Vtech 2003 Annual Report Download - page 25

Annual Report 2003 23
Corporate Affairs
CHAIRMAN'S AWARD VTech gives a
Chairman’s Award for an employee who has
achieved outstanding performance to
encourage excellence in the workplace. In
January 2003, Chairman Allan WONG
presented the 2002 award to Ralph Eric
TISCHLER, Engineering Manager at VTech
Telecommunications Canada Ltd. Mr.
TISCHLER, who has been with VTech since
1989 and central to the creation of many
core product lines, received the award for
his management of the development of the
ground-breaking 900MHz and 5.8GHz
cordless telephone platforms in 1991 and
2002 respectively.
KEEPING OPEN THE DIALOGUE Open
communications are critical to sound
employee relations and VTech has sought
to use the latest technology to expand the
scope of its dialogue with employees.
VTech's intranet is one of the powerful tools
that enables efficient communication
between all our offices, offering an
abundance of information on Company’s
developments, guidelines and standards,
and cross-functional resource tools.Through
the intranet, the global on-line quarterly
newsletter keeps staff informed of key
developments within the Group.
The quarterly“Chairman’s Letter”opens lines
of communication directly between all staff
around the world and the Chairman. In the
letter, the Chairman discusses broad issues
facing the Group and solicits the views of
those affected.The responses from
employees have been very positive.
DEVELOPING PEOPLE THROUGH TRAINING AND
EDUCATION Quality product begins with
quality people.VTech places particular
emphasis on enriching the lives of
employees through education.
People working at the Group receive a wide
variety of practical job-related training that
have been designed specifically to enhance
their on-the-job performance. Courses that
have been offered range from such soft
skills as delivering effective presentations
and people management to courses on
computer performance and literacy.
In addition, each year VTech offers training
subsidies to employees choosing to follow
courses of study that will broaden their
skills. During the financial year 2003, our
people have taken up subsidies for courses
ranging from various seminars to MBA/MSc
programs.
EMPLOYMENT POLICY The policy at VTech is
to employ, retain, promote, terminate and
treat all employees on the basis of merit,
qualifications and competence. The Group
creates a favorable work environment in
which all employees can enjoy equal
opportunities at work and avoid
discrimination on the grounds of age, sex,
status, disability or any other non-job
related factor.
VTech and the Community
VTech’s products and technology aim to
enhance people’s lives by making them
more enjoyable, fulfilling, convenient and
enlightening.
The Company creates prosperity through
the employment it provides to
approximately 13,500 people from all walks
of life in the United States, Europe and Asia.
VTech also seeks effective ways of
supporting community initiatives in the
markets where it operates that help further
ideals such as improved access to education
and support for individuals in genuine need.
In Hong Kong,VTech provides summer
internships at local universities and colleges
of education.These give students the
opportunity to gain real-life experience of
the world of work.
XLENCE AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING CHILDREN
In the United States, the Group’s donation
and sponsorship programme also has a
special emphasis on education. For the
2002-2003 school year, VTech announced a
sponsorship agreement with the National
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to create
the “XLence Awards”programme which
honors children aged 5 to 11 years old, who
excel in all areas of their lives, from school
and extracurricular activities to community
service.
Rewarding
outstanding
performance