Our stakeholders continued
Overview
Business review Governance
Financials
Investors
Ahold Delhaize Annual Report 2016
Associates
Associates in our local brands bring our
strategy to life every day for our customers.
Managers engage with associates informally
throughout the workday but also through
more formal touch points, such as a regular
performance review process; management
meetings; internal communications; awards,
incentives and recognitions; knowledge-sharing
sessions; training courses; and an annual
associate engagement survey conducted
in each of our brands. Because Ahold and
Delhaize Group were still two separate
companies for the first half of 2016, two
separate engagement surveys were
administered, each with its own specific
methodology. We saw strong participation
from associates in both surveys, with 87% of
associates from former Ahold brands and
84% of associates from former Delhaize
brands participating. Both companies had
a 1% improvement in year-over-year scores.
We believe these results are exceptional given
it was also a year of integration.
Associates indicate that they want to work in
a supportive environment where their voices
are heard, where they have development
opportunities, and where they are recognized
for doing a great job.
We aim to run strong businesses that offer
stable jobs and great careers and provide
working environments where associates are
respected and appreciated. Our businesses
are committed to the principles of equal
employment opportunities, freedom of
association, and respecting legal rights
to collective bargaining.
See examples of great initiatives for and by
associates in A better place to work and
Sustainable retailing.
Communities
Our brands touch the lives of millions of people
every day and are in continuous dialogue
with members of the broader communities
where they operate. The communities are
made up of many different stakeholders such
as governments, civic organizations, schools,
research institutes, industry bodies, charitable
organizations, franchisees and affiliates, and of
course, suppliers. We engage with communities
in person, through partnerships, memberships,
sponsorships, and in dialogue with key
organizations that overlap with our work as
food retailers. With our suppliers, we maintain
multiple communication channels, including
face-to-face meetings, online communication
and supplier events. At local and global level,
we play an active role in industry associations
and other bodies.
Our community stakeholders provide valuable
feedback, for example on how we can be
a stronger partner in creating healthier
communities. Input from our suppliers, both
local and global, helps us, for example, to
create better products for customers, find new
ways to reduce food waste and increase the
economic, social and environmental value for
the communities we source from throughout the
supply chain. See examples of our projects to
build better communities in A better neighbor
and Sustainable retailing.
Shareholders
We strongly believe that by serving customers,
associates, communities and the environment
well, our businesses will prosper, and our
shareholders will benefit. Our shareholders are
crucial to our business; they put their trust in us
by investing in Ahold Delhaize financially.
Shareholders monitor our company closely and
support and challenge us on our strategy and
how we manage our business. We communicate
with them through quarterly disclosures and
financial performance briefings, presentations
and exchanges with analysts and investors.
We also respond to the socially oriented
investment community, who ask about our
financial performance and synergies but
also about our strategy to build a sustainable
business that will be successful in the long term.
By organizing events such as our Capital
Markets Day on December 7, 2016, we engage
with our shareholders, getting their perspectives
on our strategy and financial performance, and
giving them more insight into our operations so
they can make informed investment decisions.
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