MERLIN Properties Annual Report 2022

124 | Annual report | 2022 To improve employee satisfaction, in 2022 the Company officially announced that employees would have more flexibility regarding when they arrived at work and when they left. In addition, a chapter on work-life balance was published in the Employee Handbook to make all employees aware of these measures regarding flexible working hours. In addition to the Satisfaction Survey, the Company has various ways of communicating with employees. The Employee Portal is a website and an app to which all employees have access. This is a communication channel used for administrative purposes. Through the Employee Portal employees can check their pay slips, download employment documents, access the work calendar, access employee discounts and post announcements for other colleagues to see. They also have access to the employee telephone directory, which includes the department to which each employee belongs and a photo of each employee, making it much more personal and easier to reach everyone, especially for employees who have only been with the company for a short time. MERLIN opts for in-person work at the office, which is the Company’s main form of work organisation, as it promotes communication, collaboration and a sense of belonging. MERLIN is able to detect the different interests of employees through emails, with Microsoft Forms surveys, to undertake actions of social interest such as the Sports Leagues or the No School Day. MERLIN encourages dialogue and employee participation in the Company’s decision-making process. For example, through the Donations and Sponsorship Protocol, the Company allocates part of the funds earmarked for donations to those foundations that employees are directly involved with, thus taking into consideration the employees’ favourite foundations to collaborate with them. EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES MERLIN is also committed to including and integrating people with disabilities into its workforce. As mentioned throughout the document, MERLIN guarantees ease of accessibility to its assets and backs this commitment up by obtaining AIS certification. In this context, the Company currently has a total of 7 disabled employees on its staff, all of whom have permanent contracts — 5 of them part-time and 2 full-time —, representing 2.7% of MERLIN’s workforce. These staff members are fully integrated and perform necessary and valued functions at the Company. The Company exceeds the requirements under the current law in this area (Spanish General Disability Act [Ley General de la Discapacidad], former Spanish Social Integration of Disabled Persons Act [Ley de Integración Social de los Minusválidos]) through direct hiring. Professional category 2021 2022 Heads of business, departments or senior technicians - 1 General services 5 6 Total 5 7