MERLIN Properties Annual Report 2023

124 | Annual report | 2023 Labour relations ORGANISATION OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE MERLIN has several public documents such as the Code of Conduct, the Whistleblower Channel, the Equality Plan and the Protocol against Sexual Harassment. All these codes and procedures ensure that social dialogue is guaranteed, channelled and of the highest quality standards. In addition, MERLIN is an organisation with a small number of employees, meaning that social dialogue is direct, simple and effective. Management is available to all employees without having to go through a chain of command. Their mobile phones and email addresses are made available to all employees and conflict resolution is streamlined. MERLIN carries out an employee satisfaction survey every two years. In 2023, the aggregate score of 3.6 out of 5 was identical to that of 2021, with a participation level of 81%. For the first time, staff were asked, in line with best practices, about their sense of purpose, their feelings of happiness and their level of stress at work. In terms of communication channels, the Human Capital Area sends communications to the entire organisation through emails, and surveys are also conducted on different social actions to be able to carry out these actions depending on how well they are received by the organisation’s employees. Employees have access to various corporate information, news, events and documentation through the Intranet and the Employee Portal. BALANCE OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS All employees in Spain are subject to a collective bargaining agreement, and their salary set out in this collective agreement is higher than that of their peers. None of the employees in Portugal are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Portuguese labour law applies to employees in Portugal. MERLIN compensates all of the remuneration of employees on medical or parental leave so that the employee does not receive less pay for being on sick or parental leave. If an employee is on sick leave, they will therefore receive the same salary as if they were working. The same will apply in cases of parental leave. MECHANISMS TO PROMOTE EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT IN MANAGEMENT MERLIN uses different tools to promote employee involvement: The Satisfaction survey MERLIN conducts a biannual Satisfaction Survey for all employees and also an annual Satisfaction Survey for certain departments of the organisation where turnover is higher. Through this survey MERLIN is able to identify areas for improvement and undertake necessary actions. The most highly rated questions were on the working environment, employee camaraderie and training. The lowest rated questions were about temperature in the workplace, flexible working hours and work- related stress. The aggregate result was a score of 3.6 out of 5.