Why engaging our team is at the heart of our business

At Tosca, our people are everything.   

By continuously investing in them and providing the tools and knowledge that they need to flourish, we believe we can achieve the best possible performance and results – together. 

How do we do it? 

By cultivating more talented, diverse, and committed teams and providing better experiences and values that everyone can get behind. 

Firstly, we build and sustain a passionate workforce  

While we exist to deliver effective and innovative reusable solutions that optimize supply chains, we’re only able to do this with a great team behind us. And great teams are built around great talent that is nurtured and developed.  

We bring in talent and develop it 

At Tosca we have a global team of passionate people committed to delivering our shared vision, and this team is now stronger than ever. 

When we recruit, we have a process that enables us to eliminate bias and match candidates to our vision and values. Once we have the right people on board, we empower them with the skills, career opportunities and benefits to thrive and grow, as well as fully onboarding them with our sustainability priorities.  

We also offer an excellent European trainee program which gives team members the chance to switch between roles every 6-8 months, gaining experience across all facets of the operation.  

We create one team, one Tosca 

Although we operate across various localities, we’re a unified company working towards a single mission, vision, and set of values and a shared passion for sustainability. 

“Today, we are proud to show up as one Tosca – a united workforce of talented people who feel supported to reach their fullest potential as they drive sustainability forward.”  

Tommie Kennedy, Chief Human Resources Officer

Join Tosca and the opportunities are endless 

We’re fully invested in the success of our team members, creating clear paths and resources for career progression. Education reimbursements for professional development are made available to team members to embrace opportunities for growth. 

Where we can promote team members from within, we will. Several of our staff members have progressed up through the ranks, bringing their experience with them. 

“When I started, Tosca was much smaller, with only two locations. I have gotten to see it grow into a global company with so many great people. My advice to team members looking to grow with the company is to be ready to lean in when the opportunity arises. Tosca is a great place for that.”  

Greg Dean, Regional Director, Operations, North America Central Region 

At a global level, we’re adopting SAP SuccessFactors – a cloud-based software which supports our goal setting and performance-management processes, while also helping managers to identify what it is that team members need to reach their full potential. 

We’ve launched a Learning Management System (LMS) and training library that houses job-specific training alongside mandatory training on key policies and topics, and we’re delighted that over 1,220 team members have already attended one or more training sessions. 

Keeping up with needs is crucial

Understanding how our team members are feeling, what drives them, and how they can be better supported is a top priority for Tosca.

We now run company-wide talent reviews to analyze annual progress and ways to nurture potential as well as identify where extra support is needed.  

Assessments and surveys are an essential part of helping us to gauge workforce satisfaction and priorities. We perform a company-wide materiality assessment in all relevant languages to establish the ESG priorities of our operational and corporate workforce.  

And we don’t rest on our laurels

Going forwards we’re using the Gallup Q12 engagement survey to help benchmark Tosca’s progress against peers. Where such surveys indicate areas that require improvement, we’ll endeavor to make it happen.  

We care about the wellbeing of our teams 

Tosca consistently offers benefits such as flexible schedules, paid tuition, and baby bonuses.  

As a global company, our benefits can vary across different geographies, but where possible we replicate them across all our operations. 

In Europe, we have a program in place called BEE Yourself! to measure the mental health of our team members. All of our EMEA team members have an individual report giving them insights into what motivates them and what drains their energy. They can use this report in conversations with their manager and agree on appropriate goals. Where team members need help (psychological support, management coaching, financial or legal support) that exceeds Tosca’s competencies, they have 24/7 access to an Employee Assistance Program.

We celebrate our people and recognize passion 

We know that people reach their full potential when they feel their best. And that comes from being well-informed, recognized for a job well done, and taking time to celebrate together. 

We have an internal recognition program acknowledging birthdays and appreciation and an Annual Sustainability Award program, where team members submit projects which have an environmental and/or social improvement benefit. Winning projects get submitted for a much sought-after Toscar! 

What are the Toscars? 

You’ve probably guessed it! Our annual “Toscars” ceremony recognizes team members who go above and beyond and celebrates those who make our vision a reality. We’ve now introduced the Safety Toscar and the Sustainability Toscar. These reflect the importance of these issues to the company and join the other Toscars which are aligned to each of our values. These include awards for Top Sales, Top Service Center, Impact (focused more on admin/support functions), and the Pinnacle (MVP) Award.

We drive continued success through diversity, equity and inclusion 

Great ideas can come from anywhere; we’re a company that values differences and we want to develop diverse workplaces that provide people with what they need to succeed and create space for ideas to be heard.  

Diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) workplaces create better and more progressive companies, and with operations in over 10 countries, we know this is key to our success.  

We believe in equal opportunities – regardless of personal circumstances, beliefs, or backgrounds – and in driving more diversity at all company levels.  

Representation and pay parity are key 

By 2030, we’re aiming for at least 50% of Tosca team members to be women, and for team members from minority groups to be at a percentage representative of the local population.  

At Tosca, we review pay parity annually for all salaried positions and throughout the year for hourly positions. To date, we’re proud to have achieved pay parity for most company levels and are working on closing the remaining gaps. 

We create safe, healthy workspaces

Team member health and safety is Tosca’s number one priority; We believe all accidents are preventable and take steps to nurture shared safety responsibility – from providing leadership oversight to embedding best practices through training. 

Our incident management process includes investigations, corrective actions, and repeat incident avoidance. 

Health and safety committees bring together team members and management to:

• Identify unsafe practices and conditions  
• Review root causes of accidents and near misses  
• Make improvement recommendations  

The main injuries that occur in facilities are sprains and strains from moving assets around service centers and during wash line activities, so we’ve created an initiative whereby team members are led through a series of warmups, to get muscles flexed and ready. 

We make health and safety everyone’s responsibility 

Our health and safety policies must be followed company-wide and our LMS helps us keep on top of what has and hasn’t worked well, so we know where we need to improve.

In EMEA, several locations host a monthly “Spotlight on Safety,” where they highlight actions to address priority areas.  

Regular internal EHS audits ensure sites comply with regulatory standards and highlight gaps in current policies and training. But we’re proud to maintain high safety standards, with annual injury and incident rates well below industry averages. 

Where does integrity fit in?

Building a better business starts with strong foundations from which we can create a shared culture of ethics and integrity, driving a cross-company commitment to act responsibly and transparently. 

Tosca is part of a complex network of suppliers, retailers, customers, and distributors and as part of this, it’s essential that we work in ways that are responsible and protect people’s rights.  

We have a global approach to conduct  

We’ve recently revamped our Code of Conduct to be more universally applicable – across all geographies and business levels. It brings together Tosca’s expectations for all leaders and team members in an easy-to-read format and gives scope for local issues to be incorporated.  

We’re committed to respecting human rights, not just because it is critical to operating sustainably but because it is the right thing to do. Our dedicated Human Rights Policy ensures alignment internally and from suppliers.

We aim to be the neighbor who cares 

Our team engagement focus isn’t just inward-looking, we want to be a responsible corporate citizen: a company that plays a positive and proactive role in the communities that surround us. That’s why we look for locally relevant ways (both big and small) to give back. 

The communities in which we operate are our customers, our team members, and our partners. They help make Tosca what it is, and we look to match this support, by giving something back whether through donating time, resources, or expertise.  

Providing local solutions to local needs  

To deliver real benefits, we know we must meet on-the-ground needs. Our global team members participate in various outreach programs from donating to local food banks to supporting local charities and delivering financial aid. 

We plan to further engage with customers going forwards on community-focused activities, working together to address local and global needs. 

We’re aware of our impact and we really care 

A few things you might like to know about us: 

• We support more than 15 retailers in their donations of perishable items to over 90 specific food bank locations every year through their use of Tosca RPCs.
• We have an initiative called ‘Tosca Cares’ – a funding program to help people recover from crises such as illnesses, natural disasters, or other unforeseen losses. 
• We have a giving program that allows team members to donate to causes close to their heart.

In times of crisis, our teams really do stand out.  

It’s very apparent that people who work for Tosca, live and breathe the Tosca values. 

So, what’s next? 

At Tosca, sustainability has always been at the heart of our business, and as part of this, having an engaged team who are fully aligned with our goals and values, is essential. 

We know, it’s only by real participation and involvement that employees truly get on board and drive the business forward to close the loop on waste.  

Now, with the launch of a defined ESG strategy, we are taking that passion for sustainability further. 

If you have any experiences or insights on driving team engagement that you’d like to share, please get in touch.