Social policy

One of the significant trends of improving scientific and technical potential of the Enterprise is the engagement, education, and retention of the personnel. That is what the social infrastructure of ORPE “Technologija” is primarily intended for, which makes possible children’s, family or cultural-healthful recreation, and medical services.

Over a period of many years, ORPE “Technologija” has been maintaining successfully the “industry” of social protection, service, and recreation. The Enterprise has been entitled a “Socially Responsible Employer” on numerous occasions. In 2012, the Enterprise entered in the register of socially responsible employers.

The social infrastructure consists of:

· Sport and recreation center;

· Ugra recreation center;

· Children’s recreation camp Polyot;

· Health post;

· Canteen.

The social benefits and insurance arrangements offered to the employees are the following:

· Partial payment for passes to health resorts Krainka and Vorob’yovo in Kaluga and Tula regions;

· Partial extra payments to the full cost of passes to the out-of-town children’s recreation camp Polyot and the Ugra recreation center;

· Partial payment for the services of the sport and recreation center;

· Free provision of sports facilities (tents, sleeping bags, ski, etc.) in the sport and recreation center for personal use.

Health

Medical services for the employees are provided free of charge as a primary health and dental care within the Enterprise in the health post and dental room. Additional medical care is provided for the employees under a contract between the Enterprise and Obninsk Central Medical Unit 8 as well.

According to medical indication the employees can receive referrals for advice, treatment, and admission to the recommended health facilities (with regard to economic opportunities). The employer provides various specific health care and treatment arrangements for the employees, including immunization, vaccinization, and sanatorium-resort therapy for those who need it badly as per medical indication.

Sport

The employees of ORPE “Technologija” have the opportunity to use the services of the Enterprise’s sport and recreation center, where the work of sports groups have been organized. At present, more than 350 persons take exercises in 30 sports groups.

Highly-qualified instructors give fitness, aerobics, yoga, recreative or remedial gymnastics classes. The Center includes a health center, where the employees of the Enterprise and citizens can take treatment.

Mass ski racing, volleyball, chess, futsal, tennis, table-tennis, and badminton events are regularly held. The Enterprise’s teams take an active part in corporate games, town competitions, and tourist gatherings.

The volleyball group, numbering 60-70 people in total (mostly the employees of the Enterprise), is functioning since the establishment of the sport and recreation center of ORPE “Technologija”. Over a long term of years, the sports team of volleyball veterans has been one of the top-rank teams in the Commonwealth of Independent States and steadily participates in All-Russian and international tournaments.

Recreation

The Enterprise provides work for the Ugra recreation center and children’s recreation camp Polyot.

The Ugra recreation center is situated in the pine forest on the riverside with the sand beach, a hundred kilometers from the town of Obninsk. In summer, up to 250 persons rest in cottages and two-storey houses. There is a common kitchen with gas stoves and refrigerators at their disposal as well.

The recreation center works year-round. In cold season, holiday-makers settle in two weather-resistant houses.

More than 750 children of the Enterprise’s employees rest in the out-of-town recreation camp Polyot situated in the picturesque place on the riverbank of the Protva. There are two-storey bedroom brick buildings, a well-equipped canteen, a cinema, a medical building, and playgrounds in the camp.

The canteen and a refreshment room operate with due account for the required quality of dishes and quantity of seats. It has become a heart-warming tradition to hold anniversary and festive evening parties or cultural events in the canteen building.

There has been organized a free transportation of the employees working evenings and nights to and from the place of work, as well as carriage of the employees to and from the place of work by public transport and special minibuses.

Council of Young Scientists and Specialists

Research-and-production complex of ORPE “Technologija” makes it possible to meet challenges in the aircraft and rocket-and-space engineering and steadily extend the application of high technologies for the development and manufacture of products used in various industries. All that emphasizes once more the need to pursue an effective youth human resources policy. A well-known motto ¢Cadres are all-important¢ is not out of date, because the future of the Enterprise depends on the level of training of young specialists and development of their power and gift. In this respect, the problems of the engagement of young specialists, generational change, maintenance of the advanced knowledge and technologies bearers are urgent for the Enterprise.

The lines of work with the youth are:

Ø Improvement of professional, scientific, and creative activity;

Ø Improvement of social conditions of life;

Ø Engagement in sports activities, active rest, and communication.

The history goes back as far as November 1967, when the first Council of young scientists and specialists of Obninsk branch of the scientific research Institute of glassworks was set up on the initiative of Alexander Gavrilovich Romashin (later, First Director General of ORPE “Technologiya”) and has incorporated the young people of ORPE “Technologiya” since 1978. The history of the well-known Obninsk scientific and technical Conference on non-metallic materials (initiated by the Council of young scientists and specialists as the Seminar of young scientists) has started from that time. Since 2007, the Conference has become international.

In 2003, after a ten-year interval and on the initiative of the future Director General Oleg Nikolayevich Komissar, the activity of the Council of young scientists and specialists revived at the Enterprise as a school for young executives, which has essentially intensified the professional activity of the youth working at the Enterprise.

Many people of our town, who are well-known as successful executives today, attended the aforementioned school. The further development of the Enterprise is associated not only with the modernization of production, development of new materials and technologies, but also with the formation of a new generation of young specialists, who are to increase the achievements and to hold to the traditions of ORPE “Technologiya”. The comprehensive reforming of all vital enterprise processes using state-of-the-art information technologies is impossible without the young. Even today, the enthusiasm, innovation, and courage of young scientists integrated with the experience of the senior enable the Enterprise to implement complicated and important projects.

However, what should be done to engage and to make the talented, active and young stay at the Enterprise in conditions of severe competition with other hi-tech enterprises in the labour market? Making the analysis of the situation, it may be concluded that people who stay and work effectively at the Enterprise are those who see there definite career prospects for themselves. Some are interested in completing their thesis work and taking a degree, some see the prospects of their professional development, improvement of their qualifications, or career progress. All that with fair wage and social programs makes it possible to engage and keep young employees at the Enterprise.

With reference to the results of the poll conducted by the Council of young scientists and specialists in June 2010, nearly 90 % of young people need housing improvements. In this respect, the prospect of being helped in solving the housing problem appears to be the most effective means of engaging and keeping young specialists and an obstacle for the turnover of employees.

The Council of young scientists and specialists has considered some forms of help in solving the housing problem, as well as the construction of a dwelling for young specialists, attic construction and many other things. The two programs have been acknowledged to be the most progressive - Compensation Extension for the Interest Payment on a Real Estate Credit and Compensation for the Expenses on a Rented Accommodation. Since 2008, the Regulation on payment of a monthly partial compensation to young non-resident employees for a rented accommodation has been put in force at the Enterprise.

The Regulation on the order and conditions of compensation for interest charges on building or housing credits obtained by the young specialists of OJSC “ORPE “Technologija” has become a real breakthrough in the work with young people. The Program on the implementation of the Regulation has successfully started in September, 2012. Nineteen young employees of the Enterprise have become the participants of the Program, who are to receive monthly compensation during five years for interest charges on building or housing credits. In addition to the improvement of living conditions for young specialists, the Program is to contribute to the achievement of the primary objective – lowering of the employee turnover – because on paying the compensation, a young specialist, who has been receiving monthly compensation for five years, is to work for five years more at the Enterprise.

The Regulation on guidance is being developed, that will regulate and inspire the transfer of knowledge and experience of the senior to the young and so to avoid the loss of the intergenerational continuity at the Enterprise.

One of the tasks of the Council of young scientists and specialists is to bring about contacts with young scientists and engineers of universities, establishments of higher education, scientific establishments, experimental design bureaus, and works. The young representatives of the Enterprise are members of the Council of young scientists and specialists of the State Scientific Centers Association “SCIENCE” established on the initiative of the All-Union Institute of Aircraft Materials. Young specialists of state scientific centers share their experience at regular meetings of the Council of young scientists and specialists of the State Scientific Centers Association and discuss diligently vital problems and ways of solving them jointly.

To activate the scientific work of young scientists and specialists, career development of young scientific personnel at the Enterprise, and their professional improvement, the Council of young scientists and specialists arranges annual contests of scientific works of young specialists and scientists, as well as contributes to the nomination of their works for various prizes and publication of the best ones in priority lines of the research being carried out at the Enterprise.

The Council of Young Scientists and Specialists of ORPE “Technologija” holds an interest in contacts with similar youth organizations of other enterprises for communication and interchange of experience!