Case study: How MIAL promotes employee engagement
MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Limited) manages and operates one of the world’s busiest airports, with a total passenger count of 45.15 million and 48.50 million during FY 2017 and FY 2018, respectively. Engaging its employees is one of MIAL’s key priorities Tweet This!, as it enables MIAL to deliver superior performance and gain competitive advantage.
This case study is based on the 2018 Sustainability Report by MIAL published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
MIAL engages and develops its human capital by creating a culture that encourages open and honest communication, supports career development and brings out the best in its people. In order to promote employee engagement MIAL took action to:
- provide feedback to employees on their performance
- create an Employee Recreation Association
- publish a newsletter
Subscribe for free and read the rest of this case study
Please subscribe to the SustainCase Newsletter to keep up to date with the latest sustainability news and gain access to over 2000 case studies. These case studies demonstrate how companies are dealing responsibly with their most important impacts, building trust with their stakeholders (Identify > Measure > Manage > Change).
With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) MIAL has identified;
- How MIAL proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by MIAL to promote employee engagement
Already Subscribed? Type your email below and click submit
What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2018 Sustainability Report MIAL identified a range of material issues, such as airport safety and security, energy, sustained growth and business sustainability, customer delight. Among these, promoting employee engagement stands out as a key material issue for MIAL.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups MIAL engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Employees
| · Monthly review meetings · Appraisals · Outbound trainings · Community functions · Awareness programmes · Departmental meetings |
| Passengers
| · Information desks · Telecom · Customer care through the app · Cultural events · Surveys |
| Cargo & Logistics
| · Events · Trade meetings · Internal communication · Coordination meetings |
| Vendors, suppliers and contractors
| · Emails · Meetings · Workshops · Events |
| Ground Handlers
| · Emails · Meetings · Annual evaluations · Ramp safety meetings |
| Commercial Concessionaires
| · Meetings · Events · Audits |
| Airlines
| · Monthly meetings · Audits · Emails · Security training and Awareness workshops · Ramp safety meetings |
| Fuel Companies | · Ramp safety meetings |
| Airport Authority of India | · Security committee Meetings |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics MIAL collected inputs from all its stakeholders through capacity building workshops, focused discussion and responses to questionnaires.
What actions were taken by MIAL to promote employee engagement?
In its 2018 Sustainability Report MIAL reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee engagement:
- Providing feedback to employees on their performance
- MIAL is committed towards providing feedback to all its employees on their performance. Every eligible employee undergoes a performance review and sets targets for the coming year. MIAL also carries out talent assessment for senior management to evaluate their ability to perform and make a perpetual impact in their leadership role. In cases, where no formal process for performance management exists, MIAL follows local protocols to connect employee skills and competencies to business performance. The defined benefit plans include, contribution to provident fund, employees’ state insurance and gratuity. The amount of defined benefits at the end of FY 2016-17 and at the end of FY 2017-18 was about INR 149 million and INR 150 million, respectively.
- Creating an Employee Recreation Association
- For a meaningful employee engagement, MIAL has formed MIAL Employee Recreation Association (MERA). As part of the MERA, MIAL has constituted two specialised engagement committees, JOSH and UMANG. JOSH focuses on sports related activities, while UMANG focuses on cultural events. These committees have helped to enhance the employee experience while working with MIAL. During the reporting period, these committees facilitated several successful sports and cultural events. Some examples include football, carom, table tennis, Diwali celebrations, Navratri celebrations, and International Women’s Day celebration.
- Publishing a newsletter
- GVKonnect and GVK World are monthly and quarterly e-newsletters published by MIAL which are available to all employees. They are common across the entire GVK Group and are used as a platform for sharing experiences, information, achievements and other information with all MIAL The newsletters also keep employees updated of the situations around them and provide the management with an accessible avenue to express their appreciation for the efforts of employees.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
1) Disclosure 201-3 Defined benefit plan obligations and other retirement plans
Disclosure 201-3 Defined benefit plan obligations and other retirement plans does not correspond to any SDG.
Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Earnings, wages and benefits
Disclosure 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Business theme: Gender equality
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Employee training and education
78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards
SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.
Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.
7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started
Any size business can start taking sustainability action
GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom (venue: London School of Economics)
- Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
- Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
- Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP.
- Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement
References:
1) This case study is based on published information by MIAL, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
Note to MIAL: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.