Impact on society and employees

Our activities and ensuring the continuity of electricity supply determine the quality of Poles’ lives.

It is PSE’s particular concern to ensure the security of employees and contractors’ personnel providing services to our company.

We are a modern organisation fostering an innovative working environment We care about the development of internal competences and infrastructure. We want to constantly strengthen the unique knowledge base in the organisation and the expertise of PSE’s staff responsible for maintaining a secure and stable power system.

We want to strengthen awareness and educate society in the field of electricity market operation.

GRI 103-1 How to live in the vicinity of a line?

In principle, the owners of properties on which transmission equipment is situated or over which there are power lines, have an unconstrained access to their property.

The only restrictions of property owner’s access to the land on which transmission equipment is situated or over which there power lines, concern the so-called line right-of way which is set out along the entire length of the power line.

It is the area directly under the power lines and on both sides of the line, in which work involved in line construction, reconstruction, upgrade and maintenance is allowed, and within which, for reasons of safety of line operation and the immediate surroundings, freedom of land management is restricted. This results from the need to perform periodic inspections and repairs, and is necessary for remedying possible failures and their consequences.

Fig. 1. Right of way for a 400 kV line.
Source: http://liniapilaplewiska.pl/rozwi%C4%85zania-techniczne-i-technologiczne.html

Outside the right-of-way, the owners of the land on which transmission facilities are situated or above which there are power lines, have an unconstrained freedom or managing and using their plots. They can use them freely, provided that they exercise appropriate precautions. They can also, without time limitations, conduct business with the use of specific equipment and machinery, or it can carry on farming activities. Owing to the need to ensure safety and minimise the risk of interruption or restriction of electricity supply, it is necessary to follow specific precautions. 

Learn a few rules concerning conduct in the vicinity of power lines:

1. Owing to high voltage, it is not allowed for unauthorised persons to climb pylons and touch transmission equipment, in particular power lines.
2. For safety reasons, it is not allowed to erect new residential buildings or new built structures with rooms intended for human occupation directly under the line or within its right of way (the area directly under the line and on its both sides).
3. Owners of cropland, on which transmission equipment is situated are allowed, with the exclusion of the foundation sites of supporting structures (pylons), to cultivate crops and work with the use of heavy farming equipment: harvesters, tractors, seeders, and other mechanical farm machines. Precautions must be taken in doing so, e.g. in situations where the machines or equipment used are high or have long arms.
4. Under overhead lines or in their immediate vicinity, there are no restrictions concerning cattle or other breeding animals grazing, or obstacles to setting up fish ponds. According to reference studies and date disclosed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), electromagnetic fields in the extra-high voltage line environment are not harmful to breeding animals.
5. Owing to the potential risk of power lines being touched by tree branches, it is not allowed to plant trees that could grow dangerously close to power lines. PSE maintains continuous monitoring of the facilities owned by the company. In case of above-standard growth of trees or shrubs in the vicinity of lines, relevant clearing work is carried out. The work is carried at the behest and at the expense of PSE, and the wood material obtained as a result of clearing is transferred to property owners. Our company conducts tree clearance based on a five-year standard, with the contractor giving a four-year warranty for its work. The distance of wires from tree crowns is thus determined according to the current crown dimensions, taking into account the five-year height growth specific to the particular tree species and habitat. In case of an above-standard growth during the warranty period, additional work is carried out immediately at the contractor’s expense. Clearing work is required only under specific circumstances, i.e. in situations where decorative or orchard trees are planted, which do not reach significant heights, such work is not necessary.

Fig. 2. Structure of fees in PSE’s tariff  

According to the electricity market operation model in Poland, PSE settles accounts for transmission services with consumers physically connected to the transmission network within the territory of Poland, i.e..:

• distribution system operators (DSOs), for whom the costs of acquisition of services from PSE represent justified costs of business and are taken into account in calculating their tariffs for electricity distribution services.
• final consumers.
  

Designated consumers – physically connected to our network – are thus responsible for all costs taken into account in calculating the transmission fee rates and support fee rates.

Generators do not pay transmission fees in respect of feeding electrical energy into the network. They only pay the quality fee – for the quantity of electricity consumed by final consumers connected to their networks, facilities and equipment, to whom they sell electricity.   

Traders do not make any tariff payments to PSE, except the market fee, which is applied only to electricity imported into Poland from Ukraine.

In addition to the costs of electricity purchase (as commodity), a consumer of electricity also incurs the cost of its delivery (transmission and distribution) and the costs arising from support fees.

The costs of PSE on our electricity bill

Fig. 3. PSE tariff fees in the household electricity bill 

Structure of the household final consumer’s electricity bill in 2017

Fig. 4. Structure of the household final consumer’s electricity bill in 2017  

Fig. 5. 70-20-10 Model

The 70/20/10 model developed by the staff of the Center for Creative Development in the USA – Morgan McCall, Robert Eichinger and Michael Lombardo assumes that:

• 70 percent of knowledge is what we gain through daily work, facing the challenges of daily work, e.g. through:
  • undertaking projects in order to develop a particular skill,
  • using the acquired knowledge in practice,
  • undertaking tasks that go beyond the basic duties.

Therefore, 70% of planned development activities should be related to on the job work focused in the development of what are called “functional competences”.

• 20 percent of knowledge is feedback and support from superiors and peers.

For this reason, work appraisal feedback meetings, giving advice and ongoing contact with peers are important.

• 10 percent of knowledge is gained through training and literature, i.e. all kind of formal sources of knowledge.

Pillar II. Knowledge sharing during internal training sessions

In many areas of our company’s activity, we create unique solutions and build knowledge which cannot be acquired in the market. Our internal training programme allows us to manage knowledge at our organisation in a system-based manner. Our priority is to build a team of internal trainers supporting better knowledge management in the organisation.

Pillar III. The employee’s active attitude in personal development and development planning

On addition to providing employees with off-the-shelf training solutions and enabling them to participate in external courses, training events and conferences, we also take measures aimed to increase employee motivation to actively develop their own competences and self-learning.

GRI 103-1GRI 103-2 In 2017, we started work on a new competence model taking into account dynamic changes taking place at PSE – a set of competences of particular significance from the point of view of our company.

The objective our efforts is to build a team which is capable of fulfilling the corporate mission and pursuing its strategy at all levels of the organisation in the most effective manner. This objective is achieved through measures including:

• strengthening competences and knowledge at all levels of the organisation,
• continuous development and acquisition of personnel with the highest competence level,
• strengthening the image of PSE as a solid and good employer.

Maintaining a high competence level is the expectation of both the organisation and the people working with it. Development opportunities are a key factor affecting the employee commitment level. Expanding employees’ knowledge and skills guarantees the organisation’s development.

The developed model currently being implemented is based on our strategy and forms an important element of the personnel policy pursued. The model provides for the implementation at PSE of management through competence, knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is an integrator of all human resource management processes based on it and thus constitutes a uniform, consistent policy of human resource management. Its implementation will enable, among other things, better adjustment of training programmes to current needs, will improve the efficiency of recruitment processes and build career paths, and will facilitate the introduction of new tools to assess the level of employee competences, which will increase the level of motivation and efficiency of our work.

Competence model

Table 1. Management by Objectives training

GRI 103-1 GRI 103-2 Energy Internship programme

Since 2013, the Young Talent Promotion Programme has been held at PSE, which consists of the Start with Energy scholarship programme and the Energy Internship programme. In line with the company’s strategy, owing to the above programmes, the most talented power engineering students and university graduates are acquired to work with the company. In 2017, in promoting the internship programme and building a positive image as an employer, our company participated in job fairs at Warsaw University of Technology.

The Energy Internship programme provides for the employment of selected persons under contracts of employment for a period of 10 months. During that period, the interns develop their knowledge under the guidance of a mentor assigned to them. After the internship period, the intern can be employed on a permanent basis.

In 2017, we employed 20 interns under the Energy Internship programme – the largest number in the five-year history of the programme (in the years 2013-2016, the total number interns employed was 8 persons). We also employed the participant of the first edition of our scholarship programme Start with Energy, who graduated from university with outstanding grades.

GRI 103-1 Development programmes

Having regard to the nature of the activity pursued, the development programmes at our organisation focused mainly on ensuring a correct operation of the PPS. For this reason, in 2017, dedicated development programmes intended for maintenance and dispatching personnel were important elements of development activities.

We have also modified the Manager Academy programme. In order to ensure that training is better tailored to needs, the training products have been made available in the form of a catalogue, from which everyone can choose interesting subjects for themselves. The flexible formula of the catalogue provides the employees with a tool for proposing subjects which they believe should be made available to a wider group of employees.

PSE wins the Good Employer 2017 award

The award was granted to us by the Chapter of the 10th – Jubilee – Social Responsibility Leaders National Programme held under the patronage of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

The Chapter of the Programme unanimously recognised the building of good relations with employees, which are an important element of the Responsible Business principles being implemented at the company. In particular, focus was placed on: cyclic monitoring of employees’ needs through organisation health (OHI) checks, employee development, for which we earmark substantial amounts each year (training, foreign language courses, studies, etc.), incentive system, employee benefit package, comprehensive and modern adaptation programme for new employees Compass for Start. What also won appreciation were the programmes focused on building identification with the company, including the Kid’s National Dispatch Centre and SMART PSE – as a programme aimed to create an organisation capable of quick adaptation, with a culture of innovation and flexibility.

Impact indicator

404 Education and training

GRI 103-1 The unit responsible for following PSE's HR policy is the Human Resource Management Department. Its key task is to provide business support to the company by recruiting and retaining competent employees. The Department implement PSE's strategy taking into account the current needs of employees and the capabilities of the entire organisation. Its activities are preceded by an analysis of training needs, taking into account substantive issues and the need to improve the competence level in response to changes in the external environment. 

We offer our employees different forms of professional improvement:

• participation in external and internal training,
• participation in industry conferences and seminars,
• foreign language learning,
• subsidies to higher education.

In 2017, all employees of PSE were covered by development programmes. The activities focused on the expansion of knowledge and professional skills related to ensuring the proper functioning of the Polish power system. Systematic training delivered to operating and dispatching personnel is one of the prerequisites for the correct performance of the TSO's obligations. In 2017, the development programme was extended both to the employees of the company head office and those employed in branches. Other training activities included expanding and reinforcing employees' knowledge in the fields of law, taxation and accounting, and advanced IT and technological solutions. Our company also developed employee competences related to the operation of computer systems and supported the management staff in improving effective management skills.

Performance appraisal, Management by Objectives and new bonus system

In 2017, a new, simplified performance appraisal system was introduced. The previous five-grade scale was simplified to three grades:

N – unacceptable,
A – acceptable,
S – special.

All employees of our organisation are subject to performance appraisal. In specialist positions, the appraisal is performed on a quarterly basis (provided that at least 1/3 of the billing period has been worked).

The management staff, legal counsel and experts were covered by the Management by Objectives system. The system provides for the implementation strategic objectives cascaded by the Management Board to the respective managers, based on the strategy adopted by the company. Management by Objectives is a complex and result-oriented method of appraisal. It is also conducive to increasing the involvement of staff in pursuing strategic objectives and facilitates the monitoring of the implementation of objectives.

The introduction of the system for management staff was preceded by training courses and workshops which involved all staff. The consequence of the introduction of Management by Objectives for management staff, legal counsels and experts is a new bonus system based on an objective appraisal of work performance. Appraisal of performance against objectives and payment of bonuses takes place on a semi-annual basis.

Impact indicator

Equivalent of additional benefits

GRI 103-1 GRI 401-2 Employee health-promoting benefits and programmes

All employees can use dedicated additional benefits

In 2017, two accidents at work were reported at PSE, of which one accident was classified as an accident equivalent to accident at work.

Accident rates

New HSEQ requirements for contractors implementing investment projects

In order to improve safety at work on investment projects carried out for PSE, our organisation has created new HSEQ requirements. They specify the conditions for health, safety, environment and quality management during the execution of works.

Key issues contained in the requirements:

• Documentation, planning – HSEQ plan, ERP plan, analysis of threats and risk to the task;
• Training, training and competence;
• Reporting of information on safety security policy;
• First aid;
• Procedure in the event of fire;
• Chemicals;
• Working clothes, working footwear, personal protective equipment;
• Equipment and machines;
• Welfare conditions;
• Environmental protection;
• Contractor’s liability;
• Inspections and audits;
• HSEQ supervision.