Case study: How Swissport maintains and promotes, for its employees, a corporate culture and behaviour in which honesty, integrity and respect for the law are viewed as essential
Swissport is the world’s biggest Cargo Services provider, offering award-winning Cargo Handling at more than 109 airports worldwide and handling in excess of 4.1 million tonnes annually. As a service provider and therefore a people’s business, Swissport has a big responsibility towards its employees and is committed to fostering a corporate culture of honesty, integrity and respect for the law.
This case study is based on the 2015 Sustainability Report by Swissport published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate that CSR/ sustainability reporting done responsibly is achieved by identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment and stakeholders and by measuring, managing and changing.
As the world’s leading provider of ground and air cargo services to the aviation industry, operating in a challenging industry where customer demands are high, Swissport tries to promote a corporate culture of honesty, integrity and respect for the law Tweet This! for its more than 60,000 employees. After measuring and setting targets, Swissport took action to implement a Code of Conduct, fight corruption, provide equal opportunities for its employees, promote fair and equal pay, share information with Swissport employees, recognizing the legitimate role of responsible trade unions and employee representatives and, also, support employees through training and development programmes.
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Swissport has identified;
- How Swissport proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Swissport to foster a corporate culture of honesty, integrity and respect for the law for all its employees
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2015 Sustainability Report Swissport identified a number of material issues, such as economic and environmental sustainability, organizational structure, governance, service quality and customer satisfaction. Among these, building a corporate culture of honesty, integrity and respect for the law stands out as key for Swissport as a people-focused organisation striving to remain the leading global airport and aviation service provider in terms of quality, reliability, safety, innovation and network coverage.
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 Swissport engages with:
Stakeholder Group |
Customers Airlines |
Airports |
Airport authority (private and governmental) |
IATA and other international associations in the aviation industry |
Shareholders |
Management |
Staff |
Trade Unions and work councils |
Communities |
Suppliers |
Passengers |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
Swissport engages with a range of stakeholders on a regular basis. It is its declared goal to be a reliable, professional and recognized partner in the creation of values and results for all its stakeholders – internally and externally. Its key stakeholders are identified by analysing those groups that are intrinsically affected by, or could have an effect on, its operation. These include customer airlines, airports and airport authorities (private and governmental), IATA and other international associations in the aviation industry, shareholders, management, staff, trade unions and work councils, communities, suppliers and passengers.
Swissport’s Sustainability Report was created through the engagement and interest of its various stakeholders. In 2013, Swissport initiated its first Sustainability Report which addressed topics and concerns raised by its stakeholders – including employee and customer safety, service quality and customer satisfaction, human rights and labor principles, employee development, environmental protection and initiatives, equal opportunities, engagement in local communities – and the following years, through further engagement of internal and external stakeholders, Swissport’s awareness and engagement with sustainable practices has continuously increased.
What actions were taken by Swissport to foster a corporate culture of honesty, integrity and respect for the law for all its employees?
In its 2015 Sustainability Report Swissport set the following targets for creating a corporate culture of honesty, integrity and respect for the law for its employees, based on the company’s approach to materiality – on taking action on what matters, where it matters:
- Implementing a Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct and its supporting policies (Anti-Corruption guidelines and Competition Law guidelines) apply and form the guiding principles of employee behaviour. Since constant awareness is the best prevention of all, Swissport urges all its employees to report any violation of the Swissport Code of Conduct. Such reporting should primarily be addressed to the superior or the local HR manager. If the superior is part of the issue then the employee should directly address it to the Head of the business unit. As a last resort, if the employee fears retaliation and/or if he/she wants to report on a confidential basis, he/she has the possibility of contacting the Swissport Whistleblower e-mail hotline or the Swissport Whistleblower telephone hotline, where all communications will be treated in strict confidence and will not result in any disciplinary action against the person making them in a good faith and intention, even if the alleged violation proves unfounded in the subsequent internal investigation. In contrast, however, any violation of the Code of Conduct by the person making such communications and any intentionally falsified claim of such violation (such as malicious and improper accusations) will result in disciplinary action.
- Fighting corruption
Swissport’s Anti-Corruption guidelines summarize the relevant statutory provisions in Switzerland. Under Swiss law – like in most of the developed countries – corrupt practices are subject to criminal prosecution if they are carried out in Switzerland and also abroad. Therefore, when doing business abroad, all directors, officers and employees of the Swissport Group must comply with both the Swiss rules and any applicable local rules. Since the international Anti-Corruption treaties adopted over the last few years have provided for a certain harmonization of the national legal rules, the Swiss rules are in line with those of most of the developed countries. However, since there are slight differences from country to country, it is required to assess the applicable national rules with the support of a local lawyer in each particular case which raises anti-corruption issues.
- Providing equal opportunities
Swissport’s recruitment policy can be summarized in two words: Objectivity and Equality. Swissport cares for its employees as they are the most valuable contributors to success. Therefore, Swissport is committed to making an effort when recruiting new staff where human resources specialists and line management are involved. Swissport is looking for motivated, committed and dedicated employees who are skilled and bring the experience or willingness to learn and who are proud to work for it. Swissport wants to be and remain an “Employer of Choice”, so it adheres to all national laws relating to the recruitment of staff and to any of the more-stringent requirements of its own internal policies (e.g. equal opportunities, employee advancement, etc.). No job applicant will be discriminated against or treated less favorably based on gender, race, color or ethnic origin, marital status, religion or any other category protected by law. Any such discriminatory behaviour will constitute gross misconduct under the Code of Conduct. The company also recognises that, as an employer, it fully complies with all legislation that renders certain types of discrimination unlawful.
- Promoting fair and equal pay
Swissport is committed to having a fair and equal payment structure for both women and men and to “pay for performance”. In 2013, Swissport initiated a project, “Position Benchmark Analysis”, to benchmark internal positions and to ensure a coherent and consistent way to handle Compensation & Benefits for exempt employees. The project establishes internal fairness in positions globally, enhances simplicity and transparency, assists with global reward strategies, i.e., Executive Bonus Plan, provides data to assist with the identification of attendees for global strategic management meetings and supports succession planning and talent management, international assignments and mergers and acquisitions. Further to a competitive and fair base salary for all employees, some positions are also entitled for a variable component of their compensation. Rules and qualifications for such executive and local bonus schemes are clearly outlined and communicated and form a fair and market-consistent portion of the overall package. For the senior management and executives of Swissport who participate in the Executive Bonus Plan, there is a direct link between company performance and variable compensation. Additional fringe benefits such as subsidies for public transport and health programmes, discounted memberships and alike are available in various locations over the world.
- Committing to information sharing with employees
Swissport is fully committed to information sharing with employees and provides business news and performance updates to staff on a regular basis. It recognises the legitimate role of responsible trade unions and employee representatives. Swissport establishes appropriate mechanisms to enable the effective representation of staff. Swissport believes that good people-management practice generates a working environment where employees are committed and dedicated to giving their best. It also believes in the importance of listening to staff and using staff knowledge in solving business issues.
- Supporting employees through training and development programmes
Swissport is dedicated to supporting all employees in reaching their full potential through a wide variety of training and development techniques and continuous performance management. The Swissport training programme provides level-adequate training from base to top – for all operations staff, to supervisory and first-line management, as well as middle and senior managers. All staff levels are in scope for technical and developmental training, from technical training for operations and supervisory staff to the two management training programmes – Active Leadership (AL) and Advanced Active Leadership (AAL) – and the DASM (Development Assessment Swissport Management) project for all senior management positions at Swissport worldwide.
Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?
The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:
1) G4-52: Report the process for determining remuneration. Report whether remuneration consultants are involved in determining remuneration and whether they are independent of management. Report any other relationships which the remuneration consultants have with the organization. – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-36 Process for determining remuneration
2) G4-56: Describe the organization’s values, principles, standards and norms of behavior such as codes of conduct and codes of ethics – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-16 Values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior
3) G4-57: Report the internal and external mechanisms for seeking advice on ethical and lawful behavior, and matters related to organizational integrity, such as helplines or advice lines – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-17 Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics
4) G4-58: Report the internal and external mechanisms for reporting concerns about unethical or unlawful behavior, and matters related to organizational integrity, such as escalation through line management, whistleblowing mechanisms or hotlines – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-17 Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics
5) G4-LA1: Total number and rates of new employee hires and employee turnover by age group, gender and region – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 401-1 New employee hires and employee turnover
6) G4-LA4: Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes, including whether these are specified in collective agreements – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes
7) G4-LA9: Average hours of training per year per employee by gender, and by employee category – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee
8) G4-LA10: Programs for skills management and lifelong learning that support the continued employability of employees and assist them in managing career endings – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs
9) G4-LA11: Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews, by gender and by employee category – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews
10) G4-LA12: Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category according to gender, age group, minority group membership, and other indicators of diversity – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees
11) G4-LA13: Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men by employee category, by significant locations of operation – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 405-2 Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men
12) G4-SO4: Communication and training on anti-corruption policies and procedures – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 205-2 Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures
References:
1) This case study was compiled using published information by Swissport which is located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses but 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 following link:
http://www.swissport.com/fileadmin/downloads/publications/Sustainability_Report_2015.pdf (June 2015)
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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