Wellbeing

TO FOCUS ON WELL-BEING AND INVOLVEMENT

Despite the increased job rotation due to COVID-19 and the current difficulty in filling vacancies, the number of employees has remained more or less stable over the past three years, as has the diversity of our workforce (male/female ratio, nationalities, average age). DP World invested in a number of welfare initiatives to keep people on board as much as possible. DP World is also making great efforts to increase the proportion of female employees.

A state-of-the-art office building

In the third quarter of 2021, most departments will move to a brand-new operations building. The state-of-the-art facility offers more space and comfort in line with today’s standards. For example, the dock workers have a larger canteen and spacious changing rooms with adequate sanitary facilities. Office workers also have more space, with open yet partitioned offices and a pleasant dining area. The entire building has been attractively and comfortably furnished and equipped with new furniture, including an ergonomic sit–stand desk for each employee.

“We can tell that DP World is very proud of its new building. There was a conscious investment in good building materials. The interior and the structure reinforce each other. An office is increasingly becoming a place where we can meet and be together. It’s no longer a place where you come to get your hours done – it’s a place where you enjoy working and where the experience is what counts."

Liesbeth Swinnen, interior designer, and Lieve Dils, sales manager at interior supplier BULO

My World Survey gauges engagement and satisfaction

At the end of 2020, another biennial My World Survey was conducted among our employees. With 235 respondents, we achieved a response rate of 87%. A few of the findings:

• 54% of respondents are generally satisfied with DP World as an employer and 9% are generally dissatisfied. The remaining 37% expressed a neutral opinion.
• The statement on which we scored highest was: “I understand how my work contributes to the business objectives of my Business Unit”.
• The statement on which we scored lowest was “I feel that management supports equal opportunity for all employees”. This result has already translated into an important focal point for the coming years: “Inclusion & Equality”.

The results were incorporated into an action plan, with the roll-out planned for 2022.

GETTING TO WORK SUSTAINABLY

Greening our fleet

Although the car policy does not yet include any requirement to choose a green car, we are already seeing a slow transition to a green company car fleet. For example, 1/5 of our company car fleet is already electric:

• The number of plug-in hybrid cars rose from 4 to 14 in three years.
• In 2020, the first 100% electric car was introduced.
• In 2021 we have a total of 3 100% electric cars.

For charging electric cars and plug-in hybrids, 11 charging stations were installed, providing 22 charging points spread across the different locations and entrances. Since the beginning of 2022, these charging stations have also been open to the public, i.e. no longer for the exclusive use of employees with company cars.

Bike leasing scheme

In the second half of 2018, DP World in Antwerp started its bike leasing scheme, allowing permanent employees to lease a bicycle at a reduced rate. The target was to get 120 permanent employees to cycle to and from work at least once a week by 2020.

By the end of 2019, 135 employees had switched to bicycles and the target was achieved. But the upward trend continued, ending with 210 bicycles ordered through the bike scheme in 2021! This benefits not only the health of our employees but also the environment and mobility around Antwerp. In September 2020, we conducted a bicycle survey among employees participating in the bike leasing scheme to gauge the profile of the cycling

employees, their motivation, satisfaction with lease terms, facilities, safety behaviour. A number of suggested improvements, such as larger and more secure bicycle parking facilities, have already been implemented.

“Two or three times a week, I cycle about 25 km to work on a leased speed bike. Although the bicycle parking facility could be a bit bigger, the bike scheme is by far the best thing DP World has ever done for the staff.”

A technician in the September 2020 bicycle survey

COVID-19

Owing to COVID-19, many employees suddenly had to work (partly) from home from March 2020, in some cases for the first time. The way we work together with colleagues and contact in the workplace had to be completely changed. There were not many opportunities to relax and a large number of children had to be cared for at home. Each employee had to find a new way of working. DP World tried to support employees as much as possible by:

• holding virtual “Stay Connected” sessions and team meetings where work was not on the agenda
• providing additional screens and laptops for home workers
• providing a COVID-19 allowance for home workers
• posting “Coronakronieken” (“coronavirus chronicles”), interviews with homeworkers, on the intranet to allow employees to stay connected
• Introducing a meeting policy with practical guidelines for online meetings, for example
• organising a digital workshop on improving work–life balance

"Working from home was completely new to me so it took some getting used to, but IT provided great support and remote assistance to ensure I had all the programs I needed. And now things are going pretty smoothly! Although I miss the social contact, I’m easily saving 3 hours a day on the commute from Lier.”

Dirk Jacquemijn, shunting/transport planner EDS, in the “Coronakronieken” at the start of lockdown in March 2020

All the necessary provisions were made for the dock workers, such as hand gel and face masks. In addition, the canteen, lunch times, and transportation to and from the quay were organized to allow as much social distancing as possible.

Plenty of hand gel and face masks were provided for the truck drivers, as well as separation between the self-service kiosks. In addition, a COVID officer ensured staggered entry of drivers into the trucker hall, correct wearing of face masks, and appropriate social distancing.