Sustainability report 2009
Employee well-being and absence
We value our employees and their continuing contribution to making our business successful. As they invest their energies in Balfour Beatty’s activities, our duty of care is to ensure a meaningful work-life balance such that they can lead healthy and fulfilling lives both in and beyond the workplace.
Why it matters to us
Higher levels of physical fitness and well-being are associated with fewer accidents, improved mental acuity and a more productive “can-do” attitude to work.
We have people policy statements which support our employees’ well-being within our Code of Conduct which cover the following:
- Developing our people
- Equal opportunity and diversity
- Harassment, bullying and discrimination
- Human rights
Our approach
Those feeling valued by their employer are more likely to contribute to our success and care about the health, safety and well-being of their work colleagues. This year has seen a further reduction in absence levels due to ill-health from 2.3% to 2.1%.
Employee expectations vary across the world, so we organise local programmes to ensure that all needs are met effectively. Some examples are:
- Our plant and fleet business in the UK have an active well-being programme. They hold a “HATS OFF!” (Healthy, Active, Trim, Supported, Over the Moon, Fit and Fun) club once a week providing dietary information and advice, a walking group and external speakers to provide professional advice to employees.
- Our construction business in the US is also continuously seeking new and better ways to help employees balance their work and personal lives. Acknowledging there is not a “one-size-fits-all” answer, they have established work/life balance committees in each division to explore solutions. These committees provide fresh fruit in break rooms and periodically offer nutritious breakfasts free of charge to employees to promote healthier diets. Other promotions include providing free hand sanitizer to each employee, offering free chair massages, and sponsoring the quarterly “Biggest Losers” competition, in which teams are rewarded for weight loss. The annual “Bring Your Kids to Work Day” enables parents to help their children better understand and feel proud of “what they do all day.”
- Many of our employees have completed active fundraising challenges in 2009, including for the Group’s charitable trust Building Better Futures. Sixty-six employees participated in The Prince’s Trust’s Palace to Palace event – a 45-mile bike ride. A further 50 runners completed the Windsor Half Marathon, and 41 outdoor enthusiasts raced across the Lake District.
For employees normally based on Balfour Beatty work sites, we provide pre-employment health screening and monitor them on a regular basis throughout their time with us. Where any evidence of health problems arises, we work with the affected person to ensure that nothing in their work activities causes further deterioration or risks doing further damage. In many cases, a simple job rotation or transfer onto alternative duties can solve a potential problem.
Our businesses now focus on a holistic approach to employee well-being, both within and beyond work. However, where workplace stress is reported or suspected, we will always act to assist those affected. In 2009 this meant that stress recognition programmes were delivered to 272 employees in the UK globally (748 in 2008).
We take a “no-blame” approach to safety near misses in the workplace and actively require recording of such events via our Tr@ction system. Where our employees feel they can report health and safety incidents with no recriminations, we believe they will continue to trust Balfour Beatty to look after them. We also believe that by investigating and trending this data, we can make our workplaces safer, healthier and more conducive to the quality work we seek from our employees.
Employee Absence
Senior executives and our Business Practices Committee are updated on employee absence numbers from across the Group. In 2009, total employee absence rate was 2.12% (2.3% in 2008). PwC Saratoga research gives an average percentage of 4.3% sickness absence in engineering/manufacturing businesses in Europe and 4.2% for all industries/businesses in Europe.
What’s next?
During 2010, our Group Safety Health and Environment team is promoting the Global Corporate Challenge® (GCC) http://www.gettheworldmoving.com across all of our businesses worldwide, fostering a spirit of intra- and inter-company competition and helping our employees to improve their physical fitness in the process. The GCC has clinically proven results and the endorsement of some of the largest organisations in the world. In 2009 60,000 participants from nearly 1,000 workplaces in 55 countries achieved lasting health benefits.
Take up of this challenge by our employees, and also our contractors, has been positive with over 1,500 people signed up (March 2010).
Through our 2012 expectations in the sustainability roadmap, we will continue to promote healthy lifestyles across our businesses.