Social responsibility refers to protecting our employees, ensuring quality services to your clients and taking care of a sustainable environment – all of these aspects make a relevant challenge in the modern world. Responsible business is becoming an increasingly important goal, but where’s the line between following trends and taking actual responsibility? Find out what social responsibility means to Marino Grupė!
Responsible consumption
UAB Marino Grupė is not only the largest shipbuilding company in the Baltic States, but also a responsible company. Head of HR Dovilė has been working at the company since autumn 2019 and is well acquainted with the company’s internal policies and positions in terms of social responsibility. ‘When I moved to Klaipėda, the maritime sector has always looked like something undiscovered and very interesting. Thus, I joined this large and professional team as soon as I found an opportunity. And it didn’t take long to find out that this company shares my ethical standards – social responsibility is not just empty words.’
She noticed that in many cases the concept of social responsibility, although widely discussed, often remains a theory. ‘Advertising is very often misleading. As soon as you go deeper, it turns out that companies declaring noble goals actually don’t follow them. I am a consumer myself and I often sense a lack of responsible attitude from various businesses – we need to take social responsibility now, not tomorrow. This is one of the key principles in modern organisations. Fair and transparent business translates into more effective processes to ensure staff well-being, mutual respect and a sustainable environment. This creates very favourable conditions for business too.’ says Dovilė. She calls for responsible consumption, urging to find out more about various companies to make sure that they actually value social responsibility.
Responsibility in action
UAB Marino Grupė is a young (only 7 years old!) and energetic company, taking the concept of social responsibility very seriously. ‘Our company and our team do our best to create only long-term social projects that would eventually benefit our society and the environment. We grew into a large organisation in a very short time and we currently have about 1300 employees. Marino Grupė not only creates new jobs, but also voluntarily applies the principles of transparent business. All employees can learn and improve their qualifications, growing as individuals. I’ve experienced that myself.’ says Dovilė.
She says that the team takes social responsibility not only as a value, but also as an obligation. ‘All of us have our own approach and relation with nature, contributing to its preservations for the future generations as best we can. One of the goals of our company is to get as many employees involved into social responsibility creating a sustainable and harmonious environment as possible. Being responsible and motivated helps my colleagues and me to see this goal come true.’
Overcoming the challenges of the pandemic
UAB Marino Grupė business is based on human resources – no wonder the company encounters so many challenges in this field. According to Dovilė, the situation became particularly complicated under the COVID–19 pandemic. ‘Our key efforts were focused not only on the company’s survival, but also our employees: at the beginning of the pandemic, many of them were deployed in various European countries. We’re glad that we managed to take care of their safety and health even under very difficult conditions.’ says head of HR.
Her words are illustrated by her deeds: ‘At the beginning of the pandemic we hired a private plane to help our people get home. Special buses ensured a safe trip home not only to Lithuanian, but also Latvian and Ukrainian citizens. During this difficult period, the company offered support to the community too: under a critical shortage of medical masks and respirators, Marino Grupė donated them to local medics.
Dovilė is sure that a socially-responsible business benefits not only the team, but also the local community. At the same time, it’s the best type of advertising, which inspires not only clients, but also competitors, encouraging them to do more for their employees, the society and the environment.