As a global company, we are proud to be a diverse and dynamic workplace for our employees worldwide. We employ thousands of people in a variety of functions and departments including operational, sales, IT, financial, and organizational functions. We provide all employees with workplace benefits, and are committed to developing and training our employees within the organization.

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We manage Human Resources in accordance with local labor laws and regulations in our locations of operations in matters such as payroll and employee benefits, including minimum wage, pension allowances and on-time payments. We review and annually monitor our HR activity to ensure that labor laws and regulations are complied with and employees are fairly and fully paid as required by law. We believe that each employee has an important contribution to make to our daily efforts for success, and this contribution grows with the employee’s engagement and commitment. Accordingly, we offer our employees attractive working conditions and prospects for development. We provide an optimal balance of work-life opportunities for growth, offering paths for career and personal development through training.

Diversity, equal opportunity & non-discrimination

The diversity of ZIM’s employees is a major contributing factor to ZIM’s quality as a place to work and as an important player in the global shipping industry. Diversity leads to better understanding each other and our customers’ expectations. We are constantly striving to provide equal development opportunities to all employees to enable their advancement within the organization. We respect and protect their fundamental rights and freedoms in line with our Code of Ethics and human rights. We are committed to preventing all discrimination based on nationality, class, race, disability, gender, age, religion and political views throughout our organization.

We always strive to promote gender equality in all aspects of our business operations. In 2021, around 56% of our employees and about 39% of our managers were women. We are committed to gender equality, as reflected in our diverse recruitment and career development opportunities. Gender diversity is one of our targets, and it is constantly reviewed and discussed by senior management. Our compensation and benefit packages are designed with a look at market forces and benchmarks, never at gender differences.

We constantly make efforts to recruit and hire employees with disabilities as part of our social commitment and strategy. Investing in the local community and providing equal opportunity for employees with disabilities allows us to diversify in an environment free of discrimination.

In addition, we have appointed an accessibility committee that meets on a regular basis for the purpose of supporting and encouraging the employment of people with disabilities and ensuring their full access to ZIM’s facilities and full participation in our activities.

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As of December 31st, 2021, ZIM employed 4,515 employees employees and operates in 93 country locations worldwide (38 owned).

ZIM is committed to gender equality and is proud of its record as an equal-opportunity employer. 

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We are proud of our record as an equal-opportunity employer. The table below presents ZIM's employment history in this regard over the past three years:

Social benefits & employee wellbeing

ZIM strives to be a very attractive and competitive employer. We provide our employees with competitive salaries and all benefits stipulated by law.

ZIM emphasizes the importance of life-work balance, and thus offers flexible working hours. We provide our employees development paths within the Company and relocation opportunities throughout the Company’s various locations. Positions for internal placement are posted to employees regularly. Training and career development materials are provided to our employees to promote readiness for growth and employment diversity.

All seagoing personnel are employed by our Ship Management Unit and make an important contribution to our success. ZIM offers its seafarers attractive working conditions and prospects for development.

All vessels under our operation are certified under the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (MLC), which is an international agreement of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The MLC sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work, and applies to all seafarers sailing in ZIM. In addition, ZIM has extended its efforts to provide a fair wage by signing a collective bargaining agreement with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) for its Flag State vessels and Flag of Convenience vessels, to pay seafarers wages as per the ITF standard.

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Training & education

We are continuously improving the personal and professional skills of all staff members, ashore and onboard ship. During 2019, we conducted mandatory training for all ZIM employees and managers, or in some cases, for a specific function. Training was via e‑learning tutorials in our Learning Management System (LMS) or in face-to-face sessions, and included:

• Safety training
• Prevention of sexual harassment
• Hazardous materials
• Accessibility service workshops

Additional professional training for our employees includes training for managers, training for new employees, training for sales personnel, and shipping courses for new and experienced employees. We also periodically offer our employees enrichment courses such as Excel training, Office training and English lessons. We focus on creating and executing quality, cost-effective solutions that will improve existing capabilities of employees and managers.

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Evaluation Process

The Annual Appraisal Process is a global process which gives us the opportunity to align all ZIM’s employees and managers with our business requirements, to hold a meaningful dialog between employee and manager and to promote a corporate culture which values and appreciates excellence.

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Occupational health & safety

We act in line with safe work practices throughout all ship and office operations, and all working conditions are in full compliance with local and international laws and regulations. Health and safety risk assessments are conducted on a regular basis; in addition, we hold training sessions to prepare for emergency situations. Employees receive frequent updates about any incidents as they occur, and our safety policies are communicated to all company employees ashore and onboard our vessels.

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Safety within the workplace

Ensuring the safety of our employees on the job is our highest priority. Thus, all of our operational activities adhere to the highest standards of maritime safety, and all our vessels comply with the International Safety Management (ISM) code. The ISM code has been implemented at ZIM since 1997. We have designated one of our captains from the Ship Management Department to conduct annual internal audits onboard our vessels and in the main offices. In addition, we conduct an annual ISM management review, and an external ISM audit is conducted by a surveyor from the Nippon Kaiji Kyokai ship classification society (ClassNK), whose audits are considered the most stringent in the industry. Our vessels regularly pass the external audits without any instances of non-conformity. Under the ISM code, the Ship Management System (SMS) is implemented on each vessel. This includes improved risk analysis procedures, shipboard operations procedures, and an integrated shipboard emergency plan and procedures, such as a procedure for accidental oil/fuel pollution. All our employees, especially new employees, undergo a safety workshop with professional training personnel.

Work at sea and in ports can entail unique risks. Our employees are highly trained to work safely in these environments, and their skills are continuously refreshed and updated through regular briefings and training sessions prior to and after international journeys.

ZIM has a series of policies regarding emergency situations on board, as well as national emergencies. In addition, we have appointed a team of first aid workers who undergo regular training by qualified external instructors. We also provide a well-equipped clinic in the building next to HQ that is accessible to all employees during work hours. We invest much effort in maintaining a safe work environment for all employees while at the same time enabling the continuation of proper work operations, even during emergencies.

Safety of cargo and supply chain

As part of our strong, long-standing commitment to safety in all our operations and activities, ZIM has been a member of the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) since 2012. CINS is a shipping lines initiative, launched in 2011, which is designed to increase supply chain safety, reduce the number of cargo incidents onboard ships, and highlight the risks caused by certain cargos and/or packing failures.

ZIM’s Hazardous and Dangerous Goods and Chemicals (DG) Centers are operating at our Head Offices and regional offices. These centers check and approve each DG shipment prior to loading on our vessels. All teams are regularly trained in accordance with IMO/IMDG code requirements in addition to local laws and regulations.

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Human rights & labor practices

ZIM strictly ensures that the human rights of all employees are respected. ZIM supports human rights and ethical labor practices in all Company’s locations and ships, for all Company employees, suppliers and customers. ZIM’s entire labor force is employed based on International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions and national laws. ZIM’s policy includes an explicit ban on the use of any forced labor or exploitative working conditions, and prohibits child labor. These values are also expected of all suppliers and customers with which ZIM contracts. Thus, ZIM refrains from contracting with suppliers and business associates who do not comply with high standards of ethical conduct.

There is no child labor in any of ZIM’s locations globally. The minimum age of employment is 18 years of age.

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