also decide on the successes they want to achieve. Performance reviews allow employees to conduct self-assessment and receive their next-level manager’s opinion on the achievement of their goals, skills, competencies as well as potential areas for improvement.