Career development

REA nurtures talent within its workforce and has an annual programme of in-house training, participation in external training courses and regular outbound activities.

To optimise productivity, the group aims to ensure that employees at every level within the organisation are rewarded based on their performance. To ensure that the group’s compensation levels remain competitive and in line with the current market practices, they are periodically benchmarked against local industry standards.

Performance of management staff is evaluated annually in relation to a pre-agreed set of quantitative and objective KPIs. The reward system for all levels of employee is reviewed and refined regularly. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that compensation and benefits for field workers, who are a key component of the group’s workforce, are competitive and effective. To incentivise productivity, there are bonus systems and additional allowances for achieving certain graduated targets or working in difficult areas, such as harvesting tall palms.

The group aims to maintain and improve management standards by facilitating the upward mobility of promising employees through its management training programme and by recruiting new graduates through its collaboration with local polytechnics and universities. The group’s central training school provides participants with 12 months of theoretical and practical training in all aspects of plantation management. Those who successfully complete their training are appointed as assistants on the group’s estates, in the mills and in various administrative departments, such as technical services, sustainability and safety. Over the last 20 years, 455 trainees have participated in this programme, many of whom are still employed by the group, including 39 taken on during 2022.

In 2022, the group initiated a partnership with a specialist palm oil polytechnic (Chandra Widya Edukasi (CWE)) to support the development of future technical specialists by sponsoring scholarships for CWE’s diploma programme. In the first round, nine scholarships were awarded to children of the group’s employees and children from local communities. It is intended that the group will offer employment to these students upon graduation.

Help with career advancement is not restricted to the management training programme. To equip employees at every level with the skills and knowledge to perform effectively and to advance their careers, the group also runs an annual intensive training programme for established employees to map talent for future leadership roles. The programme is designed by the group’s training manager, based on input received from every department, and consists of both in-house training and participation in external training and conferences. Externally facilitated training, coaching, and workshops are also provided for senior managers to ensure the alignment of individual and corporate values, policies, and priorities. A total of 1,133 employees participated in the group’s various training and development programmes in 2022, including 25 in the management development programme focusing on business improvement.