Our vision of being the Best Company to Work For is about a workplace experience that translates into a personal feeling of winning, pride and confidence. It is based on several important fundamentals: Providing safe and secure working conditions. Being financially strong. Behaving ethically and with the highest integrity. Fostering a respectful and inclusive work environment based on open and honest communication. Attracting and engaging great people who share these values and retaining them by investing in their personal development and growth. In addition to challenging work assignments, competitive performance-based pay and benefits, and development opportunities, we strive to offer purposeful work in a respectful culture where trust, innovation, diversity and teamwork are valued.

Human Rights For creativity and innovation to flourish, people need an environment where their rights are respected and they are treated with decency and dignity. As a company with a growing global presence, Air Products is committed to respecting and upholding human rights in its operations. For many years, our company practices and policies have addressed human rights areas such as diversity, equal opportunity and harassment, compensation, employee security, and health and safety. We have articulated these existing policies and practices in a global Human Rights Policy, which is integral to our broader global Employee Code of Conduct and clearly states our position on core labor standards. The Policy also describes procedures to report violations specified in our Code of Conduct and outlines accountabilities and responsibilities.

Learning that's Aligned with Business Needs Last year, we established the 12 colleges of Air Products University, each associated with one of our global work processes. This focused approach to learning and development provides processes, tools and resources within a formal learning structure for our more than 20,000 employees. Hundreds of learning opportunities are now within easy access, and thousands of our people have already put the tools to good use. But Air Products University takes us beyond the traditional concept of training to capture informal learning, best practices, know-how and experience, too. And we are using nontraditional approaches to unlock the creativity of our people. We are showing employees how to use this powerful resource and how they and the company can benefit from it, deploying new learning programs in diverse areas ranging from innovation to sales management.

Communications that Engage Air Products is committed to keeping employees informed and engaged. We publish a daily global newsletter, available to employees through e-mail or online, that includes company news, people news, industry news, notices and tips. News highlights also are published online weekly in six languages. In our annual reader survey, 85% of employees say that the newsletter helps them understand company strategy, while 90% say it gives them a positive feeling about working at Air Products. Quarterly hard copy magazines are also published in local languages and mailed to employees' homes. There are also more than 15 "Ask Management" Web sites with the ability to ask anonymous questions, employee pulse surveys, field communications sessions, and more than 40 executive town meetings conducted annually. These include quarterly talks by the Chairman and President/Chief Operating Officer, which are are broadcast to employees globally.

Diversity: Working for Change

Diversity continues to be an area of critical focus and measurement. For us, it is a journey, not a program. Globally, we've increased our collective level of consciousness and awareness through training. We've implemented a successful mentoring program worldwide as a powerful tool for development. And we've worked hard to get more employees and leaders engaged in the efforts around diversity. To that end, there are now 14 Diversity Leadership Teams and seven active Employee Networks charged with exploring diversity and engagement issues impacting their business areas and the broader Air Products culture. These teams are a strategic part of our diversity objectives.

Our demographics
We continue to have a strong focus on ensuring that our workforce is reflective of the global talent and business marketplace. As the organization changes, it is imperative that we proactively seek out the diverse talent that will contribute to our business success. In the U.S., we strive to increase the representation of women and minorities. In Europe and Asia, our focus is on women in leadership roles. We are focused on making progress in all regions. Moving forward, we will continue to examine our recruiting, hiring and development methods to drive greater success in this area.

Our diversity priorities
We have a full agenda to drive diversity and inclusion in the workplace. More employees are becoming engaged in the efforts to develop an inclusive work environment by becoming part of diversity teams and participating in continuing diversity education. More managers are setting the expectation for an inclusive culture and including diversity efforts in their personal objectives. In the coming year, our Senior Leadership Team has placed continued progress and increasing accountability for results as the diversity priorities going forward.

Our Executive Forum for Diversity sponsors our annual Global Diversity Recognition Program, giving employees the opportunity to acknowledge others for going “above and beyond” in the field of diversity. In 2006, our Ethnically Diverse Employee Network (EDEN) won first place for their “Buddy Program,” which matches students with experienced Air Products employees based on alma mater, hometown, major and/or career interests to provide support as they consider becoming permanent employees.

In 2006:
The Great Place to Work® Institute named Air Products France one of the 25 best places to work in the country. At a ceremony to honor the winners, Air Products ranked number 14 among the top 25 companies.
Air Products Czech Republic was recognized as the Best Company for Equal Opportunities by an independent organization, Gender Studies, in coordination with the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The Chemical Industries Association, the UK's leading trade association for the chemical and chemistry-using industries, honored Air Products with its Company of the Year Award for its commitment to people development and creating a diversified and engaged workforce.