Listening to our employees
Our employees are our eyes and ears on the ground: as such, they are often the first to know if any of our processes are not working as well as hoped or are not being followed correctly. They are also a source of great ideas for how our business could be further improved so, through various forums, we listen to our employees' views. What is more, our business benefits from a contented, satisfied workforce, so we endeavour to understand and address any concerns our employees have.
Listening to our employees
The internal channels that we have set up to hear our employees' views include VOICE forums in the UK and the Thomas Cook Group European Works Council. We also recognise the right of our employees to join trade unions, and trade union recognition agreements are in place across various parts of the business.
VOICE forums
These forums are made up of employee representatives, elected by their colleagues for four-year terms. Business issues are raised at VOICE forums, so that our employees can input into our decision-making, in conjunction with union consultation where appropriate. Thomas Cook UK has six VOICE forums covering all non-airline operations.
Issues addressed at VOICE forums include:
- Trading performance
- Business developments
- Operational issues
- Health and safety
- Learning and development.
At our UK Airline, a different structure of employee consultation groups and union representation is required to comply with union recognition agreements. Both the airline groups and the VOICE forums feed into our European Works Council meetings.
Thomas Cook Group European Works Council
Members of the European Works Council are elected from Thomas Cook employees in every European market where we operate. The Council meets at least once a year with members of the Thomas Cook Group Executive Board to discuss issues that affect the whole of the European business. These include:
- Company structure
- Business strategy and development
- Employment issues
- Planned investments
- Relocations
- Mergers and acquisitions.
Whistleblowing
We are committed to ensuring that our operations are conducted professionally and in line with legislation. Our employees are invaluable to us in ensuring that any malpractice is brought to our attention. We therefore encourage all employees to raise any concerns they have, without fear of retribution. Clear procedures are in place to ensure that instances of wrongdoing brought to our attention by our employees are taken seriously and investigated appropriately. Such instances are also reported to the Group Executive Board and the Audit Committee.