annual report 2009 - Aer Lingus

22 Corporate Social Responsibility Statement Aer Lingus Group Plc – Annual Report 2009Aer Lingus sponsors the Deep RiverRock Belfast CityMarathon 2009 – pictured, the Aer Lingus Marathon Team.Pictured at Dublin Airport: Aer Lingus customer service staff send Dustin the Turkeyon his way to South Africa on a week-long fact finding mission for UNICEF Ireland.externally. Aer Lingus operates a highlyeffective, low cost recruitment model,where over 95% of external recruitmentneeds are sourced through the Group’swebsite, www.aerlingus.com.Training and DevelopmentAer Lingus is committed to providinghigh-quality training to support the safeand efficient operation of the business withthe primary training focus on mandatoryrequirements, in particular air safety, aviationsecurity, health and safety and operationaltraining. In addition, there is a particularfocus on customer service training to ensurethat a consistent, satisfactory customerexperience is delivered. Aer Lingus operatesa dedicated learning centre and has a largerange of training programmes availablethrough e-learning. The majority of cabincrew and pilot training is designed anddelivered in-house through dedicatedfacilities on-site so as to ensure aconsistent standard and quality of training.Equality and DiversityAer Lingus is fully committed to being anequal opportunities employer regardlessof nationality or ethnic origin, race, gender,sexual orientation, marital status, disability,age and religious or political belief. TheGroup proactively pursues compliance withall relevant equality legislation. During 2009over 30 different nationalities worked acrossthe Group.Flexible WorkingAer Lingus recognises that changes inpersonal circumstances affect employees’lives and work. In order to recognise thediverse needs of employees, and to ensurefairness and consistency across the Group,Aer Lingus has a flexible working policy.The objective of this policy is to help staffachieve a healthier balance between theirworking lives and personal responsibilitywithout compromising business needs andto retain valued, experienced and trainedemployees. The policy includes flexibleworking and leave arrangements suchas flexitime, part-time work, job sharing,paternity leave, bereavement leave andcompassionate leave.Communication and Consultationwith EmployeesAs at 31 December 2009 approximately90% of Aer Lingus employees were membersof trade unions. Aer Lingus fully recognisesthe value and rights of employees undercurrent legislation with regard to workerparticipation. The Group has engagedextensively with worker representativesparticularly with regard to the implementationof its cost reduction programme ‘Greenfield’.In addition, Aer Lingus has variouscommunication channels in place to keepall employees up-to-date on key issues anddevelopments, including an intranet, noticeboards, webcasts, email, newsletters, roadshows and department briefings and specificwebsites for pilots and cabin crew.