With "people" at the core of our company philosophy, we have created a happy, friendly, safe, and healthy working environment to unleash employees' potential, uphold integrity at work, and achieve outstanding performance. At the same time, Brogent established the "Human Rights Policy," which was approved and announced by the chairman, in accordance with international principles, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, United Nations Global Compact, and International Labour Organization. The policy is applicable to all Brogent employees and relevant stakeholders. Brogent also invites all business partners, including suppliers and joint ventures, to jointly draw attention to human rights issues, in order to implement the Human Rights Policy and mitigate human rights risks.
We protect employees' rights and interests in terms of labor conditions, including establishing reasonable working hours, smooth communication channels between labor and management, and supporting employees' career development with diversified employee training.
Human Resource Structure Brogent is a company full of youthful energy and innovation. As of the end of 2023, Brogent has a total of 271 employees, including 3 foreign employees, 4 employees with disabilities, and 1 ethnic minority (indigenous peoples). In terms of manpower structure, 177 employees are male (65%) and 94 employees are female (35%). According to the type of labor contract, there are 270 formal employees and 1 temporary employee. If classified by employment type, there are 270 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee. Brogent hires local residents (Taiwan) in important sites of operations and they account for 92% of the top management. In addition, Brogent had 8 non-employee workers in 2023, who were mainly contractors (security and cleaning staff).
Recruitment of new employees We have made preparations in advance to add locations and recruit talents in various countries, in order to meet the needs of market expansion in the future. We continue to dedicate our efforts to the corporate culture and attract talents. Besides recruiting talents through job banks, we also release job vacancy information on social media platforms, such as Linkedin and Facebook. We also work with career centers of universities and colleges and participates in job fairs or job matchmaking activities. When a job opening becomes available, our staff will also recommend friends or relatives to apply for the job. We establish a talent pool for unsuccessful applicants, who will be contacted when a suitable job opening becomes available. Applicants must pass a document review, professional capability assessment, and occupational and language proficiency tests. We seek outstanding talents with shared values to jointly create new possibilities at Brogent and share the success and results. There were 31 new employees in 2023, in which 13 are female and 18 are male.
Salary and Benefits Brogent considers employees our most important asset. We have strived to provide our employees with a competitive compensation and benefits package. This package protects their rights to participate in labor and health insurance, as well as contribute to their labor pension. Our performance management system combines the objectives of our company's operational performance and employees' personal performance. We review our employees' performance to provide them with the opportunity to become promoted or receive other incentives. They are placed in their ideal positions to create a happy learning environment and enhancing their development.
Equal and Competitive Salaries Brogent raised employee salaries twice (April and November) in 2023 to attract and retain outstanding talents and maintain competitiveness in the external market. The average salary of entry-level employees was approximately 1.44 times the minimum wage in Taiwan in 2023.
Brogent respects equal pay for equal work and abides by the principle of equality. Year-end bonuses and employee bonuses are approved based on performance. Brogent provides reasonable salaries with future prospects regardless of gender. In 2023, there was a difference in pay between male and female employees because of the level of education and work experience; also, male employees accounted for the majority of the R&D and technical workforce. Consequently, the average salary of male employees was slightly higher than that of female employees. However, ratio of basic salary and bonuses of women to men in non-managerial positions decreased from 1.19 in 2022 to 1.14 in 2023.
Benefits and Flexible Systems Brogent is committed to providing diverse and flexible employee benefits, including insurance, bonuses, training, leisure, and convenience benefits, which cover actual needs for food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment, allowing employees to pursue work-life balance. The Wedding, Funeral, Hospitalization, and Emergency Relief Management Regulations provide employees with necessary assistance and care in times of crisis. Employees express their opinions and needs through various communication channels, such as the Welfare Committee and labor-management meetings. Brogent listens to the voices of employees and references them when planning annual employee welfare activities and designing and adjusting subsidy programs. In the future, we will continue to provide a variety of welfare measures for a friendly workplace and physical and mental health, and provide EAPs for different groups, in order to more comprehensively take care of employees.
In response to Brogent's employee engagement survey in 2022, we launch a series of actions in 2023 for items with lower scores, including: Other ongoing activities include:
Labor Communication Brogent actively manages labor relations and maintains harmonious and smooth communication between labor and management through multiple channels. Labor management meetings are convened in accordance with the Regulations for Labor-Management Meeting, even though there is no labor union and collective bargaining agreement. Meetings to promote related systems are irregularly held to communicate work related clauses and employee rights and interests. We have established a smooth and effective appeal mechanism for employees to ensure the equality and transparency of the appeal procedure. We have also actively responded to and handled employee complaints. There have been no employee complaints at Brogent in the last five years.
Brogent established a Welfare Committee to actively initiate communication, care for employees' needs, and provide employees with multiple welfare options. Besides holding at least 2 investor conferences each year to explain the Company's operating status to investors, employees, and the general public, "labor-management meetings" are also held each quarter to report the Company's operating status to employees. Ad hoc meetings are held for immediate communication when necessary. In the event of a major change in operations that requires the termination of employment of certain employees, the Company shall provide advance notice in accordance with the regulations of each operation site.