EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS

Employment Relations in Australia

Employment Relations in Australia

The identity of the organization and industry.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) is a leading global hospitality group? with over 3?300 hotels across nearly 100 countries and territories. The company was established in April 2003 following the separation of Six Continents' hotels and soft drinks businesses from the retail business. The second largest hotel group in the world (calculated on the number of rooms)? the group owns a portfolio of global brands? including InterContinental? Crowne Plaza? Staybridge Suites? Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn. (Intercontinental Hotel Group 2005:2)

In 2002 IHG donated over £2.1 million in cash and kind to charities who were active in their core interests of Community? Employees? Arts? Youth & Education? Environment and Human Rights. Those supported included UNICEF? the September 11 Fund? Victim Support? Children In Need? the Red Cross? Water Aid? WWF? UNEP and Give Kids the World. With the help of customers? guests and employees on average an additional £8 million is raised per year for good causes. (Waring 2006:41-85)

IHG undertakes CSR activities because successful local engagement is essential to the company's operations. IHG has supported charitable organizations since 1977. Historically? the group took an old fashioned philanthropic approach? responding to multiple requests from a variety of organizations as long as the request matched their core areas of interest. However? that approach was somewhat unfocussed and there was no way of quantifying what these donations achieved so the company found it difficult to get employee buy-in. (Waring 2006:41-85)

The group developed a new approach that reflected a desire to be more transparent and promote greater engagement. Its partnership with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) 100% campaign has helped them do this. (Approaches 2000:36-58)

The company formally adopted UNICEF as one of its main global charitable partners in 2001. The group has pledged to donate £100?000 each year during the three-year partnership? as well as inviting employees to raise money via local fundraising events.

UNICEF have helped IHG quantify what its' donations can actually buy? right down to the level of 6 pence for a pencil. This level of detail allows both employees and customers to easily identify what their fundraising efforts achieve and so encourage greater engagement.

The money raised in 2002 has funded a project promoting education in rural areas in the Philippines? which is helping children gain access to education in a number of ways. Local teachers need training in multi-grade teaching? as well as new curriculum materials but as multi-grade schools are generally in rural and isolated areas? facilities can be inadequate. IHG is helping to upgrade these schools with sanitation facilities as well as library and science equipment? workbooks and classroom materials.

The organization's approach to human resource management and industrial relations.

IHG has linked its CSR activities in with their overall business strategy as it makes what the groups' supports in the community have real relevance to operational employees. The General Manager of each hotel has the freedom to identify the local charitable cause that the ...