Employee satisfaction, recruitment and retention

Employee satisfaction and the recruitment and retention of motivated, qualified staff is critical to the future success of the business.

Employee satisfaction

Surveys of employee attitudes, needs and opinions are conducted in the great majority of our operating companies. In 2007, the first Group-wide employee survey was undertaken.

A conference for new graduate recruits was introduced in 2006 as part of their induction process. This offered recent graduates a greater understanding of the whole business and an opportunity to build a network of peer contacts throughout the Group. This programme was extended in 2007 to offer graduates further training and understanding of Group objectives.

Feedback from the conference was extremely positive and this has now become a regular feature in our calendar.

Recruitment

We aim to recruit the best candidates to fill all positions by having a rigorous and efficient selection process, ensuring that career routes are clear and will provide the challenge, development and progression that the best candidates demand. We check that potential recruits have the values and standards of integrity we expect from all of our employees.

Managers responsible for selection interviewing attend training sessions as well as receiving support from our human resources professionals. This training reinforces our commitment to diversity and ensures our recruitment practices are fair and non-discriminatory.

We supplement interviewing with personality profiling, ability tests and assessment centres for many roles.

We are seeking to improve our process further by introducing a new internet-based vacancy and recruitment management system to improve the efficiency and coordination of our recruitment exercises across our different businesses and to ensure that our own people are aware of career opportunities.

We have recruited over 700 graduates over the last six years and have annual recruitment campaigns designed specifically for graduates, placement and vacation students, and trainees. This includes attendance at careers fairs, presentations at universities, graduate advertising and sponsorships.

We recruit school leavers to apprenticeship schemes (we have over 500 apprentices in training) and to block release courses leading to BTec or full degree qualifications.

Our businesses have induction processes to help new recruits settle into their roles.

In the case of graduate recruits, we have recently introduced a Group induction (attended in 2008 by over 170 graduates) in addition to the induction events they participate in in the particular businesses they join.

Retention

In 2007 voluntary employee turnover was reduced from 16% the previous year to 14.4% and the absence rate was also reduced from 2.3% to 2.1%.

We have a formal organisation and people review process which embraces succession management and focuses on the development and progress of key groups of people.

While we regard it as healthy practice to recruit externally to bring fresh thinking and experiences into the Group, our first preference is to fill positions from within the Group. We believe this reduces the risks to our ability to deliver our projects successful and to maintain our high standards of quality and safety.

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