Employees

Our people are our greatest asset. In order to recruit and retain the best talent, we must ensure that we are an employer of choice and that our employment policies are sensitive to our employees’ priorities and requirements.

How we engage

• A dedicated Human Resources function
• Open and transparent communication with our workforce
• Annual employee satisfaction surveys
• Personal and career development
• Recognition and rewards
• Code of Conduct

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

• Appointment of Group-wide Global VP Human Resources
• A subsidiary took out medical insurance for all employees
• Round table discussions held between employees and management

Communities

We strive to be a responsible corporate citizen within the local and wider communities in which we operate, by aiming to behave in a sustainable  and socially-responsible manner and supporting local businesses and charities.

How we engage

• Research and development and testing products in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis
• Solutions for the safe treatment of pathogenic waste, particularly in developing economies
• Local initiatives that support community and charitable organisations
• Encouragement of employees to work to further charitable goals

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

• Volunteering at a national food bank

People

BATM’s people are vital to sustaining success. In order to recruit and retain the best talent, the Group must ensure that, across its businesses, it is an employer of choice and that its employment policies and practices are sensitive to employees’ priorities and requirements.

BATM has employees in six countries, including scientists, engineers, sales & marketing personnel and those in corporate functions, and aims to adhere to certain principles in terms of employee engagement and employment practices across the Group.

Following this, the Group has commenced implementing new processes to build on one of its core values of ‘collaboration and teamwork’ (see page 7 A.Report).

Engagements

BATM understands the importance of maintaining open and transparent communication with its workforce, and listening to its people and taking into account their feedback. To support employee engagement, the Group has a dedicated human resources function comprising a network of human resources departments at subsidiary level each headed up by a VP-level executive who are overseen by the Global VP Human Resources.

The senior management within the Group’s businesses regularly communicate with employees on areas including Group strategy and progress. The Group holds periodic ‘roundtable’ discussions for employees to meet with management to share their views, raise any concerns and make suggestions on how the workflow in their departments could be improved. The Group also holds off-site team building events and company celebrations. Following the appointment of the Global VP Human Resources, the objective is to build on these activities to create a consistently high standard of workforce engagement across the business as well as foster a Group-wide culture and sense of belonging.

BATM prioritises training and development for its workforce, which was continued during 2023. The Group has training schemes focused on product training, skills enhancement and the achievement of additional career-enhancing qualifications, and often supply in excess of two weeks training per year for individual employees.

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion

BATM recognises the benefits to its business of supporting equality, diversity and inclusion for long-term sustainable success. The Group is committed to providing a working environment in which all employees feel valued and respected and are able to contribute to the success of the business. The Group promotes equal opportunities within all of its businesses and aligns its approach with international human rights standards. BATM believes its employees should be able to work in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and bullying, and that employees, job applicants, customers, and suppliers should be treated fairly regardless of:

- race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins;
- gender, sexual orientation, marital or family status;
- religious or political beliefs or affiliations;
- disability, impairment or age.

As a company incorporated in Israel, BATM is subject to the Israeli Law of Equal Opportunity at Work (1988), which forbids discrimination on the basis of (among others) race, nationality, state of origin and gender, including in hiring job candidates. The law states that if an employer asks an employee or candidate for such details, it will be assumed that the employer has violated the non-discrimination provision. The Group operates in compliance with this law. 

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

BATM prides itself on providing high levels of standards on the health and safety of its employees. The Group has, and adheres to, health and safety guidelines across the Group, and also has welfare programmes. The Group also provides clothing for employees working in manufacturing areas. There were no health and safety incidents reported and the Group did not receive any regulatory fines or penalties in relation to health and safety matters during the year.

Anti-bribery & Corruption

BATM promotes responsible business behaviour. During the year, the Board approved a new anti-bribery and corruption policy that provides guidance, details prohibited activities and outlines responsibilities and whistleblowing mechanisms.

The new policy was communicated with all unit managers who were instructed to ensure that their employees are aware of the policy, familiar with its provisions and conduct themselves accordingly.

The whistleblowing procedure is managed by an independent administrator who is a partner at an Israeli professional services firm, Chaikin, Cohen and Rubin. Employees are encouraged to approach the administrator if they have concerns about possible wrongdoing including potential or actual breaches of applicable laws and regulations and fair business conduct. The approach can be anonymous, if the employee chooses. The Company has undertaken not to take subsequent disciplinary action against a complainant unless the report was subsequently judged to have been made in bad faith or to be malicious.

During 2023, there were no instances of whistleblowing reports, bribery, corruption or business interruptions as a result of regulatory activity.

Communities

BATM strives to be a responsible corporate citizen within the local and wider communities in which it operates by behaving in a socially responsible manner and supporting local businesses and charities. While the Company does not have a formal Group-wide approach, during 2023 employees from one of the Group’s subsidiaries volunteered at a national food bank.

In addition, a key tenet of BATM’s strategy is the research and development of solutions to counter the spread and improve the diagnosis of infectious disease. The Group’s products are designed to be able to be used at the point-of-care in community healthcare facilities or in small- to medium-sized laboratories rather than purely in mega labs in a central location. The Group achieves this through producing solutions that, relatively, have a small footprint, are simple to use and are available at an appropriate price point.

Environment

The Group has taken important steps during the year towards assessing and managing its impact on the environment, incorporating climate-related risks and opportunities into its business planning and reporting thereon, as detailed in the TCFD Report that follows. Developing awareness of environmental guidelines at operating facilities, upgrading energy and lighting systems and developing waste management procedures are examples of some of the initiatives to improve the Group’s environmental impact that have already been made.

The Group has several solutions that both support environmental sustainability and drive business opportunities, including:

• Edgility, the Group's open edge software platform, which reduces the amount of hardware needed and the need for on-site provisioning, enabling customers to consume less energy and reduce the carbon footprint for the same output.
• Solutions for the safe, effective and environmentally-friendly treatment of pathogenic waste from food production or medical and pharmaceutical facilities. These solutions enable customers to significantly reduce their environmental impact and also offer the ability to recover and recycle proteins and lipids. This technology can also be used for the recovery of high-quality protein and oils from insects.
• Environmental measuring systems, including solutions for testing air pollution levels in large manufacturing plants.