Management of our Employees
Carillion’s employees are its key resource and their knowledge competencies, skills and experience enable it to deliver integrated solutions and meet the needs of its customers. This important contribution is recognised in the Chief Executive's Statement to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting and in the Annual Report and Accounts. Carillion’s employee policies, benefits, training and development aim to ensure that all employees are able to realise their full potential and contribute to the success of the company.
Carillion manages its social impacts through a range of different policies and strategies. The policies reported on last year include:
Carillion aims to develop strategies and policies which enable a flexible response and ensure a fair and equitable approach. Carillion has reviewed its main policies in the light of the Human Rights Act in order to provide fairness and compliance with legislation. These include:
Carillion’s Public Interest Disclosure Policy meets legal requirements and provides guidance to Business Groups on how to deal with a disclosure of malpractice. Carillion encourages workers to raise genuine concerns about malpractice at the earliest practicable stage preferably internally and in limited circumstances to other parties. Malpractice within Carillion is taken very seriously.
Carillion’s Equal Opportunities Policy has been updated in 2000. This recognises that it is in the interest of the company as well as its employees to promote a policy of equal opportunity in the workplace, and Carillion considers all forms of discrimination unacceptable.
The Data Protection Act places obligations on employers in relation to the collection, processing, disclosure and security of data, manual and computer. Carillion has put in place procedures which will allow the company to comply with these requirements and support employees rights.
The Electronic Communications Policy supports Carillion in giving all employees access to information technology systems and electronic communications media whilst balancing the protection of privacy from the Human Rights Act with the responsibilities of the employees under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
Carillion also fully endorses the principles contained within the Working Time Regulations and recognises the need for employees to exercise their parental responsibility both of which support our employees in maintaining a better work/family life balance. In Wolverhampton, the location of Carillion’s Head Offices, a creche is provided for Carillion employees that are parents.
UK Benefits
Carillion provides its employees with different benefits which range from long term to immediate. Employees have the opportunity to participate in:
Carillion provides free access to a counselling service for its employees who require short term, but immediate support.
Employee Morale and Freedom of Association
Carillion supports employees expressing their views at relevant company forums. This is achieved through a mixture of trade union recognition, elected employee representatives and focus groups. Some business groups also operate suggestion schemes to receive views and opinions from staff.
In 2000, we undertook a confidential employee survey to help us understand our employees’ views and 3 further business units were awarded the Investors In People standard, reflecting Carillion’s commitment to people development.
The 2000 employee survey follows on from the surveys undertaken in 1997 and 1998 by Tarmac which researched the opinions of staff on many aspects of the organisation. The survey results will enable us to understand our employees’ perception of Carillion’s performance and so help us to improve the way we manage the company. The 2000 employee survey questionnaire was conducted by MORI, an external organisation, and the questions were composed using focus groups within individual business groups. The aim of the survey is to enable Carillion to:
Survey results from MORI are not available at this time.
Carillion supports the Investors in People (IIP) standard wherever appropriate within the business. The IIP is an international standard which provides a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness through personnel development. A number of Business Groups within Carillion representing approximately 22 % of the business hold the IIP standard, and a number are working towards it. In 2000 two regions within Carillion Building and the Nottingham Craft Training Centre gained IIP.
Carillion invests significantly in its people and, as human capital has become the single most important source of competitive advantage, a different strategy for corporate learning is needed. Carillion aims to become a learning organisation. Learning involves employees understanding and acting on new insights so that the learning is applied flexibly as business demands arise. Whilst Carillion accepts that there is still some way to go, we have made some significant steps towards becoming a Learning Organisation:
Our training investment is delivered through Learning Works, Carillion’s shared learning resource centre, business groups or on site. Most learning and development needs are identified through appraisals and in 2000 Carillion has developed guidance on how to include sustainability (social and environmental) considerations into this process, to support and ensure employees understand the sustainability impacts of their work.
Carillion uses a competency framework to help assess performance and most learning and development needs are identified during reviews of performance. This also ensures that employees are rewarded on merit and contributes to continued improvement in the quality of Carillion's workforce, management and business activities.
Internal communicationsCarillion is an ever-changing business which has to respond to commercial and societal pressures exerted upon it if it is to maintain its position as an industry leader. Communication is key to maintaining staff commitment and job satisfaction. Carillion’s Human Resources Strategy promotes two-way communication with its employees. This is achieved through various media, including the Internet and Intranet, team briefings, trade union forums, and employee newsletters.
The main business communications are communicated using:
Regular Team Briefings – covers approximately 80% of employees
Staff/Trade Union Forums – covers approximately 32% of employees
Newsletters – covers approximately 80% of employees
Spectrum – covers 100% of employees
Environmental topical issues and best practice are communicated to all employees through Enviro, Carillion’s environmental bulletin and Spectrum. Carillion’s Environmental Helpline is available to all employees and provides help and advice for all environmental queries. Some business groups also have internal environment groups at which representatives from the regions within a business group share and learn good practice.
In addition, Carillion has an extensive email network which covers most employees, allowing the rapid communication of health, safety, business, environmental and social issues.
All Carillion site staff and contractors participate in ‘toolbox talks’ on site which cover environmental and health and safety issues. Through these talks key site messages are communicated back to business group centres.
Various business groups have their own internal communications mechanisms including the Private Finance Group ‘Private Eye’ magazine and Infrastructure Management’s ‘Newsline’.