It is the people in the Thomas Cook Group who make the real difference – no other organisation can copy our people and it is our approach to people that provides the key differentiator. We employ 31,000 people across the 21 countries in which we operate.

The Group remains committed to recruiting the very best people and developing all of our employees to provide compelling career options for those who choose to join and stay with the business.

Our customers can therefore expect the highest standards of service from our people and our people in turn strive to exceed those expectations at every opportunity.

Development and training is a top priority in the Group and we support this activity with incentives that reinforce the approach of working well together for the benefit of our customers.

Values

The Group has long-standing ‘PROUD’ values that shape how our people approach their roles. The values are in everyday use within the Group.

For more information on our core values see What drives us - PROUD values.

We embed the PROUD values in our culture by rewarding behaviour which demonstrates the values through the PROUD awards. Employees may nominate colleagues who they believe have achieved something exceptional and made a difference to the business. For example, in the UK and Ireland, awards are given quarterly and winners enjoy a special lunch with the management team.

Employee satisfaction

We believe that engaged employees will outperform others and go the extra mile leading to satisfied and loyal customers. Each of the Thomas Cook business segments has completed an employee survey for a number of years. The response rate to the 2009 survey was 64%. Questions to determine the level of employee engagement were included in the 2009 survey for the first time. We were very pleased that the 2009 survey result for the engagement index was 3.74 compared to the benchmark of 3.67.

Employee engagement

Thomas Cook places a great deal of importance on internal communications to create universal understanding of the Group’s agenda. The Group Chief Executive Officer visits the business segments throughout the year and communicates on a monthly basis to update Group employees on the Company’s progress and performance.

Regular communications within the segments keep our people up-to-date on the latest business and market developments. In addition, our key markets also host annual conferences to review the previous year’s performance and set out the priorities for the coming year.

Succession planning

Succession planning for all the executive positions within the Group is in place with the Board playing the key role in succession planning for the Executive Directors. Our planning identifies internal talent with the potential to step up and also benchmarks against the external market, leading us to develop our people to be ‘best in class’ in whatever discipline they operate.

Development

Thomas Cook has created a fast-track development programme at Group level for high-potential employees from all of its businesses, as well as a small number of high-potentials hired into Thomas Cook from outside the sector. These individuals will receive business and leadership development to prepare them to be the Group’s senior managers of the future.

Reward

Our reward philosophy ensures our people are incentivised to deliver the financial results we aim for as well as being rewarded for the achievement of personal objectives. The Group also rewards individual performance which is in line with the PROUD values.

Long-term rewards linked to the growth in our share price remain an integral part of the reward package at every level within the Group, with all employee share plans being in place.

Employment policies

Thomas Cook Group is committed to treating everyone fairly and reasonably according to their individual merits and abilities measured against our justifiable business needs. Therefore, any form of unlawful discrimination directly or indirectly on the grounds of sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion or belief, or because someone is married or is a civil partner is not tolerated.

Thomas Cook Group also aims to reflect the diversity of the community in which it operates because it values the individual contribution of all employees and recognises its legal and social responsibilities.

Thomas Cook Group is committed to promoting equality and all employees have a duty to contribute towards ensuring that the PROUD values are upheld and that the culture and working environment are free from harassment and discriminatory treatment.