Respect for diversity is also embedded in our corporate values.

One of them is “We act with openness”, meaning that we are open to others and to other points of view, we discuss things honestly. We respect diversity.

The goals of Polpharma’s Sustainable Development Strategy 2022–2025 include fostering diversity and inclusion.

At Polpharma Group in Poland, the Diversity Policy is in place, which sets out standards and expectations for those who work for the company in order to create a friendly and open workplace where everyone has equal opportunities and feels comfortable.

We involved employees in the process of establishing the Diversity Policy by surveying them about equality and their overall perception of diversity and inclusion at Polpharma.

The objectives of the policy are to:

• Create an organisational culture free of prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination, in which diversity and equal opportunities allow each person to be themselves and create their own paths of personal and professional success.
• Emphasise the strategic importance of the culture of diversity, which supports our corporate values: “We act responsibly”, “We act together”, “We act with openness” and follows from the provisions of the Polpharma Code of Ethics.
• Create an open, friendly, and inclusive environment – a place where every working person can develop and freely share ideas and comments, where people feel listened to and appreciated for the contribution they make to the operation and growth of the company.

In the document, we commit to building an organisational culture in which each person is valued for their contribution to the operation and development of the company. We also vow to promote the principles of equal treatment in employment and professional development. We are also committed to monitoring the sense of equal treatment, education and communication within the organisation, and to conducting internal dialogue to build an environment that is open to our diversity.

Diversity Policy

The Diversity Policy is part of a broader effort to create an open and ethical workplace. Diversity measures at Polpharma are also regulated by:

• the Code of Ethics;
• Polpharma Group’s Values;
• the Whistleblowing Procedure;
• the Procedure for Prevention of Mobbing and Discrimination at Work;
• the Recruitment Procedure;
• the Diversity Charter, to which Polpharma is a signatory.

DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Strategy

We want Polpharma to be an organisation where everyone feels valuable regardless of their characteristics. Our goal in diversity management is for each person, regardless of age, gender, religion, and other characteristics, to feel a sense of belonging to the organisation, to have equal access to knowledge, and to have equal opportunities to participate in all processes within the organisation. In the process of managing our diversity, we also want to prepare ourselves as an organisation for the HR challenges ahead.

We have established the “DEI Strategy 2024–2025”, in which we define three main strategic areas. In each of these areas, we have identified specific goals to be achieved in line with the challenges of the future.

Diversity and Inclusion Officer

We established this role in 2023 to effectively manage a culture of diversity and to create a liaison function between employees and managers.

The person oversees compliance with diversity policies and coordinates educational programmes and initiatives to support diversity and inclusion.

Supporting people with disabilities

We are building an environment and workplace that cater to the needs of people with disabilities.

In 2019, Polpharma joined the Partnership for Accessibility under the Accessibility Plus Programme implemented by the Ministry for Regional Funds and Policy, in cooperation with local governments, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organisations.

The programme aims to ensure that people with special needs have unrestricted access to goods, services, as well as social and public life.

For many years, we have been supporting the Integracja Foundation. We are a partner of the health section of the Integracja magazine, the annual Grand Gala of Integration (Wielka Gala Integracji) and the Man without Barriers Gala (Gala Człowiek bez Barier).

Full architectural accessibility of Polpharma’s office at ul. Bobrowiecka 6 in Warsaw for people with limited mobility, as well as those who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf, is confirmed by the “Barrier-Free Facility” (Obiekt bez Barier) certificate awarded by the Integracja Foundation.

“A Guide to Inclusive Behaviour and Communication, or Inclusivity at Polpharma”.

The publication was created to facilitate our day-to-day cooperation. Everyone communicates with team members in the course of fulfilling their duties – regardless of their place of work or position. We know that communication is successful when each and everyone feels respected and when they know they can share their thoughts and be heard. Hence the Guide, which is useful in many situations – from writing an e-mail, to creating a survey, to organising a meeting.

The Guide was prepared in cooperation with Polpharma employees.

In 2023, we joined the “Career Cycle” programme, run by the Kulczyk Foundation.

By joining the programme, we committed to:

• providing female employees with free access to toilets where any menstruating person can change menstrual products unhindered;
• ensuring free access to basic menstrual supplies;
• carrying out a communication campaign and providing basic information about menstrual health, in order to eliminate the taboo around menstruation.

As part of this effort, we installed 113 menstrual boxes in women’s toilets at all of our locations. Women are free to use them as needed.

Our team is also involved in promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion.
Three employee resource groups have been established as part of the grassroots initiative #DiverseTogether (#RóżniRazem):

• #TogetherForWomen (#RazemDlaKobiet) focuses on fostering cooperation between men and women, promotes mutual respect and equal professional development opportunities;
• #TogetherForGenerations (#RazemDlaPokoleń) focuses on raising awareness of age diversity and creating space for representatives of different generations to share their experience;
• #TogetherForParents (#RazemDlaRodziców) seeks to develop a supportive work environment for parents, considering the needs of vulnerable people such as single parents or parents of children with disabilities;
• #TogetherForNeurodiversity (#RazemDlaNeuroróżnorodności) builds awareness and educates about neurodiversity and strives to develop an organisational culture in such a way that every person in the company feels understood and supported by the work environment.

Polpharma supports the employee resource groups operating within the company, seeing them as a significant part of developing the DEI culture.

Diversity Charter

The Diversity Charter is an international initiative under the auspices of the European Commission, coordinated in Poland by the Responsible Business Forum (Forum Odpowiedzialnego Biznesu). Polpharma is a signatory since 2015.

Diversity IN Check

Polpharma has been participating in the survey since its first edition. Since 2023, we have been listed among the most advanced companies in diversity and inclusion management in Poland. Moreover, in 2023, the Diversity IN Check Expert Council recognized Polpharma as an organization that has taken part in the survey from the beginning and has made the greatest progress in building an inclusive workplace during that time.