We have a commitment to our people. This is a commitment to their development, their right to work in an environment which is free from discrimination and where their talents are used to the full. All of our people need to be competent in the tasks they perform and motivated. If we fail to achieve this we will not reach our sustainability targets, or comply with the strict regulation we operate under.

This is a critical area for us because of the rapidly developing nature of the waste management sector and the increasing demand for new skills and qualities.

Having the best people in place, who are well motivated, can work effectively in teams and show leadership is a critical business advantage. Good people practices attract new employees and assist in retaining key people. We also believe simply that Shanks should be a good place to work and that we need to treat all our employees with integrity.

We encourage and promote leadership and team-working through employee engagement. Our training and competence schemes and leadership and team-building initiatives are continuously being improved. All of our employment policies are compliant with legislation. We are an equal opportunities employer. Full and fair consideration is given to applications from, and the continuing employment, career development and training of all people.

We promote a culture of two way communications and trade unions, works councils and other employee groups are involved wherever appropriate. Our approach to our employees is clearly outlined in our values.

We monitor and report publicly on a wide range of people indicators, from male and female rations and the age profile of our employees to training provision and employment statues. For critical areas we seek improvement to the benefit of both employees and Shanks. Improvement can be shown through the statistics available in our CR Report and though initiatives such as our recent introduction of a Group-wide confidential whistleblowing scheme which can be accessed by all our employees.