The main mission of the HSH Company from Veľké Zálužie is to place on the market high quality, healthy safe, biologically and nutritionally valuable foodstuff. At the same time, the HSH abattoir is one of the companies where the employer-employee relationship does not end at the plant’s gate. For instance, the company offers its employees the possibility of accommodation in terraced houses near their place of work. Each of these houses has even a garden where the employees can grow fruit and vegetables or relax while having a barbecue with family and friends. Every 2-3 years, the company builds another 4 or 5 houses. There were 19 of them in 2015 and they intend to build more. The choice of the employee who can get an accommodation is dealt with individually, according to the urgency or the demand of the applicants.

Moreover, the company encourages the development of its employees by means of regular training, including health and safety training. This contributes to the high production efficiency and almost zero accident. The company also tries to support its employees with interest-free loans and it has its own non-profit organization, which helps the employees in case of medical issues. The HSH Company received the 2015 Via Bona Slovakia Award in the category of Great Employer.

How many flats and houses did the company manage to build in 2016? We briefly interviewed Timotej Husár, the Marketing Manager of the HSH Company.

What did it mean to you that you received the 2015 Via Bona Slovakia Award in the category of Great Employer?

It was a very nice surprise, I wasn’t expecting it. It is, above all, an award for the work and attitude of our managers and their overall business philosophy. Moreover, we take this award as a huge commitment not to ease up on the activities that are bringing a positive effect to the society.

Where have you made progress over the past year?

We have built new houses and flats for another employees. These include precisely 1 one bedroom flat, 2 three bedroom flats and 6 two bedroom flats. They are all lived in by now.

What type of sustainable/responsible activities are you currently involved in?

Our main product is Royal Chicken… It is royal for the royal way it is bred. Responsibly – towards nature and towards customers. Responsibly towards nature as it is bred in welfare conditions where we take into account natural needs, way of breeding, and handling of chickens. Responsibly towards customers as we guarantee that our chicken has been bred without any growth hormones and antibiotics and that it has been bred exclusively on Slovak farms.

What is your highest priority for the future and what projects can we look forward to?

We will definitely continue to place on the market top quality products, which are beneficial for the customer’s health. We will certainly create more houses and flats for our employees; that’s for certain now. There are several projects we are currently working on and I would not like to get ahead of myself but I would surely like to talk more about them to the members of the Via Bona committee in 2017, and in this way to fight again to win the award for the company that has been trying to do its business fairly for already 25 years.