MERLIN Properties Annual Report 2019 / English

84 | Annual Report | 2019 As reflected in the Company’s Code of Conduct, MERLIN promotes equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all phases of the working relationship with employees, as regards to access to employment, training, promotion and working conditions. A clear evidence are female employees, that currently account for 44% of the workforce and are present in all professional categories as well as on the Board of Directors, of which 33.3% are women, in line with the Unified Code of Good Governance recommendations and above the average for IBEX35 companies. In particular, MERLIN has a strong commitment to integrate people with different capabilities into the workforce, there being a total of 5 disabled employees representing over 2% of MERLIN’s human capital. All these professionals have indefinite, part-time contracts and perform duties that are needed and valued by the Company. They have been part of MERLIN’s workforce since the outset, reflecting the value they bring to the Company and the importance of the work they perform. MERLIN regards its employees as critical to their business success, therefore suitable measures are initiated to attract and retain the best talent. The Company selects new professionals on the basis of their skills, knowledge and alignment with its corporate values and objectives, assuring equal opportunities and transparency in the recruitment processes. During our growth and expansion process, Merlin endeavours to harness the knowledge and experience of professionals from the companies that join the organisation, so nearly all new joiners are experienced employees. This may be observed in the new hirings completed in 2019, the workforce having grown by 24% due mainly to the integration of the LOOM professionals and to new employees in Portugal, in line with the Company’s expansion process in Portugal. 55% of these new joiners are women, entailing a considerable rise in the number of women in the workforce. Diversity and equal opportunities Professionals joining the Company One of MERLIN’s main milestones in 2019 was the successful integration of LOOM into the workforce. Aware of the added value that the LOOM team’s differential diversity and experience could bring to the Company’s human capital, MERLIN decided to retain the professionals by offering LOOM’s employees the same employment terms that enjoy MERLIN’s professionals, providing greater job stability through 100% indefinite contracts and increased benefits, such as a health and life insurance, training programmes and the flexible remuneration plan. Cooperation and team integration were promoted by means of visits to some properties and invitations to events and activities at the coworking centres to spread the open, community culture reflected in LOOM’s philosophy. Despite the huge challenge of integrating such different work methods, the professionals from both organisations proved to be highly versatile and adaptable, perceiving this process as an opportunity for mutual growth and learning so as to allow the rapid identification and harnessing of current and potential team synergies. The LOOM integration, a key aspect of 2019