Our people
Culture
We have established a performance culture where staff feel valued and want to come to work and perform for the good of the business. An integral part of achieving this culture is the annual appraisal and development discussion between each member of staff and his/her line manager. We are working towards an industrial relations climate that is positive, with employment policies which respect human rights and equal opportunities as well as facilitating training to develop staff and enhance competence. We are committed to the principles of fairness and dignity at work. Applications for employment by disabled persons are always fully considered, bearing in mind the aptitudes of the applicants concerned. In the event of a member of staff becoming disabled, every effort is made to ensure that their employment continues and that appropriate training is arranged. It is our policy that the training, career development and promotion of disabled persons should, as far as possible, be identical to that of other employees.The Group is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and ensures that country of origin, colour, gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, age or disability are not barriers to working at Drax.
We are mindful of our responsibilities in all areas of employment legislation and, just as important, the application of good practice, which during 2006 captured the changes to age discrimination and pensions laws.
Recruitment
Our apprenticeship programme was re-introduced in September 2003 amidst a growing realisation of a potential future shortfall in skilled workers, particularly in the more traditional craft disciplines. With the long-term future of the business in mind, we decided to take steps to secure the right level of resource and the programme now forms a major component of our policy of investing in our staff and our future.In 2006, six new apprentices joined us, giving a total of 26 in our programme. The year also saw those from the 2003 intake enter into their final year, well on the way to completing their Advanced Modern Apprenticeship in Power Station Operations and Engineering Maintenance.
During the year we continued to address the specialist skills gap, which had built up during previous ownership, together with equipping the business with sufficient corporate skills to support a public listed company. In addition, in line with our commitment to developing the business, we have commenced a recruitment drive for specialists in certain areas.
Internal communications
We use a wide variety of communication methods in order to keep people as informed as possible and avoid confusion, conflict and misinterpretation of messages. For example, team briefings are held once a month where wide-ranging information is communicated throughout the organisation. In addition, plant-wide meetings and specific departmental meetings are held on a regular basis. We also fully utilise the e-mail system to which all employees are subscribed.There is a written “Whistleblowing” policy under which employees are encouraged to draw the Company’s attention to breaches of law, breaches of policies or procedures or other forms of malpractice and are assured of confidentiality.