Employee forums
Keeping our people informed
Strong internal communications processes ensure that our employees are well informed about the Group’s objectives, including our corporate social responsibility agenda. We want our employees to believe in Alliance Boots and to be willing and able to talk openly and confidently about issues that affect and concern them.
Newsletters, internal announcements and intranet sites
Effective internal communication is about enabling our employees to do their jobs to the best of their ability and helping people work together towards the same organisational goals. To this end, Alliance Boots produces regular information updates across a range of channels to its teams, including newsletters, internal announcements and a number of intranet sites – at Group, Division and Business level.
‘Achieving our Vision’
In September 2008, we held a landmark convention in Paris for over 650 delegates from across the Group. This was an opportunity for attendees to meet and exchange ideas and experiences. External guests included representatives from the European Commission, executives from international pharmaceutical manufacturers and members of the European Pharmacists Forum. The theme of the event was ‘Achieving our Vision’ and its purpose was to convey the Group’s aims, as well as to share its strategic road map for the coming years. A further objective was to accelerate the creation of a new shared work culture.
Boots UK employee forums
As we continue to build Boots UK, the role of employee forums is increasingly important. Open communication helps everyone in our businesses to better understand what we can do to make a difference for our customers, people and business. The forum teams meet quarterly to discuss and explore ideas and views of employees, ranging from our shop-floor and supply employees to directors and scientists. Every individual has a local forum representative. After every meeting, it is agreed who will do what to action ideas. A number of the ideas raised in these forums have been posted on employee notice boards, helping everyone gain a greater understanding of the business.
European Works Councils
Our commitment to partnership and dialogue is reflected in the work of our European Works Councils. These form part of a Europe-wide initiative designed to promote the exchange of information and the development of dialogue between senior management and team members across the Group. The two councils, covering the Health & Beauty Division and the Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division, met in June and July 2008 respectively. Holding these council meetings on an annual basis helps us to maintain a high level of transparency and keeps employees up to date with relevant aspects of the Group.
