POSCO nurtures social enterprises
By Lee Hyo-sik
POSCO, the world’s third largest steelmaker, established social enterprises that have hired hundreds of disabled people over the years as part of efforts to share growth with those marginalized from mainstream society.
The steelmaker currently operates four social enterprises ― Poswith, Posecohousing, Posplate and Songdo SE. Among them, Poswith, the country’s first social enterprise, has been touted as the most successful, set up and operated by large business groups here.
The company, founded in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in 2007, provides POSCO and its affiliates with a wide range of office support, including information technology, general administration, personnel management and welfare-related services. It also operates a cleaning center to launder work clothes and other fabric materials used by POSCO employees.
In less than a year since its establishment, Poswith was designated as a social enterprise with disabled employees accounting for over 30 percent of its entire workforce. As of July, the company employs 179 disabled people, or 53 percent of its 339 workers.
``The company extends sufficient financial support to its physically disabled employees who need special equipment to carry out work,’’ a Poswith spokesman said. ``We also laid our tactile paving inside the factory for the visually-impaired and installed an array of facilities for physically-handicapped employees.’’
The firm also offers employees personalized career counseling and mentoring services to help them fulfill their full potential.
``Besides our employee-friendly workplace, our corporate culture is what we are most proud of. Both able-bodied and disabled employees are considerate of each other’s needs and work side by side,’’ he said.
To create a positive and appreciative corporate culture, Poswith encourages employees to laugh at least once every minute, read more than two books a month and be grateful for life three times a day.
``As a result, we were awarded the Prime Minister’s prize in April for our efforts to create the most disabled-friendly workplace. In 2009, we received the presidential award for being an exemplary enterprise for the disabled,’’ the spokesman said.
The company plans to go a step further by turning its disabled labor force into skilled workers in order to provide high-quality customer services. ``We will not only hire the disabled, but also train them to become experts in what they do. Then, we will become a truly exemplary social enterprise loved by employees and the local community,’’ he said.
Poswith has also been implementing a wide range of community services by lending support to disabled people and low-income families residing in the neighborhood. The firm has signed a memorandum of understanding with a total of 16 schools and other organizations for the handicapped in Pohang to provide financial and other support.