Caring for employees and the workplace environment
It is the Company’s long-term strategy in the area of human resources to be ‘a place which is a pleasure to work at’. A new ‘charter’ between the Company and its employees was agreed last year, which describes in detail what the Company plans to achieve in various areas and what should be the contribution of employees towards the goal. Some areas are already well underway, whereas others are scheduled for the next few years, as per the work plans.
| number of employees as at 31 December 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Employees – total | 6,494 |
| of which women | 36.98% |
| of which men | 63.02% |
| Employees with reduced work capacity or disability | 0.86% |
| Organisation unit | Employees (actual) as at 31 December 2011 |
|---|---|
| Wholesale Division | 179 |
| Corporate Division | 988 |
| Consumer Division | 1,849 |
| Operations Division | 2,270 |
| Corporate Affairs | 20 |
| Human Resources | 76 |
| Support Services | 295 |
| Finance Division | 324 |
| Legal Affairs and Regulation | 40 |
| Internal Audit and Risk Management | 14 |
| Marketing Division | 197 |
| Office of the Chief Executive Officer | 33 |
| DHL | 55 |
| Telefónica Business Solutions | 154 |
| Total | 6,494 |
Employee engagement
Reflect
The interest in and the motivation of employees to participate in the internal satisfaction survey remained at the very high level of 83%. The overall Reflect Index was up 3 percentage points – the first upwards trend since 2008. The outcome was regarded by the management as a success, especially as the year ushered in many changes. Also individual areas of the survey saw improvements in the rating. The ‘top management’ index jumped up 6 percentage points year on year. Indices for areas ‘my manager’, ‘my job and my development’ and ‘atmosphere’ were rated as the Company’s greatest strengths. Effectiveness of the executive team, credibility and availability are areas where there is still a room for improvement.
Getting closer to our customers
Also in 2011, the Company continued with its programme called ‘One Day with the Customer’, to give managers a direct experience of the customer, which should lead to a higher awareness of the needs of our customers. A total of 318 managers took part in the programme; each manager spent one day in a brand store, at a call centre or went on call together with a sales representative or engineer.
Improving internal cooperation
It is important to Telefónica CR for individual internal teams to engage in effective cooperation. Telefónica Team is a new tool for bolstering cooperation – a short structured questionnaire gives an opportunity to team leaders to improve their service to internal customers. After a successful pilot project completed in several divisions last year, the programme was rolled out within the Company in 2011.
Global Bravo Awards
As part of its global Bravo strategy, Telefónica introduced Bravo Awards, in which all employees can nominate themselves or their colleagues for activities that are helping Telefónica CR stay abreast of the telecommunications field.
Work-life balance programmes
Telefónica CR realises that giving the employees an option to work from home is a win-win situation for all involved – the employees, the Company and its customers. Any employee, whose job character allowed for this option, could talk to their manager about working from home. Employees working from home have a company mobile and internet connection to facilitate this style of working. The Company also allowed employees, conditional on the relevant manager’s consent, to work part-time. Parents of children of pre-school age could also use employee bonuses from the so-called cafeteria, which were redeemable against pre-school care.
A new online portal called Momma and Poppa went live early in 2011. It is intended for employees who are also parents, especially those who would be returning to the workplace in 6–8 months. The project also organised two two-day workshops designed to bring the participants up-to-date with the recent developments in the Company and to their work; work-life balance was also covered. The new portal and workshops were received with much enthusiasm by parent-employees.
In the second half of the year, Telefónica CR made a grant application to EU funds, for a new day care facility. The grant was approved, so in 2012 we will focus also on the planning and opening of the day care centre.
Education and personal development
Orientation training for new employees
As in the previous years, also in 2011 all new employees attended Welcome Day, a one-day seminar at which they learned a lot of useful information for getting to know and finding their way within the Company.
Basic management skills
The course Management of People helped newly appointed managers to orientate in their role of supervisor or line manager. It gave an insight into the work of a manager and an opportunity to improve existing management skills. The five-day course, spread over two months, was attended by 72 participants in 2011.
Leadership
Also in 2011, the long-term programme Leading to Excellence continued to build leadership skills of middle and higher managers. In 2011, a total of 84 managers attended the course, and 34 of them opted to continue with an additional module, Feedback – the Pathway to Success. Top executives had a choice of courses at Universitas Telefónica.
Motivation and remuneration
Employee shares plan
Also in 2011, employees could invest in the shares of Telefónica S.A. This option was chosen by more than 2,000 employees who could invest up to EUR 1,200 over a period of 12 consecutive months.
If the shares are held for a minimum of 12 more months starting from the end of the twelve-month acquisition period, the Company will match every share purchased with one share, subject to the rules of the scheme.
Employee benefits and incentive programmes
Telefónica CR offers a wide range of employee benefits. Employees can choose from financial products, products and services of the Company or various other benefits in the area of health, education and work-life balance. Employees with reduced work capacity also received a voucher for restorative physiotherapy holiday in the value of CZK 10,000 per year. In addition, various competitions were held throughout the year, for the employees to enter – e.g. to mark the launch of campaigns, with the aim to engage employees in the happenings within the Company.
Health Promoting Enterprise
The year 2011 saw already the 7th edition of Health Promoting Enterprise, a competition organised by the State Health Institute in Prague, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic. The ‘badge’ is given for a period of three years – Telefónica CR has been awarded three times already, now reaching Class III, which means 1st place among other entrants. All shortlisted companies have a documented track record of caring for their employees’ health, focussing on prevention and activities associated with healthy living.