Vodafone UK has managed to boost employee engagement despite announcing 500 redundancies this year.
The findings, outlined in the company’s 2009-09 corporate social responsibility report, revealed the firm made 50 more redundancies compared to the previous year.
The cuts were made in response to tough market conditions and as part of a cost-reduction programme.
Elsewhere, the training budget was slashed by £1m to £3m for 2008-09, and vacancies filled internally also fell from 49 in 2007-08 to 24 for the current year.
However, staff morale continued to climb with the Hay Employee Engagement Index rating standing at 73, compared to 71 the year before. A score of 100 is the top of the scale.
The firm, which employs 10,000 people, said there was a relationship between high-performing teams and high engagement, but could not explain why.
A Vodafone UK spokeswoman told Personnel Today: “We don’t know the background to that but there’s a definite correlation.
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“It’s an ongoing process to make sure we provide a great place for employees to work. It’s all about creating a great environment for work, recognising great achievements and making sure rewards are fair. We are delighted the engagement score has increased despite economic difficulties.”
The report highlighted that redundancies had been discussed with employees. “We provided support to help those affected find another job with Vodafone or elsewhere. This included help with CV writing, interview skills and financial and retirement planning,” the report stated.
