Holiday Inn 2010 Annual Report Download - page 29

Business review 27
OVERVIEW BUSINESS REVIEW
THE BOARD,
SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND
THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
GROUP FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
PARENT COMPANY
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS USEFUL INFORMATION
External recognition
During the year, IHG won a number of prestigious awards in
recognition of its people management and HR practices.
In March 2010 IHG was named as one of the ‘Best 25 Big Companies’
to work for by the Sunday Times (UK). Each year the Sunday Times
celebrates the best companies in the UK to work for. The list is
created from the views of employees across eight indicators of
engagement and the policies and processes of employers. The
Sunday Times says that being one of the best companies goes
beyond the bottom line – it is about excelling in every area
throughout the workplace and a business’s commitment to
its employees.
Tracy Robbins, Executive Vice President, Human Resources &
Group Operations Support, received the HR Director of the year
award in December 2010 at the Personnel Today Awards in London.
This prestigious award recognised HR’s commercial approach and
its contribution to creating the coherent culture enjoyed at IHG. Tracy
was specifically recognised for her work around the Vision, Room to
be yourself, and our Winning Ways.
In October 2010 IHG was named the World’s ‘BEST’ Learning and
Development Organisation by the American Society for Training
and Development (ASTD). IHG was compared with 103 global
companies, including IBM and Deloitte. The award winners set
the standard for exceptional learning practices to create a skilled
workforce. Learning is used as a strategic tool and senior leaders
champion a learning culture.
IHG has remained one of Britain’s Most Admired leisure and
hospitality companies over the past four years. The awards are
a peer review of corporate reputation and are presented by
Management Today and the Birmingham City Business School.
A number of IHG people have also been recognised for achievements
and service excellence.
Ensuring health and safety
Providing and supporting a safe and secure environment for our
guests, employees and visitors is paramount and IHG applies
high standards of health and safety across the Group. Our Risk
Management team evaluates policies and procedures, operating
a range of health and safety and security measures and we require
all parties to comply with relevant health and safety legislation.
All of our Group companies are responsible for protecting the
health of our employees through suitable work-based strategies;
minimising the risk of injury from work activity; ensuring that
sufficient resources, information and systems are in place to
address health and safety; and involving employees in continuous
improvement, reporting and review of health and safety matters.
Further information on our approach towards safety and
security can be found on pages 31 to 36 of this Business
Review and in the online Corporate Responsibility Report at
www.ihgplc.com/responsibility
IHG’s compensation and benefits programmes are designed to be
competitive and to recognise and reward achievement. The benefits
offered to employees vary according to region. IHG contributes to
both mandatory and company-sponsored retirement plans to
ensure benefits are competitive within each local market. IHG’s
employee survey indicates that the majority of employees believe
they are fairly paid for the work they do.
The Group offers a range of benefits that are aimed at helping
employees to achieve a better work/life balance. Healthcare is
provided to some staff groups and, in our Americas region,
programmes are in place to help employees maintain a healthy
lifestyle and also reduce the cost of health insurance claims.
In some regions employee assistance programmes offer a
confidential counselling service to help employees deal with
financial and legal matters, relationship problems and stress.
IHG manages performance by helping people to align their objectives
to our core purpose. The Group also encourages managers to
acknowledge employee achievements or contributions as part of
our Winning Ways culture.
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
The selection of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express as the
Official Hotel Services Provider to the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games continues to provide a great opportunity to
engage and motivate our people to build our business and our
Holiday Inn brand. It also helps us to reinforce our commitment
to the community and our approach to corporate responsibility.
In 2010 we began an ‘employ an athlete’ programme. We have
employed six athletes who work in our hotels while continuing to
train for 2012. We have also seconded two employees to LOCOG
– the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
This number will increase to 120 by 2012.
Celebrating diversity
IHG benefits from the diversity of its employees, owners, business
partners and guests. The Group regards diversity as a fundamental
factor in its success in operating as a global organisation and this
principle is embedded in IHG’s Winning Ways.
The Group is committed to providing equality of opportunity to all
employees without discrimination and continues to be supportive
of the employment of disabled persons. Where existing employees
become disabled, it is the Group’s policy to provide continuing
employment wherever practical in the same or a suitable
alternative position.
We were proud to receive the 2010 Personnel Today award for
Innovation in Recruitment. The award was made in acknowledgement
of the work we do to connect recruitment with our responsible
business values. Since 2006 we have been in partnership with the
Learning and Skills Council and Her Majesty’s Prison Service to
help those who have completed their sentences, get back to work.
Each year about 32 people take part in hotel chef training as part of
the 14-week programme. 250 ex-offenders have now been trained,
with many going on to take jobs in the industry.