BUSINESS: 477 PRACTICES
Founded in 1998, HELLENiQ ENERGY (https://www.helleniqenergy.gr/en) is one of the leading energy groups in South East Europe, with presence in 6 countries and activities spanning across the energy value chain, namely: oil refining and fuel marketing, exploration and production, renewable energy sources, petrochemicals, power and gas.
The main objective of HELLENiQ ENERGY’s volunteer actions is primarily to cultivate a culture of volunteering among employees, raise their awareness on social and environmental issues and encourage them to engage in corporate volunteer actions. Under the auspices of and held by the company, volunteer actions are carried out regularly by its employees, during working hours and/or not, which aim to utilize each volunteer’s particular abilities and at the same time do good for the society and the environment.
More specifically, in March 2023, in the context of International Women’s Day, HELLENiQ ENERGY organized a volunteer action for its employees who carried out renovation and maintenance works at the Ramona Shelter for Vulnerable Women of Doctors of the World, aiming to create a place of warmth and safety for the hosted women and their children.
In addition, in April 2023, on the occasion of Easter, HELLENiQ ENERGY invited its employees to volunteer and help in the preparation, portioning and distribution of meals at the soup kitchen organized by the Holy Metropolis of Stavroupoleos & Neapolis, in order to support the work of the Metropolis and provide food for 350 vulnerable families in the Municipality of Kordelio, Evosmos in West Thessaloniki.
Furthermore, in September 2023, HELLENiQ ENERGY organized a volunteer beach clean-up campaign in Athens and Thessaloniki, aiming at awareness raising and the engagement of its employees in environmental issues, informing them about coastal pollution, waste management and recycling and also calling for their assistance in cleaning the beaches.
In addition, HELLENiQ ENERGY participates through its employees/volunteers in 5, 10 and 42 km races in Athens and Thessaloniki under the motto “We Run & We Offer”. For every kilometre run, the Group offers €10 to support the work of organizations that help vulnerable social groups. In addition, similar actions are also implemented in the Group’s subsidiaries abroad, as for example in 2022, in Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia.
Corporate Volunteering is a structural element of corporate responsibility, aiming at the development of a responsible corporate culture, the strengthening of relations with the local and greater community and the personal fulfilment of employees. This is why it is an important component of HELLENiQ ENERGY’s Corporate Responsibility Strategy, as well as of its employee development practices and a focal point of any planned communication strategy. HELLENiQ ENERGY, as a responsible corporate citizen, undertakes volunteer social solidarity actions regularly every year with the active engagement of its employees.
Specifically, in the framework of its Corporate Responsibility program and on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, HELLENiQ ENERGY held, in March 2023, a volunteer action for its employees for the renovation and maintenance of the Ramona Shelter for Vulnerable Women of Doctors of the World, which hosts 40 women and their children. This initiative, in addition to providing shelter, food and basic necessities, also offers beneficiaries psychosocial support, personal empowerment and reintegration services. The Group’s employees working in Attica had the opportunity to participate in this activity, which mainly involved painting and landscaping work at the Shelter. With great sensitivity and with a view to upgrading the Shelter, the Group's volunteers, after being informed about the work of this Doctors of the World initiative, collaborated and worked as a team to carry out repairs and aesthetic interventions at the main entrance, the staircases, the rooms and the dining room of the Shelter, and also assembled and installed the furniture in the creative activity area for the children. This way, they made a catalytic contribution to the complete remodelling of the Shelter and also to the Group’s social impact. The Management of the HELLENiQ ENERGY Group was also present at this special action, while the Group’s Corporate Responsibility Manager, Ms. Georgia Lasanianou noted: “Our Group always stays close to society and our fellow human beings and this is demonstrated in practice with actions that leave a significant social footprint. I am particularly pleased with the response of our colleagues, who today responded to this call. Through collective work and effort, we are delivering a beautiful and functional result, with renovated and clean spaces for those vulnerable women seeking shelter. We will continue to implement such actions in order to assist effectively and in the best possible way, where help is really needed.” Please see the relevant video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kg_ohhl-6M
On the occasion of the Easter holidays, HELLENiQ ENERGY, as a constant supporter of those in real need, takes initiatives to assist its fellow human beings in the areas where it operates. In April 2023, HELLENiQ ENERGY organized a volunteer action for its employees to support the work of the Holy Metropolis of Stavroupoleos & Neapolis and, specifically, the soup kitchen organized in the premises of the Agios Athanasios church providing food to 350 vulnerable families in the Municipality of Kordelio-Evosmos. The Group’s employees working in Thessaloniki had the opportunity to participate in this volunteer action by helping in the preparation, portioning and distribution of meals in the soup kitchen. “HELLENiQ ENERGY will always be at the side of those in need, contributing to a better future for all” said the Chairman of the Board of Directors of HELLENiQ ENERGY, Mr. John Papathanasiou. Please see relevant post below: https://www.facebook.com/helleniqenergy/posts/190119627200955?ref=embed_post
Furthermore, HELLENiQ ENERGY, as an active member of the local communities in which it operates and with sustainable development in mind, organized in September 2023 a volunteer beach clean-up action in Athens and Thessaloniki. The Group's employees working in Attica and Thessaloniki, accompanied by their family members, had the opportunity to participate in the volunteer actions. More specifically, clean-up actions were carried out at the beach of the Municipality of Aspropyrgos in Thriasio and the coastal front of Kalochori, Pefkakia in the Municipality of Delta. More than 140 volunteers/ employees of the Group with their families participated in these actions, cleaning the beaches and collecting more than 2.4 tons of waste. The volunteers who participated in the action, after being informed about the problem and the need to reduce pollution by the environmental organization “We4All”, were divided into groups and cleaned the area, recorded the waste on special forms and weighed the bags of waste they collected. The members of the team that collected the most waste were given a symbolic gift for their achievement. Please see the relevant video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN2pITTRq5U
In addition, HELLENiQ ENERGY actively participates every year with its own team in running races under the motto “We Run & We Offer”. In 2022, 237 employees participated in the 39th Athens Marathon and the 16th Thessaloniki “Alexander the Great” International Marathon and in similar events in Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia. In Greece, for every kilometre run by each volunteer-employee who took part in the 5, 10 and 42 km races, the Group offered €10 to support the work of the Special Persons Center “Chara”, the Association for the Protection of Children & Disabled Persons of Cholargos and the Special Vocational Education School for Persons with Special Abilities and Needs of Kordelio. In Serbia, the Group offered assistance to organization “BelHospice”. Similarly, in 2023, the Group's employees participated in the 17th “Alexander the Great” International Marathon and collected a significant amount of money to cover the needs in technological equipment of the 13th Special School of Evosmos. These are initiatives which, on the one hand, contribute significantly to supporting organizations that assist vulnerable social groups and, on the other hand, promote a message of awareness and hope, which is passed on to the Group’s employees/volunteers. Please see the relevant post below: https://www.facebook.com/helleniqenergy/posts/128606180018967?ref=embed_post
Volunteer action for the renovation and maintenance of the Ramona Shelter for Vulnerable Women of Doctors of the World:
Volunteer action for the preparation, rationing and distribution of meals at the soup kitchen of the Holy Metropolis of Stavroupoleos & Neapolis:
Volunteer action for beach clean-ups:
Volunteer action “We Run & We Offer”:
HELLENiQ ENERGY develops volunteer actions that focus on issues of concern to society and are carried out in cooperation with a body or organization.
The volunteer action for the renovation and maintenance of the Shelter for Vulnerable Women, which was established and is being operated by Doctors of the World was realized thanks to the cooperation with Doctors of the World. In particular, the management of the Shelter and the volunteers and staff of Doctors of the World warmly supported the action of HELLENiQ ENERGY. Communication and cooperation with the organization was continuous, from the beginning of the project until the day of its delivery. On the part of the organization, the General Director of Doctors of the World, Ms. Eugenia Thanou, pointed out: “Volunteering is solidarity and is always carried out with a single purpose, that of improving society. Volunteering is an expression of social sensitivity, mature and humble behaviour. It improves our character, our personality, our own lives and the lives of so many others, as it can solve problems and fill the gaps created by life’s tragedies. The employees of HELLENiQ ENERGY renovated the Shelter for women and mothers with children and, in just a few hours, provided a new environment of dignity and respect to people they do not know, so that they can live better. Thank you all!”
Regarding the volunteer action that the employees participated in the preparation, rationing and distribution of ration meals in Western Thessaloniki, HELLENiQ ENERGY planned and implemented it in close cooperation with the Holy Metropolis of Stavroupoleos & Neapolis and His Eminence the Metropolitan of Stavroupoleos & Neapolis, Mr. Varnavas. This action is also part of a broader cooperation. Since 2012, the Group has been implementing a program of continuous support for the social grocery stores of local communities, as well as the soup kitchens of the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis & Stavroupoleos. In close cooperation with the local government and parishes, HELLENiQ ENERGY has supported our fellow citizens who experience significant difficulties in meeting basic living needs.
With regard to volunteer clean-up actions, the partnership and cooperation with both the local government and police authorities, as well as with the implementing agency, is important and essential. Initially, HELLENiQ ENERGY and the local government jointly define the location where the action will be implemented by carrying out a site visit to the beach in order to assess the extent of its pollution. The local government also assists in the implementation of the action by placing large bins on the beach where the waste will be collected and by coordinating its collection. In addition, the police authorities of each region organize road traffic near the beach where the volunteer action is taking place, in order to avoid traffic congestion. The action was carried out by the environmental organization “We4all”. In cooperation with the executives of the Corporate Responsibility Department of HELLENiQ ENERGY, the waste collection stations along the beach are designated and the organization takes care of the smooth running of the action. “We4all”'s contribution to the environmental awareness of employees and their families is particularly important, as they are being informed by them about issues related to circular economy, pollution and climate change.
Regarding the participation of HELLENiQ ENERGY and its employee team in the running races, cooperation is established with the respective race organizer for the submission of employee applications and the Corporate Responsibility Department, after a relevant mapping, decides on the distribution of the money collected to approximately 2-3 organizations that support vulnerable social groups.
With teamwork, cooperation and sensitivity, HELLENiQ ENERGY's volunteers demonstrate each time in practice the Group’s Social Sensitivity and Values and offer help where there is real need. Many times, through their participation, they have the opportunity to be trained in new techniques and/or develop their skills through teamwork.
HELLENiQ ENERGY regularly contacts its employees in order to explore and record the volunteer projects in which employees show greatest interest, either by noting their own ideas or through a standardized questionnaire. At the same time, a full record of participants and their response per volunteer activity is also carried out.
Prior to the implementation of the volunteer action, in some events, the Group offers a relevant training program for the participating volunteers, but their participation is not mandatory. For example, specialized coaches have implemented training sessions for employees during their preparation for participation in running races.
HELLENiQ ENERGY’s corporate volunteering programme aims to bring added value to the company. This value is gained through strengthening teamwork, developing employee leadership, connecting with family activities, stabilizing and enriching community relations and strengthening professional relationships. These volunteer actions contribute to further awareness on and engagement of the Group’s employees in social and environmental issues and reflect the Group’s Corporate Responsibility by promoting teamwork and cooperation. Finally, these actions increase the Group’s positive footprint in society.
