Vodafone 2002 Annual Report Download - page 54

Vodafone Group Plc Annual Report & Accounts and Form 20-F Directors’ Report52
Directors’ Report continuedDirectors’ Report continued
Directors’ interests in the shares of the Company
The Board’s Report to Shareholders on Directors’ Remuneration on pages 57 to
68 details the directors’ interests in the shares of the Company.
Directors’ interests in contracts
None of the current directors had a material interest in any contract of
significance to which the Company or any of its subsidiary undertakings was a
party during the financial year.
Employee involvement
The Board’s aim is that employees understand the Company’s strategy and are
committed to the Vodafone Vision and Values. These were launched during 2001
and the Chief Executive, Sir Christopher Gent, and the Group Chief Operating
Officer, Julian Horn-Smith, visited operating companies around the globe to
articulate their personal passion for the Vision and Values and all they stand for.
Our vision is to be the world’s mobile communications leader – enriching
customers’ lives, helping individuals, businesses and communities be more
connected in a mobile world.
Our values are about the way we do things, describing the way Vodafone
employees behave within the business, and they are:
•Passion for customers. Our customers have chosen to trust us. In return,
we must strive to anticipate and understand their needs and delight them
with our service.
•Passion for our people. Outstanding people working together make
Vodafone exceptionally successful.
•Passion for results. We are action-oriented and driven by a desire to
be the best.
•Passion for the world around us. We will help the people of the world to
have fuller lives – both through the services we provide and through the
impact we have on the world around us.
The Company is determined that the Vision and Values will flourish across every
operating company, challenging everyone to understand them, own them and
contribute to their delivery.
The Board places a high priority on effective employee communications to
promote these and other important messages and a wide range of mechanisms
is used to achieve this. These include management presentations, in house
publications, team briefings, e-mail, intranet sites, employee focus groups and
conferences. The effectiveness of our communications policies is measured via
regular employee surveys.
The Company has an International Employee Communications Forum at which
employee representatives from subsidiary companies in Europe are able to
discuss the progress of the Group and employee matters affecting more than
one country.
Employee education, training and development
Learning and development continue to be important elements in ensuring the
future success of the Group. Policies to assist employees in reaching their full
potential and a wide variety of learning opportunities are in place.
Programmes of business-related further education and management
development are sponsored by the Group. Other programmes are provided to
help employees meet the training requirements of their chosen professional
institution, thereby continuing to raise the level of professionalism in the Group.
Employment policies
The Group’s employment policies are developed to reflect local legal, cultural
and employment requirements, maintaining high standards wherever the Group
operates, with the aim of ensuring that Vodafone is recognised as an employer
of choice. Employees at all levels and in all companies are encouraged to make
the greatest possible contribution to the Group’s success. Operating in different
countries across five continents, it is inevitable that Group employees work
within different frameworks of national employment legislation. Nevertheless,
the Group is committed to protect and uphold basic human rights by treating all
employees with respect. Part of that commitment is the Group’s support of the
UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour
Organisations Core Conventions.
Equal opportunities
The Group operates an equal opportunities policy for all aspects of employment
regardless of race, nationality, sex, marital status, disability or religious or political
belief. In practice this means that the Group will select the best people available
for positions on the basis of merit and capability, making the most effective use
of the talents and experience of people in the business, providing them with the
opportunity to develop and realise their potential.
The disabled
The directors are conscious of the special difficulties experienced by the
disabled. In addition to giving disabled people full and fair consideration for all
vacancies for which they offer themselves as suitable candidates, efforts are
made to meet their special needs, particularly in relation to access and mobility.
Where possible, modifications to workplaces have been made to provide access
and, therefore, job opportunities for the disabled. Every effort is made to continue
the employment of people who become disabled, not only by the provision of
additional facilities but also training where appropriate.
Health, safety and welfare
The directors are committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of
employees at work, so far as is reasonably practicable and apply high standards
throughout the organisation in the management and control of operations.
These standards are designed to ensure that, in all activities, the Group properly
safeguards those who work for it and those who may be affected by the Group’s
business. Each operating company is required to report annually to the Board on
health and safety performance.
The Group is committed to taking care of the health, safety and well-being of its
employees and others who may be affected by our operations. To ensure that
this remains high on its corporate agenda, the Group has recently appointed a
Director of Health and Safety.