EasyJet 2009 Annual Report Download - page 33

Annual report and accounts 200931 easyJet plc
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Overview
Business review
Governance
Accounts
Other information
the Flexicrew scheme for our pilot requirements,
employing 92 pilots across seven bases for xed
periods of time, to meet our operational needs.
Following the consolidation of easyTech and GB
into the easyJet engineering and maintenance
function, our focus has been on integration and
building talent for our future growth. We have
recruited 28 people into the function this year
following the in-sourcing of several activities
previously undertaken by a third party supplier.
This exercise has enabled us to manage the safety,
oversight, availability and reliability of the ever
growing eet. This has been another positive step
forward in ensuring a world-class operation and a
fully integrated engineering and maintenance function.
Training
A wide variety of people joined easyJet through
the year. We have looked to continuously improve
our well-established and thorough induction
training programme for crew and are in the
process of refreshing our offering for those within
the Management and Administration (M&A)
population. This will ensure that all of our new
joiners understand the easyJet culture, what we
value, our strategic objectives and how they can
contribute to our success from day one. easyJet
wants people who are new to the organisation to
settle in as quickly and efciently as possible and
will continue to invest in the induction process for
everyone’s benet.
We continue to partner with leading schools such
as Craneld University and London City University
to ensure our managers get high quality support in
developing both their technical and management
skills. We continue to build and maintain good
relationships with well regarded research and
advisory organisations and many of our senior
managers continue to represent easyJet at
numerous external events hosted by these
leading organisations.
Retention
easyJet targets a sensible balance of retention
and attrition, beneting from our investment in
recruitment and training, combined with continual
injection of fresh thinking. Retention rates are
inuenced by rewards (including pay, benets
and career development opportunities) and
employee engagement.
We recognise that it is often benecial to the
business to identify and develop talent internally
together with recruiting externally. Four years
ago, we developed our talent identication and
succession planning process, which is now
embedded in our organisation. As a result, we are
more effective at identifying and retaining a pool
of talent internally on which we can draw as key
roles become vacant or new roles are created.
Consequently, whilst we have experienced higher
than normal turnover among senior managers
this year, we have been able to source some
replacements from within our talent pool whilst
4 Me
Award-winning
share plan
Over 80% of
employees participate in
our multi award winning
easyJet Shares 4 Me.
also taking the opportunity to refresh our talent
mix from outside. Overall unforced staff turnover
has improved by 5.1 percentage points to 6.9%
since 2008, although understandably, the tough
economic environment may have also signicantly
inuenced employees’ decision to stay at easyJet.
Turning Europe Orange
In line with our quest to “Turn Europe Orange”
we have made signicant progress in expanding
our employer presence across Europe. In 2009,
easyJet continued to grow its employee base in
Italy, Spain and France, strengthening our position
as a truly pan-European air transport network.
As at 30 September 2009, easyJet employed 6,666
people (2008: 6,107), based throughout Europe as
illustrated below:
United Kingdom 4,473
Switzerland 498
France 435
Spain 432
Italy 521
Germany 307
Tot al 6,666
Equality and diversity
easyJet is an equal opportunities employer.
We ensure that our employees and applicants
do not receive less favourable treatment on the
basis of their age, colour, creed, disability, full or
part time status, gender, marital status, nationality
or ethnic origin, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Applications from disabled employees are always
fully considered, bearing in mind the aptitudes
of the applicant concerned. In the event that
one of our people becomes disabled every effort
is made to ensure that their employment at
easyJet continues and training is arranged
where appropriate.
Reward
easyJet offers a competitive rewards package
and reviews salaries annually in line with market
rates to ensure continued alignment to the
market. The rewards package includes an annual
performance-driven bonus, based on personal
and Company performance, which encourages
all employees to contribute towards achieving our
strategic objectives. Employees are also eligible to
participate in a Group personal pension towards
which easyJet contributes, as well as having the
option to make their own contributions through
salary sacrice.
Share schemes
easyJet once again offered all employees the
opportunity to join its popular all-employee share
plan, easyJet Shares 4 Me. The plan has won ve
major awards to date, and involves three elements:
Save As You Earn (SAYE); Buy As You Earn (BAYE)
and Free Shares. Each scheme is Her Majesty’s
Revenue & Customs (HMRC) approved and
is open to all employees on the UK payroll.
For employees who are on non-UK payrolls,
international schemes have been established with
similar terms and conditions to the UK scheme,
albeit without the UK tax benets. Participation in
the scheme remains very strong, with over 80%
of eligible staff now taking part in one or more
of the plans.