HUMAN Capital is of strategic importance to Petrobras

Heavy investment in training and development, the admission of new employees and a concern over sustainability distinguished the work of the Human Resources area in 2008. External recognition of these efforts was demonstrated by the awards received.

Trabalhadores da Petrobras em frente à sede da companhia, no Rio de Janeiro
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For the fourth year running, Petrobras was chosen as the “Young Person’s Dream Company” in a survey carried out by Companhia de Talentos. According to the survey, the professional desires and expectations of the young are focused on factors such as good pay and benefits, work infrastructure, professional growth, reputation in the market, investment in courses, and training. Petrobras also won the RH 2008 “Top Of Mind” award, in the category Program for Retaining Talent. The prize is awarded to companies in recognition of the excellence acknowledged by professionals in a given field. And for the third consecutive year, Petrobras was considered to be the benchmark in the “Development of Human Capital”, in the assessment of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI).

STAFF NUMBERS

In order to keep up with the company’s expansion and meet the goals defined under the Business Plan 2009- 2013, Petrobras held three public selection processes in 2008, one of which registered a record number of enrollments: 451,712 candidates competing for 2,611 places at various locations in Brazil. The company ended the year with 55,199 employees, 5,565 of whom had been taken on during the year. Considering the entire Petrobras system, including subsidiaries and affiliates and the units abroad, the total number came to 74,240 permanent employees.

HEALTH CARE

During 2008, the 21 thousand establishments accredited under the Multidisciplinary Health Care Scheme (AMS) made a total of 121 thousand attendances of employees, their dependents and retirees who are beneficiaries of the scheme, at a total cost to the company of R$ 599 million, including appointments, examinations and internments.

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

Petrobras adjusted the table of educational benefits in 2008 and revised the percentages for Educational Assistance reimbursements, in relation to kindergarten, basic and secondary education costs. The company invested R$ 130.6 million in these benefits, assisting 29,880 children of 21,627 employees.

COLLECTIVE LABOR AGREEMENT

Following negotiations with the labor unions, Petrobras ratified the economic clauses of the 2008 Collective Labor Agreement. The pay scales were corrected by 6.17% (IPCA inflation index), the Minimum Pay Per Level and Regime was adjusted by 9.89%, and there was a gratuity payment, equivalent to one month’s remuneration. The social clauses of the 2007 Collective Labor Agreement, which are valid for two years, were maintained.

REMUNERATION POLICY

In addition to the employees’ fixed pay, bonuses and other extras, as well as payroll taxes, Petrobras takes into consideration as a personnel cost its spending on benefits such as the supplementary pension scheme, Multidisciplinary Health Care Scheme (AMS) and educational allowances.

The cost of personnel in 2008 came to a total of R$ 9.9 billion, an increase of 14% over the previous year’s figure. In addition to the pay rise and 10% increase in permanent staff, another contributory factor was the natural payroll growth due to annual adjustments and individual career progression. Taking into consideration the entire Petrobras system, including subsidiaries, affiliates and units abroad, the personnel cost amounted to R$ 12.9 billion.

In 2008, the employee profit sharing scheme paid out a total of R$ 1 billion to all Petrobras’ employees in Brazil, in two installments, one in January and the other in August, in relation to the results for the 2007 financial year.

CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT

Every year, Petrobras conducts a study of its Corporate Environment, in which the employees are able to express their opinions and expectations regarding the company and suggest improvements that could be made in the working conditions and employee-company relations. In 2008, the survey registered a three percentage point decline in the ISE (Index of Employee Satisfaction) at the parent company, from 69% to 66%. Meanwhile, the NCE (Employee Commitment Level) registered a four percentage point drop, from 77% to 73%. The survey was carried out over the period December 2008 to January 2009, in a scenario of world economic uncertainty and, at Petrobras, in a context of stricter capital discipline.

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

Once again, the action of the HR area was underpinned by the development of the company’s human resources, backed by total investment of R$ 219.1 million, which saw staff members occupying 190,923 places on a variety of courses. The average annual number of training hours per employee in 2008 was 103 hours, compared to an average of 30 hours for companies in the U.S.A. and Asia, 36 hours in Europe and 37.5 hours in Brazil, according to studies by the American Society for Training and Development and the Brazilian Association for Training and Development (ABTD).

Many of these courses are held at the Petrobras University. In 2008, a new building was inaugurated at the Petrobras University campus in Rio de Janeiro. It was built according to the latest concepts of sustainability and contains 107 classrooms, including nine specialized laboratories and 25 for IT, as well as 35 distance learning booths and 27 rooms for pedagogical orientation.

The National Education Council, in a move that confirms the excellence of the Petrobras University, has approved the accrediting of the Petrobras Corporate Educational System to offer specialized lato sensu postgraduate courses in Oil & Natural Gas Engineering, Oil & Natural Gas Geophysics, and Oil & Natural Gas Processing. As a result, the Petrobras University is now officially recognized by the Ministry of Education, and the diplomas awarded for those three courses have the same validity as those of any Brazilian university that is recognized by the Federal Government.

Among its outside initiatives, the HR area, in partnership with the Dom Cabral Foundation, developed a methodology for preparing globally responsible leaders, based on the principles of the UN Global Compact, which was presented at a General Meeting of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative Foundation.