Annual Family Programme 2007.

On the past 6th September 2007, 200 people met between children and adults, Grup SERHS workers, in the majestic framework of the Castell Jalpí in Arenys de Munt (El Maresme region), called in relation to the “Families Programme” for the academic year 2006-2007, which allowed us to qualify the day as the “SERHS Family Day”. A total 94 SERHS workers received some co-operation in the Programme 2007, 34 people more than in 2006. Thirteen university grants were awarded, 47 helps for children’s homes and 22 for school material. We must also include the 23 gifts made in the “Welcome Baby” programme in this new edition. Paying honour to one of the values of the Grup SERHS, the human side, each year the programme of family help is started to benefit all of the workers of the corporation. These are subsidies to help to relieve the school expenses that the families might face. For Grup SERHS, the well-being of the workers is the most important thing.

Internal and external discounts with the SERHS card

All of the workers and shareholders of Grup SERHS can benefit from theadvantages and internal discounts offered by the Group in each of its areas. It is possible to find discounts in food and drinks products, travel, hotels, household equipment, insurance, computer products, etc. Furthermore, all of the workers and shareholders of the Group also have available permanent and sporadic external advantages in different services, such as gymnasiums, dealers’, medical centres, leisure centres, etc. To enjoy this, the members of the Group have to present their identification card. The aim of these cards is to facilitate the identification of all people working in any of the companies of the corporation or shareholders, to accredit them as members of the Group any time that this might be required. The intention is to be able to benefit from the promotions or discounts available at any time either internally in the companies themselves or externally, as a result of the commercial agreements reached with external companies.

Shareholder participation

As a significant part of the social policy and the feeling of belonging to SERHS, the workers of the Group who so wish can enjoy advantages in financing the purchase of shares in our corporation. This allows them to make part payments without any interest or commissions while they receive the dividends.

Agreements of solidarity

vicente Ferrer Foundation:

Grup SERHS has commitments in support of bodies of renowned importance such as the “Fundación Vicente Ferrer”. The cooperation agreement is to sponsor Vicenç Ferrer’s candidature for the Nobel Peace Prize, and to maintain the centre in Kanekal (India), a facility promoted by our corporation in 2004 for disabled children. This year, the agreement has been renewed for a further three years, from 2008 to 2010.

“Abraço Amigo” project:

The SERHS Natal Grand Hotel (Brazil) took part in the “Friendly hug” project in which 4th year students of tourism in the Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte carried out an action based on the Happiness Project introduced in Sao Paulo. The action involved the hotel receiving a group of children in 2007 who were sick with cancer and being attended by the “Grupo de Apoio a Criança com Cancer”, thus cooperating in a day of leisure and fun for one and all. The aim is to offer the children an alternative form of treatment. This pilot project has caused the project to be adopted by other hotels and leisure establishments so that it might always be carried out.

The training actions promoted by Grup SERHS revolve around sector specialisation and the development of human resources to suitably guide the professional needs of the corporation.

The training plan 2007 received great participation from the workers, with 1,964 people who around a wide range of subjects such as the use of new technologies, labour risk prevention for administrative staff, product awareness and food and food handling hygiene, amongst others, brought their knowledge up to date. A total 29,770 reading hours were given.

We must highlight the training actions carried out in the area of SERHS Distribution and aimed at all of the members of the sales team. This year 2007, training sessions were performed to increase knowledge of the different ranges making up the portfolio of food, cleaning and paper products. The methodology used was that of knowing the product physically, analysing the sales arguments and carrying out practical sales exercises on each other. The results were highly satisfactory and very practical and allowed those attending to arm themselves with knowledge that they can immediately apply with the customers.

TRAINING PLAN 2006 2007

TRAINING ACTIONS 60 85
TRAINING GROUPS 103 173
PARTICIPANTS 1,392 1.964
READING HOURS BY GROUPS 3,605 5.873
READING HOURS OF PUPILS 25,467 29.770

Having suitable prevention management and a good working climate is fundamental not only for guaranteeing work under safe conditions, but also for achieving cost reduction (absenteeism and sick leave).

Nobody wants to work in a company that has the image and/or fame of not ensuring the safety of its workers. It is not enough to identify the risks in the workplace and record the rates of accidents and absenteeism, amongst others. It is necessary to be proactive in the planning, performing, controlling and following up on the results of our activities with regard to the prevention and sensitisation of labour risks, but above all in activating actions of improvement and preventive decisions that involve an improvement in worker safety.

With this purpose, the work department continues to work to ensure that risk prevention is an activity integrated in the rest of the activities of the organisation, once more ensuring that it is assumed by all of the company personnel. In this sense, we might stress the enhancement of the figure of the “designated worker” who in each company and with the support of their management help us to manage the introduction of this preventive activity.

This department has increased its activity by including new resources and developing management protocols to suitably promote the performance of the prevention plans. In this sense, we might highlight the procedures drawn up for coordinating the preventive activity with the external companies with which we share our ideas and also the procedures concerning the subcontracting of services to the Projects Area.

As every year, along with the Grup SERHS Training Department, we have continued to train our workers so that they might do their work safely and therefore to also encourage their interest and cooperation in the area of prevention.

Furthermore, 2007 stands out for the entry in operation of the Associated Prevention Service (SPM) which, by managing prevention with its own resources, helps to integrate the preventive activity in the organisational structure of Grup SERHS and promotes the preparation of its own management system.

This Prevention Service includes all of the companies of the area of SERHS Services and New Technologies and considerable work has been done with information, training and technical visits to companies in the Area of Tourism and Travel in order to prepare them for entry.