Social policy
Nornickel’s contribution to Russia’s national projects
Demography national project
Relevant UN SDGs
Related federal projects
Older generation
Promotion of public health
Sports as a way of life
Key initiatives and focus areas
Co‑Funded Pension Plan, a corporate private pension programme
Nornickel’s Veterans programme, which focuses on supporting unemployed pensioners
Sporting and mass public events programme
Creation of jobs across our footprintFor more details, please see the Development of Local Communities section.
Healthcare national project
Relevant UN SDGs
Related federal projects
Development of the primary health care system
Creation of a network of national medical research centres and introduction of innovative medical technologies
Fighting cardiovascular diseases
Fighting cancer
Providing healthcare facilities with skilled personnel
Key initiatives and focus areas
Compensating employees and their families for health resort and vacation expenses (partial compensation for the cost of vouchers)
Voluntary health insurance for employees and their families
Conducting occupational health and safety training sessionsFor more details, please see the Occupational Health and Safety section.
Providing employees with PPEFor more details, please see the Occupational Health and Safety section.
Corporate Healthcare projectFor more details, please see the Occupational Health and Safety section.
Benefits and social support programmesGRI 403‑6
Nornickel has a system of social support for its employees, including a wide range of benefits and programmes.
1
Health resort treatment and vacation to employees and their families at subsidised prices
2
Annual payment (in excess of amounts currently required by Russian laws) of return travel to and from a place of vacation for employees and their families in the Far North and equivalent areas, including associated baggage fees
3
Providing a relocation package to those moving to another regionSubject to provisions of the Employee Relocation programme.: lump sum payment for resettlement, reimbursement of travel expenses and baggage fees, monthly rental (sub‑rental) payment / compensation for dormitory fees
4
Additional employee pensions and other types of social benefits under the existing collective bargaining agreements and internal regulations
Benefits provided by Nornickel
5
One‑off financial aid to employees experiencing certain major life events or hardships
6
VHI for employees and their families
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Redundancy payments
8
Other benefits and programmes aimed at the social support of employees
Special support for certain categories of employees:
employees with disabilities can apply for additional paid leave (three calendar days per year) and also receive an annual financial assistance
of up to RUB 10,000;
special attention is paid to professional longevity: the Company provides free health resort vouchers for employees of pre‑retirement age.
women on maternity leave receive an extra payment to reach the full amount of their permanent wages, and women on leave to care for children up to three years of age receive monthly financial assistance;
Employee comfort programme
To take care of its employees and provide them with comfortable working conditions, the Company runs a dedicated programme, which has been updated and extended several times over the 20‑year period of its operation in accordance with the needs of employees: 2003–2010 – Workplace Amenities programme, 2011–2022 – programme to improve social and working conditions of employees, since 2023 – Made with Care employee comfort programme.
As at the end of 2023, the Group companies operated more than 3,500 sanitary, amenity, sports and fitness, catering, healthcare, and recreational facilities with a total area of over 370,000 m2.
In the reporting year, 12 Nornickel's branches and Russian business units located in the Norilsk Industrial District, on the Kola Peninsula, and in Sochi participated in the Made with Care programme. The programme saw repairs in line with a group‑wide standards handbook, in full compliance with modern architectural and technical requirements, which was recognised by international awards WOW!HR and Green Property Awards (for more details, please see the Awards and Accolades appendix).
In 2023, we decided to expand the scope of the Made with Care programme. Repair works are include the renovation of façades of administrative facilities, repair and equipping of classrooms, and reconstruction of tourist camping sites in the Norilsk Industrial District and on the Kola Peninsula.
Health improvement programmesGRI 403‑6
Protecting and improving the health of employees, preventing diseases and organising adequate family vacations are a significant part of Nornickel's social policy, which is also related to the specific natural and climatic conditions of the Arctic and working conditions at Group companies.
The collective bargaining agreement sets out obligations to implement health improvement and health resort treatment programmes for employees and their families.
In total, 24,600 people took part in health improvement and wellness programmes in 2023. The most popular destination has traditionally been the Zapolyarye Health Resort (Sochi). The Kaliningrad Region became a new holiday destination in 2023. Children of the Company’s employees spent their summer holidays in a health resort on the Black Sea, and a children's sports group was organised at the Universiade Village in Kazan.
Health improvement and health resort treatment programmes are selected on an individual basis and in line with results of medical examinations of employees.
In addition to health resort treatment, the Company promotes a healthy lifestyle by facilitating regular fitness sessions of its employees and holding annual corporate sports festivals and competitions (for more details, please see the Sporting and Mass Public Events Programme section).
Voluntary health insurance
All the Company's employees are provided with VHI policies that protect them from unforeseen medical expenses and guarantee qualified medical aid in an insured event. In addition, Nornickel allows its employees to insure a close relative (spouse, parent, or child) at a corporate rate.
The VHI policy covers a wide range of medical services. Given the specific nature of long holidays, employees living in the Far North can use VHI policies to access healthcare services not only where they live but in all the areas that the policy covers. All insurance programmes offer the same set of services for various personnel categories; the only difference is the level of healthcare centres and the region of coverage.
In 2023, Nornickel improved the terms of personal accident insurance in certain regions.
Co‑Funded Pension Plan ProgrammeGRI 201‑3
Since 2007, Nornickel's employees have been offered an opportunity to join the Co‑Funded Pension Plan, a corporate private pension programme.
The programme provides for two pension plans: Parity and Corporate. Under the Parity Plan, pension savings are co‑funded by the employee and the Company on a parity (equal) basis. The Corporate Plan is designed for highly skilled employees and/or employees with highly sought‑after occupations; within this plan, Nornickel finances private pension plans for such employees.
In addition to the Co‑Funded Pension Plan Programme, the Company offers:
- Complementary Corporate Pension Plan (a lump‑sum payment from the Company's funds for employees aged 55–65 with at least 20 years of service upon their resignation and relocation outside the Norilsk Industrial District) with 445 participants in 2023;
- Lifetime Monthly Corporate Pension Plan (for Company employees awarded the Badge of Honour) with 254 participants as at the end of 2023.
Programmes supporting former employees and their families
In addition to the non‑governmental pension plan, the Company implements the following continuous support measures for former employees:
- the Company’s Veterans programme supporting unemployed pensioners who permanently reside in Norilsk. The main eligibility criterion is the employee’s length of service with the Company;
- the Pensioner Financial Aid Fund grants financial aid to former employees who retired prior to 10 July 2001 provided they had been employed by the Company’s units for more than 25 years and permanently reside outside of the Norilsk Industrial District. The Fund relies on voluntary monthly contributions from employee salaries and charitable contributions from the Company’s budget;
- targeted financial assistance for former employees and their family members (paying for medical treatment, medications, funeral services, helping those in financial distress).
Housing programmes
The Company has been implementing housing programmes (Our Home / My Home and Your Home) for more than a decade. Under these programmes, participants get the opportunity to acquire apartments in the Moscow and Tver regions, Krasnodar Territory, and Yaroslavl on special terms.
Employees are provided with housing under a commercial lease agreement with a purchase option
Employees receive housing under a sales and purchase agreement with payment by instalments
Participants: highly skilled and sough‑after employees under 50 years of age with at least five years of continuous service, whose occupation/position falls within the priority focus areas.
The corporate Our Home / My Home and Your Home housing programmes use a co‑financing mechanism:
Subsidised Loan Programme
Employees receive partial reimbursement of mortgage loan interest and/or an interest‑free loan for a down payment to purchase a home in any Russian region.
Relocation support programme for new employees
Nornickel provides assistance in relocating newly hired employees, their family members and apprentices (candidates) with whom the Company has entered into professional training contracts to their place of work in Norilsk and the Taimyrsky Dolgano‑Nenetsky Municipal District from other Russian regions.
In 2023, 17,100 employees accessed our automated system for employee onboarding covering 27 Group companies. Over 3,500 managers and more than 1,000 supervisors helped with the onboarding of new employees, providing them with various kinds of support and assistance.
With 1,900 employees joining the relocation support programme in 2023, it now has a total of 4,615 participants.
Relocation programme
In 2023, Nornickel continued to implement its Relocation programme to ensure comfortable adaptation of employees to a new place of residence when moving to another region to perform new job functions.
Our relocation programme provides employees with an opportunity for personal and professional growth and development, addresses the problem of filling vacancies in a certain region in the absence of duly qualified candidates in the local labour market and within the company.
As at the end of 2023, it covered 61 of the Company's employees, including 27 new participants who joined in 2023.
Staff well‑being support programme
The corporate Nornickel Will Support programme consists of three components: health, supporting those in need, and training in useful knowledge and skills. The services are available to any employee of the Company.
Social support to employees facing redundancies due to closure of production facilities GRI 404‑2
As Nornickel decided to reconfigure its mining capacities in the Pechengsky District, including the mothballing of Kaula‑Kotselvaara mine and the resulting termination of production, a set of social support measures was developed for the mine's redundant employees and agreed with the Social and Labour Council and trade union organisations.
We provided a full package of social benefits to the people facing redundancies at Kaula‑Kotselvaara mine, including comfortable relocation to other sites, retraining, and pension plans. The Company launched a dedicated Nornickel Employment Centre focused on providing comprehensive support to the employees facing redundancy (including information, consulting, and career guidance support) and cooperating with the other business units of Nornickel Group on employment opportunities for its redundant employees. All staff‑related measures were taken in compliance with the requirements of labour and employment legislation and our social support programme.
Development of corporate communities
Nornickel employees have the opportunity to share their interests with like‑minded people beyond their job functions by joining corporate communities, which contribute to higher engagement, help build internal expertise and obtain new impulses for the development of the Company, its regions of operations, and each individual.
Plant of Goodness corporate volunteering programme
The Plant of Goodness corporate volunteering programme covers a wide range of environmental and social projects that bring together employees around shared values and strengthen teamwork and communication between business units.
Those Who Care corporate programme
Since 2021, Nornickel has been building a platform for sharing experiences and constructive interaction that takes into account the interests of employees, managers and the Company as a whole by generating and then promoting the ideas of proactive employees aimed at improving the economic efficiency and achieving the Company's ESG goals (priority topics include occupational safety, environment and environmental protection, digitalisation, corporate culture development, increasing labour productivity, and promoting the employer brand).
There are two key actors at the heart of Those Who Care programme: business customers (managers) who identify the problem to be solved and participants who come together in teams to implement the project. As the team includes employees from different business units, such synergy helps view the problem in a different light and find new, effective solutions that meet the Company's needs and external trends. For the project to be successfully implemented, its participants can ask the business customer to provide them with managerial, administrative and financial resources. Mentors provide support at all stages, and external experts are involved whenever necessary. The participants can learn, attend regular meetings of the Change Practitioners Club, communicate with renowned experts, and join internships.
In 2023, the Trans‑Baikal Division joined Norilsk and Kola divisions to participate in the programme. The project attracted a significant number of GRK Bystrinskoye employees.
The team of metalworkers I work with frequently comes up with improvement initiatives. We think it very important that the results of our work are of high quality and durability. The Company welcomes every idea, and for me personally this is very encouraging.
I am an enthusiast of creative labour, so I am especially proud when I see that the structures we have erected on our production sites are already in operation.
Yevgeny Burov,
metalworker, grade 5, Construction Materials Plant of Norilsk Production Support Complex (length of service with the Company – 28 years)
In Good Company, a corporate youth programme
Launched in 2022, the In Good Company programme is Nornickel's first corporate community for young people with the focus on two target audiences: the Company's employees under 35 and students and young professionals outside the Company.
The programme consists of four focus areas to allow each participant to unlock their potential and bring their ideas to life.
Participants will be able to kick start and deliver their own projects and earn points that can be exchanged for merchandise or one‑on‑one advice from Nornickel’s top managers.
For the convenience of all participants, the Company runs a proprietary secure online app – a social network in which users are free to choose any number of tracks and activities and can find new friends and interests, as well as interact with each other regardless of position, profession or location.
In Good Company: statistics
Women in Mining Russia
WIM Russia Association, of which Nornickel is a key partner, is focused on promoting professional development of women, raising awareness of engineering jobs in the mining industry, and developing a platform for professional communications.
In 2023, WIM Russia held its Talented Woman in the Extractive Industry award ceremony in Moscow for the third time. The award received 451 entries, which is 16% more than in 2022, and brought together women from 57 Russian and CIS companies, with 27 coming out winners. Nornickel’s employees received five out of ten nominations:
- Leader of the Future – Anastasia Avdeyeva (Snegiryova), hydrometallurgical operator, Kola MMC;
- Innovator of the Year – Ksenia Struchkova, analyst engineer, GRK Bystrinskoye;
- Inspiring Leader – Yelena Varankina, Head of Office, Medvezhy Ruchey;
- Environmentalist of the Year – Natalia Semenova, manager of the Business System Development Analysis and Monitoring Team, Polar Division of MMC Norilsk Nickel;
- Internal Communicator of the Year – Marina Shevchenko, Head of OHS section, Norilskgazprom.
Another ten female employees of Nornickel became prize‑winners in various nominations, and 13 earned a Jury's Choice award.
Participation in and winning the competition have an impact on the further development and professional growth of the participants: for example, Nadezhda Platonova, the winner in 2022 Breakthrough of the Year nomination, was upgraded to the Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at MMC Norilsk Nickel, while Darya Shmakova, who won the 2022 Jury's Choice award in the Leader of the Future nomination, was promoted from the chief expert of gas treatment and recycling engineering support laboratory of Nornickel's Polar Division to the position of the Head of the Laboratory.
Sporting and mass public events programme
The Company traditionally supports programmes to promote physical activity and improve the health of its employees by creating opportunities to go in for various sports and take part in corporate competitions.
To coordinate the relevant policy, Nornickel has a dedicated council in place to organise and improve sports and physical activities in the Company and its Russian business units, as well as to review and approve the plan of corporate sports events for the current year. Information on the Company’s mass sports events is published on the corporate portal and social networks.
The most prominent events of the sporting and public events calendar are corporate contests geared towardsemployees and local residents. In 2023, the following events were held:
- the 62nd Nornickel Spartakiad comprising 14 sports in the Spartakiad proper and 6 sports in the Spartakiad for retired athletes;
- the 69th Kola MMC Spartakiad comprising 17 sports;
- corporate competitions in alpine skiing and snowboarding, cross‑country skiing, swimming, volleyball, futsal, basketball, and ice hockey, as well as “Dad, Mum and I – a Sporty Family” family competition and Polar Division Olympics;
- sports events dedicated to high days and holidays (Defender of the Fatherland Day (bullseye shooting tournament), Miner's Day (futsal tournament), Metallurgist Day (Nornickel's corporate track and field race);
- various tournaments in the following leagues: Night Hockey League, Zabeg.RF, etc.;
- training sessions in various sports.
In 2023, the Company joined the Association for the Development of Corporate Sports and created a user‑friendly information portal on corporate competitions.
Nornickel is a truly sports‑oriented company supporting the construction of fitness training infrastructure in Russian regions, organisation of mass sports events, and involvement of employees in an active lifestyle to improve their health. The nickel tankhouse with which I have been associated for many years is at the forefront of sports: my colleagues and I win prizes at spartakiads and corporate competitions, are members of various sports teams, and attend meetings with famous athletes. The healthier the employees, the more productive they are.
Konstantin Smirnov,
head of nickel tankhouse, Kola MMC (length of service with the Company – 27 years)
Sporty Nornickel corporate project
To foster healthy habits among employees, encourage healthy lifestyles, and strengthen team spirit, the Company has developed Sporty Nornickel, a mobile app where users perform sports activities together, take part in healthy lifestyle contests, and read useful materials. With the platform, you can go on a virtual journey through the regions where the Company operates. The app counts all the kilometres covered and minutes spent on training and uses a special ratio to convert them into internal currency – “charges”, which can be spent on the purchase of branded accessories and clothing as well as an additional healthy diet course.
