People
Our employees are core to our business success. We invest in our people to enable them to reach their full potential, as well as providing a positive, non-discriminatory and safe working environment.
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Colleague engagement
and recognitionIt is important to us that our employees are fully engaged with the business strategy and objectives. We achieve this through a regular programme of briefings, huddles, employee conferences and updates via our enterprise social network, SSP Connections. Employees in the UK have the opportunity to recognise excellent performance from their colleagues using the Celebrate! online recognition tool.
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Learning
and DevelopmentWe continue to grow talent from within through a range of learning and development opportunities. We offer bespoke learning and development programmes, tailored to meet the needs of individuals, teams and the operating business. Some of our training programmes for Unit Managers and above are aligned to universities in the UK, giving our employees the opportunity to achieve an externally recognised qualification at the end of their training.
We also offer a range of apprenticeship qualifications, suitable for our frontline team members and those wishing to develop their careers into junior managerial roles. In the UK, eight different apprenticeships are offered, and last year, 223 colleagues commenced an apprenticeship and 150 completed their qualification. There are a further 303 colleagues currently in apprenticeship schemes. Apprenticeship schemes are also offered in other European SSP operations, including Germany and Norway.
Many country Human Resources teams have partnerships with local organisations to offer career opportunities to people from deprived communities. In Singapore, we work with the Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises and aim to provide permanent employment opportunities to 40 ex-prisoners each year to help them reintegrate into society. Our Singapore units also provide on the job training for students with disabilities. At Phoenix Airport, SSP partners with St. Joseph the Worker, a local charity which helps homeless people get back into the workforce.
Our UK business continues to work with the Launch Group to offer young and disadvantaged people a two week ‘into work’ programme. The programme was completed by 78 people this year, with 29 offered permanent employment, many of whom are now working towards their apprenticeship qualification.
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Equal opportunities
and diversityWe have a comprehensive Equality and Diversity Policy, which outlines our expectation that all our employees should be treated with respect and be able to work in an environment in which they can realise their potential, free of harassment and discrimination in any form. We provide training and guidance to all employees to ensure they understand and comply with this policy. In addition, we also seek to support minority groups within our business, for example, through SSP America’s partnership with www.diversityjobs.com, which has led to a measurable increase in the number of applicants from minority groups, particularly at management level.
Colleagues by gender
Male Female Board of Directors 86% (6) 14% (1) Senior Management 77% (91) 23% (23) All staff 43% (12,279) 57% (15,994) -
Disabled Persons
Applications for employment by disabled persons are always fully considered, bearing in mind the aptitudes of the applicant concerned. In the event of members of staff becoming disabled, every effort is made to ensure that their employment with the Group continues and that appropriate training is arranged. It is the policy of the Group that the training, career development and promotion of disabled persons should, as far as possible, be identical to that of other employees.
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Health and safety
and wellbeingWe are committed to maintaining high standards of health and safety for our colleagues and our customers at all times. All colleagues complete regular training on health and safety issues, and we monitor performance against key safety performance indicators, with annual reports reviewed by the UK Board.
We want to create a culture to support our colleagues to improve their personal health and wellbeing. We have Wellbeing Champions who lead this work and we run a number of wellbeing events for colleagues, including stress management, fitness and health programmes and other programmes developed with expert partners, such as Cancer Research UK. We also offer an colleague assistance programme, a cycle to work scheme in the UK, and free eye tests for colleagues who are VDU users for 8 hours or more.
