“We aim to create an environment where our employees can have personal and professional growth in a supportive and motivating work environment. We believe that a healthy work/life balance contributes to the wellbeing of our employees and helps to sustain high levels of performance.”
In our 200 years of history, our people have always been integral to our business. Our success depends on our employees.
We aim to attract the most talented employees by providing an environment where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. We aim to recruit the best people, to offer competitive remuneration and benefits, to provide training which enables staff to realise their potential and to have a workforce reflecting the diversity of the communities in which we operate.
At the end of 2018, the Swire Pacific Group (including joint venture and associated companies) employed approximately 93,000 staff, a 0.8% increase from the end of 2017. Most of our staff are based in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
We offer competitive remuneration and benefits, including medical benefits, retirement schemes, bonuses, 14 weeks maternity leave and five days paternity leave. Remuneration decisions are based on roles and responsibilities, individual and business performance, and conditions in the job markets and economies in which we operate.
We do our best to ensure that employees receive regular, objective, fair and open assessments of their performance and are rewarded accordingly.
Swire Properties has a Performance Development Review (PDR) system designed to streamline assessment and ensure consistency. In 2018, it modified the PDR with a view to increasing employees’ engagement with its SD 2030 Strategy. From 2019, it will ask its office employees to align their annual performance goals with its SD 2030 Strategy.
The Group has introduced a flexible working policy. All of our Operating Companies are required to adopt this policy no later than the end of June 2019.
Employees can use our 24-hour counselling and consultation services. Our Employee Assistance Programme offers in-person counselling and a 24-hour support hotline. We regularly host talks and training sessions on mental and emotional wellness and the balance between work and non-work elements of life. More information can be found in the Health and Safety section of this report.
Cathay Pacific established a new function analysing the entire employee lifecycle across the organisation from arrival to retirement. This ensures the employee journey considers every experience such as talent acquisition, onboarding, benefits, rewards, community, engagements, use of digital touchpoints and retirement.
As per our Code of Conduct, we do not tolerate unlawful discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Employees must comply with applicable employment and other laws. We provide staff with training on their rights and obligations under Hong Kong anti-discrimination legislation. More information can be found in the Diversity & inclusion section of this report.
We communicate with our people through our intranet, social media, newsletters, surveys, informal gatherings and staff forums. By doing so, we tell people what is happening in the group.
Cathay Pacific does an annual online employee engagement survey to understand what employees think and areas of improvement. 46% of Cathay Pacific’s employees completed the 2018 survey. Shorter surveys are done every six months.
For the third consecutive year, Swire Properties was named one of the top three companies to work for in Hong Kong by the 2018 Randstad Employer Brand Awards. 75 local and international companies participated. The awards recognise the most attractive employers based on the votes and opinions of local workers.
In 2018, Cathay Pacific started to upgrade its HR platform (PeopleCX). It introduced learning and talent management technology and designed an employee portal (The Hub). New digital tools and applications are being introduced with a view to improving the employment experience, from arrival to retirement.
