SOCIAL
Global Workplace
Employees by region
at 31 December 2012
Independent contractors by region
at 31 December 2012
LA1: Total workforce by employment type, employment contract, and region, broken down by gender
In 2012 Westfield directly employed more than 4200 employees globally across its shopping centres, construction sites and offices.
Across the Group and within each market there is a marginal difference between the number of women and men directly employed. The total number of men directly employed (2,118) and the total number of women directly employed (2,100) continues to represent 50% of total direct employees.
The majority of employees (75%) are in permanent full-time positions with the two largest workforces based in Australia and the US, at 51% and 31% respectively.
Employment type & contract
Westfield also engages a large number of independent contractors across several divisions of the business, including construction, as required on a project basis, and in the ongoing provision of cleaning and security services across the global shopping centre portfolio.
During 2012, the number of independent contractors was 6,274. The contractor workforce exceeded the number of direct employees and was greatest in the United States (42%) and Australia (39%) reflecting the Group’s development projects underway at Westfield UTC, World Trade Center and a minor upgrade program in the United States; and Westfield Carindale, Fountain Gate and the completion of the commercial component of Westfield Sydney in Australia. Contractors in the United Kingdom dropped significantly during 2012 due to the completion of Westfield Stratford City in the prior year.
LA2: Total number and rate of new employee hires and employee turnover by age group, gender and region
The total number of employees decreased over the course of 2012, largely due to an operational restructure in the Australian and US management divisions of the Group. The overall number of new hires (873) was outweighed by the overall number of employees who left employment (1,354).
Westfield Group's management team remained stable through the year with its long-standing experience being a major contributing factor to the Group’s success throughout its history. A core team of senior executives has served the Group over the past two decades, complemented by the introduction of new executives to meet the challenges of expansions to new markets and changes in the retail environment.
The Group's top 50 executives have an average age of 50.8 and length of service with the organisation of 12.5 years. Of this team, more than half have worked for Westfield in more than one country which has proven to be just one of many important factors in building Westfield's global knowledge base.
The Group has a number of initiatives to minimise turnover including short and longer-term succession planning, which are also integrated into the key performance indicators of management to try to ensure retention of high potential talent. Other initiatives to maximise retention include focus on training and development, recruitment practices and induction processes.
Total number of hours devoted
to training personnel per gender
Employees by gender
for employee category
LA10: Average hours of training per year per employee, by gender, and by employee category
The attraction, development and retention of high quality staff at all levels continues to be a key priority for Westfield, and the Group regularly develops and promotes from within.
A full range of training, leadership development and succession planning programs has been in place for many years and underscore our commitment to staff.
The drop in average number of training hours was due to the United States training program which was reduced during 2012 as a result of asset sales and associated staff reductions, as well as the change management program and head office relocation of more than 580 staff.
There are more than 50 programs in the Group’s curriculum, ranging from entry level induction programs to management and leadership development and professional skills development.
Each country runs a range of programs including Induction, People Manager Induction, Management Development, Westfield Foundational Leadership and the newly introduced Westfield Thought Leadership for the next level of seniority in management. The training modules, associated materials and course curriculums are developed with the collaboration of key partners familiar with the working environment of Westfield.
In 2012 the Group’s training curriculums were more aligned to reflect the increasing global nature of both Westfield’s workforce and internal structure.
LA13: Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category according to gender, age group, minority group membership, and other indicators of diversity
The Westfield Group is committed to diversity and seeks to promote an inclusive culture where people are encouraged to succeed to the best of their ability.
Westfield believes that diversity is about recognising and valuing the contribution of people from different backgrounds, with different perspectives and experiences. Diversity includes but is not limited to gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion and cultural background and, in the United States, the Group's policies on diversity extend to veterans. However, in terms of global measurable objectives, the initial emphasis by the Group will be on gender diversity with a primary goal being to strengthen the representation of women executives in senior management positions.
The broad aim is to ensure greater representation of female executives at senior levels of the organisation. Three-year plans have been established which include processes to embed organisational changes including targeting the participation of women in development programs and succession-planning sessions. As these processes become increasingly embedded in the Westfield’s leadership approach this emphasis should gradually be reflected in reporting data.
In Australia more female executives were promoted than male executives within the group's operational division, and there were more new appointments of females at senior organisational levels. New Zealand’s focus was largely integrated with Australia, including the establishment of the Connect female executives’ networking group. (see case study) In the United States reviews were conducted for both hiring processes and succession planning, while in the United Kingdom there was greater emphasis on the skills development of existing female leaders.
Whilst there is a broad 50:50 split between males and females directly employed by the Group, the proportion of women at management and senior management levels is still outweighed by men with currently 13% of governance bodies represented by women.
Diversity category – individuals within governance bodies
Age Group
Gender
During 2012 there was continued focus on diversity within the Group. A number of global targets were met as scheduled including the establishment of three-year plans by each country Managing Director to address diversity initiatives; a global review of flexible work arrangements and pay equity; and a global education program at senior management level to increase awareness of the need for diversity.