Stakeholder engagement

Identify Important Stakeholders

YOKE seeks to establish a communication and response mechanism on sustainability issues by maintaining our interaction with stakeholders. Through the five major aspects of “responsibility, influence, tension, dependency and multiple perspectives” of the AA1000 SES, we were able to identify our key stakeholders. Relevant functional managers at YOKE responsible for sustainability-related affairs were asked to assess and discuss the pool of stakeholders in order to establish the categories of key stakeholders.

After discussion with the functional managers, we confirmed that there is no significant change in the identification results of the existing stakeholders, understood their concerns about YOKE, and reported to the General manager for approval, the important stakeholders in 2021 were identified as shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, scholars/students, etc.

Engagement with key stakeholders

The establishment of various stakeholders carried different implications and interactions with YOKE’s operational activities and different departments have sought to engage stakeholders through various methods of communication. We had continued to communicate and discuss the modalities of stakeholder engagement in 2021 and produced various results.

Types of stakeholders	Shareholder Protector of safety
Implications to YOKE	YOKE commits financial, intellectual, manpower, manufacturing, social and environmental capital into establishing its distinctive safety awareness.
Accountable departments	Finance Dept
Method/frequency of engagement	Shareholders’ meeting (annual) Board of directors meeting (quarterly) Strategic meetings (annual)
Results	Two shareholders’ meetings and seven Board of Directors meetings were held in 2021, along with a strategic meeting held at the end of 2021 to verify our annual operating objectives for 2022.
Key issues for disclosure	Traceability and localized purchase Effective use of energy/resource in production Safety and health in the work environment
Corresponding GRI topic	204 Procurement practice (2016) 302 Energy (2016) 403 Occupational health and safety (2018)
Introspection and response	To establish links to environment, society, and corporate governance through the aspect of operational strategy to build a foundation and momentum for sustainable development. Instead of short-term profits, we will focus on our pursuit of long-term optimization regarding stakeholder interests.
Short-term plan	We will continue optimize the PLM R&D management system and improve the R&D process to accelerate the R&D design energy and competitiveness under the increasing demand of ODM/OEM; enhance the R&D momentum through industry-academia cooperation and strengthen the professional skills of employees to create a more competitive operating environment and product advantages to break through the market difficulties and grow.
Long-term strategy	We will continue to promote the market demand for Grade 120 high strength alloy steel products and optimize the manufacturing process through industry-academia cooperation and smart manufacturing, so as to reduce the use of materials and consumption of YOKE products and move towards sustainable manufacturing.

Types of stakeholders	Customer Promoter of safety
Implications to YOKE	Purchasing YOKE's products help promote safety awareness to industrial applications and individuals and to far corners of the world.
Accountable departments	Business Development Center
Method/frequency of engagement	Exhibition/video conference with customers Customer satisfaction survey (annual) Complaint handling (at any time)
Results	In 2021, most of the exhibitions were postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and only 7 exhibitions were held both domestically and internationally. By eliminating on-site visits to customers and adopting regular video conferences with customers, we improved product development progress and work efficiency through frequent online video conferences, with a 100% closure rate of customer complaints in 2021.
Key issues for disclosure	Traceability and localized purchase Countermeasure of climate change Safety and health in the work environment
Corresponding GRI topic	201 Economic performance (2016) 204 Procurement practice (2016) 305 Emissions 2016 403 Occupational health and safety (2018)
Introspection and response	With a focus on user safety, YOKE will endeavor to create safety value for its products in all related environments, including R&D, purchasing, manufacturing and so forth. We are poised to deliver reliable and safe products with YOKE’s guarantee through the accreditation and verification of different management systems, factory management, and product certification.
Short-term plan	YOKE will maintain a high-standard quality management system to meet customers' production expectations. Meanwhile, the Company will obtain safety certification for applicable product categories as an added protection to end users. We will also build a workplace compliant with customer requirements and provide equal treatment and respect for our employees.
Long-term strategy	We will continue to optimize the marketing power of Salesforce and SAP ERP to grasp customer needs and market trends; we will continue to improve our internal environment and promote various measures for sustainable development to create a sustainable enterprise and build a sustainable brand image in the hook industry.

Types of stakeholders	Employee Enforcer of safety
Implications to YOKE	Through responsible R&D, manufacturing and supporting service, YOKE makes safety an inherent value of all its products.
Accountable departments	Human Resource Department
Method/frequency of engagement	Safe and health committee (quarterly) Labor-management conference (quarterly) Employee satisfaction survey (annual)
Results	In 2021, the safety and health committee and labor-management meeting were held 4 times each, and the overall satisfaction rating of Taiwanese employees was 3.43 out of 5, while that of foreign employees was 3.55.
Key issues for disclosure Corresponding GRI topic	Safety and health in the work environment Responsible product sale and safety commitments Respect and assurance for employees' human rights
Corresponding GRI topic	402 Labor/management relations (2016) 403 Occupational health and safety (2018) 406 Non-discrimination 2016 412 Human Rights Assessment 2016 416 Customer health and safety (2016) 417 Marketing and labeling (2016)
Introspection and response	Starting from competence management, we strive to recruit suitable talents while planning a comprehensive mentor system to help new employees acclimatize themselves to their work environment. In addition, YOKE invests in education and training to equip employees with the necessary professional skills and provides physiological and psychological care to enhance the workplace.
Short-term plan	We shall continue to implement our mentor system, promote our Experts Academy while implementing factory skill assessment; apart from giving equal treatment to employees, the introduction of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and by providing timely care for our employees, we seek to create a premium workplace that will motivate our employees to be passionate about their work.
Long-term strategy	In light of YOKE’s 2028 operational growth strategy, we will continue to improve upon our talent recruitment and compensation management, attract outstanding talents and foster positive labor relations through comprehensive talent development planning and execution whilst building a friendly and healthy workplace.

Types of stakeholders	Supplier Collaborator of safety
Implications to YOKE	Working with YOKE helps improve a business' product capabilities and brings value (in the form of added safety) to the overall industry.
Accountable departments	Procurement Dept
Method/frequency of engagement	Supplier Evaluation (annual) Supplier Audit (annual) Supplier Counseling (project)
Results	In 2021, we conducted 30 supplier evaluations and 242 audits.
Key issues for disclosure	Integrity and commercial ethics Responsible product sale and safety commitments Fair and reasonable employers-employee relations
Corresponding GRI topic	202 Market presence (2016) 205 Anti-corruption (2016) 307 Compliance of environmental regulations (2016) 401 Employers-employee relations (2016) 405 Diversity and equal opportunity (2016) 416 Customer health and safety (2016) 417 Marketing and labeling (2016) 419 Compliance of social and economic regulations (2016)
Introspection and response	Working with our suppliers to jointly construct and shape the domestic industry for safety hooks has always been YOKE’s long-term goal for local commitment. And as such, we provide management and customized assistance mechanism for our suppliers in order to bolster their competitiveness in the market.
Short-term plan	To invite key material suppliers to participate in the developmental phase for new products so as to accelerate product development. In addition, we will provide online queries for long-term orders through production scheduling so that suppliers can estimate their quantity and delivery of shipments for relevant production arrangements to be made to improve the rate and accuracy of deliveries.
Long-term strategy	To expand the scope of depth of collaborative improvement with our strategic partners while establishing a supplier information platform to provide information in real time, which will facilitate supplier operation improvement, bolster their competitiveness, and promote overall growth for the industry.

Types of stakeholders	Scholars/students Promoter of safety
Implications to YOKE	Through industry-academia collaboration with different universities, we were able to bolster YOKE’s fundamental R&D while attracting outstanding talents to join the Company to create a win-win situation of operational growth and personal growth for individual employees.
Accountable departments	R&D Center
Method/frequency of engagement	Industry-academia collaboration (project) Scholarships (annual) Factory visit (reservation)
Results	In 2021, four industry-academia cooperation projects were conducted, two students participated in the internship program, six students were awarded scholarships, and five schools visited our factory.
Key issues for disclosure	Safety and health in the work environment Fair and reasonable employers-employee relations Respect and assurance for employees' human rights
Corresponding GRI topic	202 Market presence (2016) 205 Anti-corruption (2016) 307 Compliance of environmental regulations (2016) 401 Employers-employee Relations (2016) 402 Labor/management relations (2016) 403 Occupational health and safety (2018) 405 Diversity and equal opportunity (2016) 406 Non-discrimination 2016 412 Human Rights Assessment 2016 419 Compliance of social and economic regulations (2016)
Introspection and response	Through industry-academia cooperation, we introduced scientific process improvement and work management to strengthen the innovative momentum of YOKE. At the same time, we provided a platform for the exchange of theory and practice, and look for students who fit with the corporate culture to provide a career stage for outstanding talent through job opportunities.
Short-term plan	Through our implementation of the internship program each year, we provide a field for students to reinforce the theories they have learned through practice and endeavor to review and improve upon the program over the years to refine it and eventually make it a benchmark for the industry. To further refine our Industry-academia collaboration mechanism so that we can continue to expand our R&D capacities.
Long-term strategy	To promote features of YOKE’s model of industry-academia collaboration so that we can achieve better results and offer values to the collaborating schools. Through our investment in pilot research projects, we create products that are at the forefront of the market and products that meet our customer demands to enhance YOKE’s competitive advantages.