People are one of Ultra’s five pillars of sustainability. The Company sees human capital as a key component in its growth trajectory. The people management model is designed to ensure a culture that supports the organizational strategy, develops manpower in readiness to fill positions and reinforces meritocracy permitting the recognition and rewarding of committed and premium performance teams and leaders.

The focus of people management is on attracting and retaining talents as well as supporting employees in their development and career plans. To fulfill this complete cycle, Ultra and its business segments adopt initiatives which range from training programs for interns and trainees to career development training and to planning the transition to retirement. The Company’s employees are stimulated to develop their careers and with this in mind, encouraged to migrate between different areas and business segments. In 2016, about 1,500 employees made the move between areas or business units, an increase of 50% in relation to 2015.

 People management at Ultra is governed by a competencies model (see the following chart) based on an integrated view of the particular level of leadership. The aim is to develop leaders and teams aligned to a model that will drive Ultra’s growth over the coming years.  

Total employees per company¹

1. Interns not included.

Turnover rate (%)

In 2015, the Company mapped and defined its values that indicated convergence across all the business segments. The values represent the essence of Ultra, creating a bond and a sense of belonging to the organization.

As part of a process to disseminate this culture, an internal multiplier group was set up in 2016 consisting of 70 employees drawn from all businesses and prepared especially for this function. The group began to work as agents of change, being references in the teams with respect to ongoing developments in the Company.

In 2017, the project for strengthening the Ultra Culture will focus on new initiatives for disseminating the values, attitudes and behaviors, which permeate the Company.

Employees receiving a performance analysis (%)

1. The performance cycle was not applied for 100% of Ultracargo’s employees since it will be run in 2017 for the operators.
2. The performance cycle is still not applied to all Ultragaz’s employees. The company is studying a method of evaluating operational personnel and whether competencies are applicable or need adjusting as well as adapting the reporting tool to be used given that some employees do not have access to a computer.

Employees receiving a competencies analysis (%)

1. In 2016, only the leaders were evaluated.
2. In 2014, a decision was taken to run the process biannually and in 2016, only the  managerial group was evaluated.
3. Due to the focus on the preparation for accelerated growth, the analysis of competencies was conducted in 2016 only, and for central managerial level positions.
4. In 2014, it was decided that the process would be a biannual one.

Compensation policies and practices established in Ultra’s strategy converge to stimulate expansion and sustainable results. In addition to contributing to meeting  corporate objectives, policies and practices share both value creation and also the risks inherent to the business and the capital markets. Among the objectives are the reinforcement of the capacity to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified executives and staff and to promote the alignment of interests among employees, executives and other stakeholders.

The total compensation of executives breaks down into fixed compensation (base salary), benefits, short-term incentives through participation in results and long-term incentives with the share ownership plan. The short- and long-term compensation is linked to value growth targets, which provide an alignment of interests between executives and shareholders. In addition, the executive compensation package is aligned to best market practices, using a meritocratic approach for individual recognition and  standardizing management processes of the executives in Ultra’s businesses.

The compensation policies and practices adopted for Ultra’s Management are described under item 13 of the Reference Form available from the website (www.ultra.com.br/ri) and detailed in accordance with the specifics of each governance organ. The members of the Board of Directors and the Fiscal Council receive fixed compensation only, corresponding to the responsibility and complexity of the position and in line with market conditions.

Hours of training per employee

Created to support the Company in developing a new benchmark in leadership, the objective of the Ultra Leadership Program - "Essência" - aims to mold leaders of Ultra and its businesses. The program, which uses specific methodology and is now in its second year, by the end of 2017, will have trained 680 employees, among them directors, managers and coordinators.    

The content of the Ultra Leadership Program - "Essência" - is customized according to the guidelines of the Ultra Business Model (D2022) and the corporate competencies to be developed. The Program consists of six modules that cover an integrated vision of the competitive environment, value creation and relationship with different stakeholders, alignment of culture, strategy and organizational structure, strategy execution focused on sustainable results, application of best practices of essential leadership and influence in high performance management teams. The program is also an important tool for the development of the organizational culture.

More training initiatives

Ipiranga has a New Leaderships Development Program with content prepared in partnership with well-known educational institutions both in Brazil and in other countries. In 2016, the company implemented the Mentoring program for New Retail Managers to reinforce the strategic formation of new leaders. The focus is on promoting the dissemination of knowledge between the more experienced executives and more recent appointees using a student-mentor approach. Consisting of workshops, skills upgrades and periodic monitoring meetings, the program had an intake of 18 participants in the year for a nine month period during which mentee receives ideas and incentives from a mentor colleague with experience and a consolidated career.

Ultracargo invested in upgrading leadership skills with programs such as PDGG (Management Group Development Program) and PDML (Middle Leadership Development Program). A total of 119 managers took part in the programs. In addition, there was an increase of 115% in courses for the exchange of technical information between areas through the Knowledge Portal. The latter is the company e-learning facility that combines videos, podcasts and other teaching resources developed in-house and by Harvard and Chicago universities.

In 2016, the 14 district managers of Extrafarma took part in the Retail Leadership Development Program for Retail Leaders. The program has a 40-hour duration, the object being to expand the professionals’ repertoire and capacity for providing a more harmonious and productive working environment.

With the launch of the Extrafarma DNA platform, store managers, sub-managers and pharmacists are able to access leadership training led by well-known lecturers in the corporate education market. At the Extrafarma Sales Convention and at the Annual Pharmacists Meeting, leaders also had the opportunity to receive input on the business plan and to provide feedback to store teams. Some 700 store leaders attended the Convention and a further 800 at the Pharmacists’ Meeting.

All these programs bear the seal of our Internal Management DNA and are prepared to provide guidance to leadership on behaviors that are deemed important internally as well as guidance in the management of the team on developing initiatives and expected attitudes for creating an increasingly solid and profitable company.

Trainees

Oxiteno has run its Trainees Program in Brazil annually since 1989. The initiative is designed to attract talents that bring results and contribute to the growth of the organization. In 2015 and 2016, the company extended the Program to Mexico with the hiring of five trainees who spent January and February in Brazil on an orientation course. During this period, they were able to visit the headquarters of each of Ultra’s component companies and to become acquainted with the business areas.

Since the inception of the program, 153 professionals have been hired. Of these, 36% currently hold managerial posts. Retention levels have been 76% over the past five years.

In 2016, the trainees undertook 27 projects in various areas of the company, resulting in improvements in processes, market studies and studies for expanding the portfolio supporting the organization’s strategic decision-making. The projects represent 115 hours of training, including presentation techniques, Six Sigma Greenbelt training, effective communication, negotiation, ethics and self-knowledge.

The Extrafarma Retail Trainee program proposes to develop professionals to assume positions of leadership and to contribute to the organization’s accelerated expansion plan. The trainees are given the opportunity to learn about the different areas of the company, so developing a more broad-based vision of managing the business. The trainee program also involves travel to the North and the Northeast regions to visit the stores, giving participants an idea of the profile of the customers, culture and employees. The program began in September 2016 with the hiring of three recent graduates and has a duration of 18 months of specific training for learning and professional development.

Ultra Formare

The program is run in partnership with the Iochpe Foundation, 2016 being its 15th year. The focus is on education and the inclusion of young people in the labor market. The Ministry of Education-recognized course is for Administrative and Sales Agents and consists of 25 weekly classroom hours covering 14 disciplines. The course includes visits to Ultra’s businesses and eight-week internships. Since its first edition, the program has been responsible for graduating 258 students, of whom 40 are working at Ultra.

Oxiteno

Top Employers Brasil

For the fourth consecutive year, Oxiteno received Top Employers Brazil certification, awarded by the Top Employers Institute, an independent organization with presence in more than a hundred countries. The Top Employers Institute carefully analyzes companies’ HR practices and policies prior to awarding certification.

The Best Companies to Work

For the third consecutive year, Oxiteno has received Você S/A Guide certification as one of the Best Companies to work in Brazil.

Extrafarma

Pharmacy Degree Scholarship Program

The program was launched at the 2016 convention and offers a pharmacy degree course to store employees that have outperformed in their activities in such aspects as customer service, the meeting of goals, teamwork, among others.

The launch program selected two employees from Belém (Pará), who besides their excellent in-store performance, had shared their knowledge and experience with recent hires under the São Paulo expansion plan.