Talent management
At Swire, we aim to provide rewarding and fulfilling careers where our people can reach their full potential. We provide competitive remuneration and benefits designed to attract, motivate and retain talent at all levels. We recognise the importance of personal and professional growth and invest in the development and wellbeing of our people.
We offer competitive remuneration and employee benefits, including medical benefits, retirement schemes, and bonuses. The Group provides recreational facilities such as holiday homes and leisure boats.
Our new parental leave policy came into effect in 2021. It provides 14 weeks’ leave for the primary caregiver and four weeks’ leave for the secondary caregiver.
Remuneration decisions are based on roles and responsibilities, individual and business performance, and conditions in the employment markets and economies in which we operate. We try to recruit locally, searching locally before searching internationally. Normally, vacancies are open first to our own people, then locally and finally internationally.
In 2021, our new hire rate was 24% and the average staff tenure was 7.9 years. Staff turnover is monitored with a view to identifying and managing problems as they arise, and to retaining talent. The voluntary turnover rate for permanent staff was 20% in 2021, up from 12.5% in 2020.
New hire rate by region
(%)
New hire rate by region
(%)
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong & Macau | 15 | 31 |
| Chinese Mainland | 13 | 17 |
| Taiwan | 13 | 17 |
| USA | 20 | 44 |
| Others | 6 | 3 |
New hire rate by gender
(%)
New hire rate by gender
(%)
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 23 | 10 |
| Female | 28 | 11 |
Voluntary permanent employee turnover rate by region
(%)
Voluntary permanent employee turnover rate by region
(%)
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong & Macau | 11 | 26 |
| Chinese Mainland | 12 | 13 |
| Taiwan | 8 | 11 |
| USA | 26 | 38 |
| Others | 5 | 10 |
Voluntary permanent employee turnover rate by gender
(%)
Voluntary permanent employee turnover rate by gender
(%)
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 13 | 19 |
| Female | 12 | 21 |
Our goal is to enable our employees to flourish, encouraging them to take pride in our culture and to give them an experience which inspires them to do their best for our businesses.
- Induction sessions for new staff cover our organisational structure, history, principal operations, code of conduct, sustainable development (including SwireTHRIVE), intranet and staff association
- We do our best to ensure that employees receive regular, objective, fair and open assessments of their performance and are rewarded accordingly. Depending on the operating company and job duties of the individual, between 63-100% of employees at Swire Pacific (head office), Swire Properties, Swire Coca-Cola Limited, HAECO and our Trading & Industrial Division receive individual performance reviews.
- Employees who have received notice of termination of their employment can access professional counselling through our personal assistance and outplacement service for six months after termination. The service is designed to help them search for new jobs and to adjust to their change of circumstances
We believe in open and timely communication with our employees on matters affecting them. We communicate with our people through our intranet, social media, newsletters, surveys, informal gatherings and staff forums. By doing so, we tell people what is happening in the Group. We do our best to build constructive and productive relations with employee representatives. In 2021, Swire Properties, Swire Coca-Cola, HAECO group, Swire Resources, Taikoo Motors, Qinyuan Bakery and Taikoo Sugar conducted dedicated employee engagement surveys. Engagement levels were mostly above 75%.
In 2021, Swire Pacific organised a total of 10 Leadership Forums and Town Halls connecting our employees with internal and external leaders.
The Swire Hong Kong Staff Association organises and sponsors sports and recreational activities, classes for interest groups and community services for our employees. Subsidiaries also organise their own employee wellness and engagement activities (see People and Communities sections).
Swire Properties – Actions to enhance employee engagement
Swire Properties has set a 2025 KPI of achieving an employee engagement rating of 90% or higher.
Following its 2020 People Engagement Survey, which engaged over 4,000 employees across Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, Swire Properties has committed to more than 100 follow-up actions in the areas of innovation and enhancing work processes, staff recognition and development, promoting greater team collaboration and wellbeing in the workplace.
In 2021, it formed a working group comprising employees of various levels, which meets twice a year to discuss improvement strategies and develop action plans with department heads. Focus groups were held in Hong Kong with a range of colleagues, from frontline staff to managers, seeking feedback on how to empower its people.
HAECO Hong Kong’s GoHAECO app facilitates sharing, entertainment, learning and rewards. Over 2,000 employees have used the app. Swire Pacific (head office), Taikoo Motors and Swire Pacific Offshore regularly feature staff stories in internal newsletters.
We develop our people by on-the-job learning, mentoring, coaching, classroom training and online learning. In 2021, the average number of hours of training per employee was 34.7 hours, a 13% increase from the previous year. Overall, 98% of male staff and 96% of female staff received training in 2021. On average, we spent over HK$1,700 per employee, compared with around HK$1,900 in 2020. This does not include informal and on-the-job learning, where much of our employee training happens.
Operating companies have their own apprenticeship, traineeship and internship programmes.
Please see the sustainable development reports of our operating companies for more information.
Our in-house leadership development company, Ethos International, designs and delivers learning and development programmes for our management staff. Managers with high potential attend business management and executive programmes at INSEAD and Stanford University. Ethos International’s training programmes emphasise sustainability and aim to develop a strong corporate culture and leadership style that is consistent with our values.
Every year, we recruit high-calibre individuals with a view to developing them into future leaders within the Group. Through three structured programmes, which focus on management, finance and human resources, we provide them with coaching, mentoring and various development initiatives. Sustainable development and the business opportunities it creates is covered in their training.