Valuing employees

We recognise that our success depends critically on our staff. We aim to be an employer of choice by providing an environment in which all employees are treated fairly and with respect. We want talented individuals to want to work for us, and we offer competitive remuneration and benefits that are based on roles and responsibilities, individual and business performance, as well as conditions in the job markets and economies in which we operate. We monitor our staff turnover rate to identify and manage any issues that may arise. A 24-hour counselling and consultation service is also available for employees. (More information can be found in the Health and Safety section in the Sustainability Report.)

Recruitment, training and development

We aim to identify, attract, develop and retain a skilled and professional workforce in order to respond with agility to changes in the business environment and increased competition. To do this, we put a great deal of effort into recruiting and training the right people and helping them to realise their full potential and career goals. To enable us to develop the next generation of business leaders, training programmes and internship opportunities are provided for graduates and students. (More details on management trainee and internship programme can be found in careers.swire.com .)

We provide a full range of training and development programmes for employees, including on-the-job learning, mentoring and coaching, classroom and online tuition. Induction programmes are offered to new joiners, including familiarisation visits to the group’s businesses. Ethos International, Swire's in-house leadership development company, designs and delivers learning and development programmes for promising staff across the Swire group. These are supplemented by enrolling managers in business management and executive programmes at noted international institutions such as INSEAD. The Swire Leadership Centre, a dedicated residential training and development facility, is available to all operating companies within the group to host Swire staff development programmes. Ethos’ training programmes emphasise sustainability and contribute to the development of a strong corporate culture and a style of leadership that is consistent with Swire values across all levels of leadership.