Employee representation

Employee involvement and communication

We are committed to developing a culture of open communications between all levels of management and employees across all areas of the business.

We believe that by informing and consulting with employees our policy development, operational changes and other decision-making can be improved and employees will gain a better understanding of the Group’s objectives.

Our aim is for employees to be engaged in the business and want to succeed because they feel part of the organisation and connected to its vision, values and goals. We want our employees to feel fully involved and enthusiastic about their work and the business and feel that they are valued and listened to.

In order to achieve this we have put in place various initiatives across the Group:

People survey

A bi-annual employee opinion survey - All employees are invited to participate in the survey and give their views on the business, their manager and the team they work in. This gives the business a barometer of employee opinion and allows it to see clearly if there are any issues that need to be improved on. Through this process employees are able to make suggestions on what they would like to see put in place or done differently.

Regular local communication

Regular communication is held locally at sites through, for example, team briefings and weekly updates, to ensure that employees feel that they are listened to and importantly, that they know what is going on in their area, at their site and the business overall.

Site Employee Forums (SEFs)

Site Employee Forums (SEFs) - Every business/site is responsible for having in place an elected employee body to represent employees on their site. The aim of the SEF is to:

• Increase communication between employees and management
• Provide consultation between employees and management
• Provide employees with representation

SEF representatives play a key role in ensuring that all employees feel part of our business and feel fully involved and informed. SEF meetings will discuss topics such as Group and business performance, future plans, HR policies, training, and social events.

Group European Forum (GEF)

One SEF rep from each business is elected to be part of the GEF. The GEF provides Bakkavör with an important interface for engaging and communicating with employees on a pan-European level and it gives our employees a unique opportunity to engage with management in relation to a range of key issues affecting the Group on a pan-European level.

Over the years, feedback from GEF reps has helped management to successfully shape key Group-wide initiatives and policies. The GEF Conference is held annually and all businesses are represented, topics for discussion at the GEF include:

• overall structure and policy (including policies relating to health & safety, waste, environment, introduction to new business)
• annual report and accounts
• business performance
• European working environment
• future European growth