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As a Group we seek to operate responsibly and ethically in all areas of our business. We have a strong ethical belief in the way business should be conducted, how employees should be treated and have integrated social, environmental and ethical policies into the way we do business and the interaction we have with our stakeholders including our shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and local communities.
The Chief Executive has Board responsibilities for matters relating to the Group's culture and ethical policies, environmental matters and customer and employee issues. These matters are reviewed by the Board as part of its management of risk, on the basis that as the Group grows, maintenance of its core values is vital.
We seek to be honest and fair in our relationships with both customers and suppliers. We offer the highest level of support and continue to enhance our product offering to ensure our customers effective use of software thus minimising waste and improving efficiency. We have a policy not to offer, pay or accept bribes or to accept substantial favours. We encourage our suppliers and customers to adopt the same principles to which we ourselves aspire.
In addition to sponsoring a variety of industry trade shows, AVEVA hosted a number of customer focused events during the year, including the Marine User Meeting in Kobe, Japan, and the International Symposium for Engineering Information Technology (ISEIT), held this year in Paris and Austin, Texas. As in previous years, the purpose of these events was to build relationships with the customer base, obtain feedback on the product offering, and to promote best practice in the use of our software.
The Group is committed to its customers, and has dedicated support staff within its Group Solutions Centre to handle all support calls and capture customer feedback.
AVEVA has relatively few preferred suppliers, and evaluates potential suppliers based on several factors including vendor policies, reputation and contractual terms and conditions.
The Group now has 843 employees of whom over 500 are based overseas. As a result of our high rate of growth, we have seen an increase in the numbers we employ.
We are dependent on the drive and goodwill of our employees, they are our most important asset and key to our continuing success and as a result, the extent to which we have sufficient staff of the right calibre available to fill our critical roles is reviewed periodically by the Board as part of the risk management process. We recognise that we must excel in the management of people, helping them develop their careers within the Group whilst maintaining a high level of morale. During the year we have strengthened our Human Resources team with the addition of a career development and training professional to oversee the Group's training and development activities. Although staff turnover has remained low in the last twelve months, this is a continual changing process and as such:
We also have a Joint Consultative Committee, a forum made up of employee representatives in the UK who meet frequently to discuss any staff issues and concerns. It comprises employee members from all departments, coordinated by the Human Resources department.
The Group's employment policies are continuously under review and are aimed at meeting or exceeding the legislative requirements in the countries in which the Group operates and wherever possible promote a considerate and flexible approach to work life balance. As part of this the Group continues to review and improve communication with employees and has conducted surveys and held forums with employees to gain their views on key issues.
As part of the development and retention of staff, the Group offers flexible benefits for all UK employees, which provide a competitive and varied approach to benefits to suit individual lifestyle needs. In addition an Employee Assistance Programme is in place as the Group recognises that employees need support from time to time to handle work and non-work related issues.
AVEVA will continue to review its benefits programme throughout the Group to ensure valued and cost effective benefits are offered to all employees remain competitive and reward existing employees.
With so many new employees joining the Group during the year the Directors felt it important to ensure the induction process was comprehensive and professional to ensure new employees feel welcome and can become effective as soon as possible.
During the year the Group has successfully run six central induction courses bringing new employees together from throughout the business to welcome them to the Group and provide informative and useful training.
Managing employees in a growing organisation with such diverse cultures brings with it a number of challenges. AVEVA has developed a training programme to provide support and a learning framework for the management team. The management development course has been extended to include different levels of management and is led by our internal training and development manager.
As part of the overall strategy to attract and grow talent, AVEVA now offers a comprehensive and attractive graduate programme in the UK. This offers accelerated learning in both technical and personal development and is now being considered to be extended in other areas of the Group to ensure an ongoing pipeline of talent and skill.
Developing skills is important to individuals and to AVEVA - developing people helps move the Group forward and helps maintain the respect and reputation of our staff with our customers.
The appraisal process therefore:
Corporate social responsibility report (continued)
As a Group we seek to operate responsibly and ethically in all areas of the business. We have a strong ethical belief in the way business should be conducted and how employees should be treated.
Building on our reputation
