Page Content Sustainable developmentSustainable development is an integral part of Telekom Slovenije’s and Telekom Slovenije Group’s business processes and is one of our key strategic focuses. We integrate the principles of sustainable development in our operation, products, services and content as much as possible. Understanding co-dependency and interconnectedness, we prioritize the creation of a balance between economy, profit-oriented activity and civil society. In the context of achieving sustainable goals, encouraging a user-oriented business environment, which enables our employees to develop their own potential, is of key importance to us. As signatories of the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO) document we are bound to environmental protection and efficient energy use, social and corporate responsibility and responsible treatment of employees and vulnerable groups of users. We strive to bring our sustainability impact close to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We detail our development in these areas in our Annual Reports in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative standards. How did Telekom Slovenije react when the COVID-19 epidemic was declared?As COVID-19 began to spread across Europe, Telekom Slovenije started to prepare activities and adopted the first preventive measures, based on its business continuity management system (BCMS), established to deal with emergencies and certified in accordance with the ISO/IEC 22301 standard. We adopted a special plan of measures and activities in the event of a pandemic, which also envisaged activities in the event of the activation of the National Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Plan. In accordance with the BCMS, Telekom Slovenije is prepared for and capable of ensuring key services and processes, even in emergencies. When emergencies such as an epidemic or pandemic arise, the BCMS serves as a tool for establishing organisational resilience and responding effectively. In addition to concern for employees, another key function of the system is to protect the interests of our business partners, users and other stakeholders. To ensure the provision of support for the functioning of services, we also have in place a network of partners who likewise have business continuity procedures in place to provide support for our company. Since the declaration of the epidemic, we have witnessed the large-scale and rapid adoption of remote work and distance learning. At Telekom Slovenije, we are doing everything in our power to provide users with the uninterrupted operation of the services and technical support needed to achieve this, and to respond to the special needs of government institutions and the commercial sector for increased capacities or additional services. We are facing a large increase in the volume of data, video and voice traffic, by more than half relative to the normal situation, and a large increase in traffic in accessing global internet networks and IPTV. At this time of social distancing, we are aware that for many our services are the only means of access to information, their relatives and friends, and we have therefore adjusted our experts’ schedules to ensure uninterrupted, 24-hour and 7-day a week control over the functioning of the network and the continuous adjustment of its capacity. We take care of our employeesWe are aware of the importance of taking care of the health and safety of our colleagues, as well as keeping them well-informed, especially in circumstances such as these.We closed all Telekom centres on 13 March to protect the health of both employees and the users of our services. Taking all necessary preventive measures, we started to gradually reopen Telekom centres in Slovenia on 23 April, while our authorised retailers started reopening their stores on 20 April. We carried out a mass transformation of work across the entire Telekom Slovenije, so that a large part of our employees switched to remote work within a single day. On average, more than 70% of employees work remotely, if the work process allows it. To this end, we have established three separate remote access systems via different network infrastructures. We are in daily communication with all employees regarding measures and key activities taking place at the company level. We have adopted preventive measures to prevent the spread of infection. We adopted a protocol for handling suspected and confirmed cases of infection. We are making sure that company premises are carefully and regularly cleaned and disinfected. We installed disinfectants and instructions on proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette at the entrances to business premises. We organised an e-course on protection against the coronavirus for our employees. We introduced the highest level of protective measures for employees who work in contact with users and other third parties, ensuring they have available the necessary protective equipment. We exempted employees over the age of 55 from work in the field, and also enabled employees to work at an alternate workplace or to use some form of absence from work. Employees with younger children were granted childcare leave. We produced a video featuring the names of all our employees, communicating that we stay #connected in this way as well. For the duration of the epidemic, we upgraded our employees’ mobile package with 50 GB of additional data. The upgrade package is for use in Telekom Slovenije’s network. In this way, we stay #connected, while employees can share gigabytes of data with their loved ones, making sure they stay connected as well. Depending on the needs of the work process, employees who have the necessary knowledge and competences help their colleagues in other posts. For business communication, we use modern digital tools and other digital forms of communication. We ensure regular training and development through activities, carried out via digital channels. We enabled employees to attend e-courses on how to cope with the epidemic, the stress and uncertainty it has brought into our lives, and how to keep a positive attitude at a time when life has been turned upside down. Since 2017, the company has been running the toll-free Modri telefon (Wise Telephone), a service intended to provide counselling to employees experiencing distress. During the period when the epidemic was declared, we provided extra time for this service. #stayathomeWe care about our usersWe take care of the smooth operation of the network and services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.We provided additional capacities to companies and upgraded their existing ICT solutions. We took care of the special needs of government institutions. After developing and presenting a technological solution for the remote treatment of patients with chronic diseases together with our partners in 2019, we upgraded this solution together with the Ljubljana University Medical Centre to make it possible for medical staff to monitor coronavirus patients remotely. In cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, we also developed the application "COVID-19/Recording the health of employees". The application enables the safe and efficient recording of the health status of those employees in healthcare institutions who are in contact with patients. Using the application, employees who have previously entered data on paper will be able to report it in a secure and digital way, and based on the data received, healthcare institutions will be able to implement appropriate measures. If an employee shows signs of COVID-19 infection, it is very important that they do not come into contact with colleagues and patients and stay at home.We provide online training for business users. We enabled companies to quickly implement a video identification and digital signing service. Video identification is a service provided by Telekom Slovenije that allows the remote identification of clients and conclusion of business transactions, for example when signing a contract and carrying out financial transactions. The service provides clients with a digital identity, which they can use to securely access various services and digitally manage transactions with any company that employs this service. Telekom Slovenije's remote video identification service is employed by VALÚ to support the payments made with their smart wallet, as well as by several insurance companies and brokerage firms. We gifted a free mobile data allowance to our users. We upgraded our TV programme offer with children's, documentary, popular science, film and sports content, free of charge. During the epidemic, we featured five puppet shows as part of the Children's Park service on our NEO platform: Sapra the Little Mouse (ages 3 and above), Twinkle Sleepyhead (ages 4 and above), Four Black Ants (ages 3 and above), You are Hunting! (ages 2 and above) and Storm in the Head (ages 12 and above), all produced by the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre. We are available to users via social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), our digital consultant Maks, contact centres on toll-free numbers 080 8000 (user assistance) and 080 1000 (technical assistance), at info@telekom.si, and on Moj Telekom. We enabled users to make a video call to the Telekom Center via Viber and WhatsApp. By making a video call on their mobile phone or computer, users can pay a virtual visit to the Telekom centre, browse the latest mobile phones and talk to our consultants. They can choose products that we quickly and safely deliver to their address. We strengthened our Online Store and increased the range of products on offer that support #stayathome and allow users to shop from the safety of their homes. We strengthened our contact centre teams so that we can handle even more calls from users. We prepared several video tutorials enabling users to install services and equipment on their own, with a technician on call to provide further assistance. We added several new sections to our website – Remote sales and support for operations, How to pass time at home, Easy work from home, and Secure access to work environments. We produced a TV ad communicating our commitment to stay #connected in Slovenia's leading mobile network. We keep users up to date on the various measures taken at the company level, highlighting, among other things, technicians working in the field, or the handling of complaints during the epidemic. Since group exercise classes remain closed, we created a socially beneficial platform #vadidoma, which links instructors of fitness, functional exercise, Pilates and yoga classes. Instructors design exercises for all age groups, which are freely accessible at www.neo.io. Subscribers can find exercise videos on the NEO platform simply by saying "Exercise at home" or "Exercise". We made sure that our users returning to Slovenia from abroad receive a text message on behalf of the Slovenian Ministry of Health advising them on the preventive measures to contain the spread of coronavirus. We remind users to exercise caution in regard to emails and malicious calls and text messages received via the internet and social networks, since there is an increased risk of exploits at a time when the majority of people are working from home. We are also constantly adjusting our offer and services (e.g. mobile internet for connectivity, additional programme options for first-time NEO subscribers, contactless payments which we promote together with VALÚ).We are compassionate and socially responsibleEven in the exceptional circumstances in which we find ourselves, we remain compassionate and socially responsible.We made a donation of EUR 20,000 to the Gynaecological and Maternity Hospital Postojna for the purchase of a new maternity bed for women who are infected or suspected of being infected with COVID-19. The hospital, which is the largest in western and southern Slovenia and the fourth largest maternity hospital in the country, recording more than 1,500 births in the last year, introduced a special delivery room for pregnant women with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 infection, which required a modern delivery bed and other equipment.We donated a total of EUR 40,000 to the Ljubljana and Maribor University Medical Centres for the purchase of medical equipment needed for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Ventilators are key to treating patients, since they protect their respiratory organs and supply them with clean air. In addition to this, hospitals also need protective masks, respirators, thermometers, vital signs monitors, as well as protective coats, goggles, gloves, disinfectants and other equipment. A sense of connection and the possibility of communication are also important for the elderly who are separated from their loved ones. That is why we have provided every retirement home in Slovenia with three mobile phones, free of charge, which support the most up-to-date voice and video call applications. We believe that a familiar smile and a kind word are especially priceless in these exceptional circumstances. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, we procured mobile modems and thus ensured mobile internet access for students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. In cooperation with the City of Ljubljana, we provided 10 WiFree network access codes to each of Ljubljana's primary schools for students who need such access. Together with our partners, we provided patients at the Golnik Clinic with free use of the Infotainment system. In these days when we try to #stayathome as much as possible, counsellors at the Samaritan and Sopotnik anonymous helplines at 116 123, and the TOM helpline for children and adolescents in distress at 116 111, also continue to offer assistance to those in need, as they do throughout the year. Telekom Slovenije has been supporting both helplines as a donor for many years. We have also participated and are participating in a number of smaller initiatives, striving to help those who need our assistance. Our guiding principle in achieving a responsible relationship with the environment is enabling employees, users and other stakeholders a healthy lifestyle to the maximum extent possible, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Our environmental objectives are closely linked to our everyday operations, with a number of activities that aim to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.Our guiding principle in achieving a responsible relationship with the environment is enabling employees, users and other stakeholders a healthy lifestyle to the maximum extent possible, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Our environmental objectives are closely linked to our everyday operations, with a number of activities that aim to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.
