. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . For employees

FOR PEOPLE, BY PEOPLE

RAI Amsterdam is a company for people, by people. Our employees are the outward face of the RAI and function as hosts during events. We realise our company goals in a large part by empowering employees with responsibilities, streamlining their tasks and enabling them to make the most of their talents. The fact that the RAI is for everyone is also clear from our HR policy.

STAYING CONNECTED DURING A PANDEMIC

In March 2020 the Dutch government implemented an urgent recommendation to work from home whenever possible in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees are connected remotely and actively participate in savings programmes and new initiatives.

FIT FOR THE FUTURE

In the summer months we implemented a reorganisation to ensure the health of the RAI in the future.

SATISFACTION WITH ORGANISATION AND APPROACH

Satisfaction within the organisation is high despite the considerable impact of the COVID crisis and resulting internal changes.

OUR VALUES

In 2020, we focused on three of the seven habits: ‘everyone matters’, ‘we are connected’, and 'we are entrepreneurial’.

A pandemic crisis team was established well before COVID-19 was first detected in the Netherlands. Its initial goal was to support and assist international events in the first quarter. From March the primary focus switched to keeping the organisation engaged and connected while working from home. This resulted in a range of initiatives managed by the crisis team over the months that followed:

The Board hold two-weekly webinars to inform employees of developments in the Netherlands, in the event sector as a whole and at the RAI. In addition, the Board and its members share brief video messages on specific initiatives and activities in the RAI at a time of COVID. There are periodic virtual meetings with team members, managers (management days) and the organisation as a whole. Social interaction is stimulated via virtual coffee breaks, social gatherings and a virtual Christmas celebration. Virtual taskforces focus on specific fields to which employees can actively contribute. The intranet, available via an app for smartphones (among others), is actively used by employees to retrieve information and share tips about issues like working from home.

COVID crisis team manages and connects the organisation

participation in changes

reorganisation demands reduction by 33% FTE

The COVID-secure project group was established by the crisis team in April to prepare us for the safe organisation and facilitation of events. It performed a range of activities throughout the year and delivered various products, from a COVID protocol for the entire organisation to signage for visitors. The project group was supported by working groups with a varying composition to ensure the required knowledge and expertise was available for each specific task.

We are proud to report that 82 employees contributed to devising and realising savings for the RAI. All of them were part of a taskforce that processed the proposals in an advisory report in April and June. Over 70 of the 160-plus proposals to save on ongoing business were realised directly in the summer period, from an extension of the recruitment freeze and the exchange of support in carrying out activities to cutting back on energy costs and cancelling agency costs.

A brainstorm session by this taskforce also led to (the documentation of) new business ideas, resulting in the establishment of a second taskforce that developed these business concepts into concrete plans. Outcomes included spaces being used as classrooms and the Wheel of Flavours.

Regardless of the savings on ongoing business, a reorganisation as a result of the COVID pandemic in mid-2020 was unavoidable. The forced postponement of exhibitions, conferences and meetings to the following years and an uncertain perspective for 2021 promised to result in significant losses. A reorganisation to ensure the continuity of the RAI and employment was announced in July.

In the months leading up to the reorganisation the works council was kept well-informed about the situation and the scenarios being considered to survive the crisis. As a result, the works council was able to perform its role towards the staff very well, including via virtual meetings and Q&A sessions.

The works council provided advice on the reorganisation plan and helped develop a social plan for employees who had to leave the RAI. It was decided to develop the most personal approach possible to inform and support employees regarding the consequences of the reorganisation. Various spaces in the RAI were set up in a COVID-secure way so that employees could meet and support each other. There were virtual meetings to discuss the social plan and selection & placement process as well as express interest. External agencies helped organise virtual meetings so that employees could find new jobs.

A suitable focus was given to saying goodbye and helping employees find their way in their new positions and/or departments via transition plans during the last months of 2020.

As a result of the reorganisation, the budgeted number of FTEs for 2020 fell from 472 FTE to 317.9 FTE; a reduction of 33%. Because many employees were still employed by the RAI at the end of 2020, the tables on the next page indicate different numbers.

general employee satisfaction 82%

Multi-tasking

Multi-tasking among employees was initially suggested as a savings concept by the taskforce and was added to the advice request for the works council regarding the reorganisation. Using our own staff for operational activities in these difficult times saves on seconded staff. It also strengthens the mutual cooperation and the collaboration with clients.

Since June 2020, various operational employees have been working shifts for the municipal health service GGD. In all cases this involves services that cannot be performed by the GGD itself, such as traffic and crowd control at the test sites and hosting services at the entrances.

Multi-tasking will remain an important spearhead in 2021 and we will appeal to the flexibility of employees to contribute in this way during events and other activities.

Employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is a crucial yardstick and instrument for the continuous improvement of our company. In view of the major internal changes in the organisation aimed at ensuring a healthy RAI for the future it was decided to increase the frequency of our employee satisfaction surveys. Instead of biennially, we will now measure satisfaction every quarter and combine each survey with research into a limited number of other themes.

The goal of the survey is to map the experience of the employees and collect their suggestions for improvement. This input is then used to try and increase the satisfaction, involvement and enthusiasm levels of our staff.

The first survey took place in late 2020 after the reorganisation was fully concluded. Due to the high level of unity and chosen approach, which involved a significant focus on both leaving and remaining employees, a high satisfaction score was achieved: 82% of all employees were (very) satisfied overall with working at the RAI, compared to 81% in 2018. This figure is exceptionally high considering the developments in 2020 and can be largely attributed to the enormous engagement among employees and the high level of interconnectedness (78% feels (very) strongly connected) to the RAI. The willingness to help other employees also scored very highly (96%), which is especially important with multi-tasking being one of our spearheads.

In cooperation with Human Resources and the works council, managers will start working with business unit-specific points for improvement. The latest survey took place in March 2021.

Vitality

initiating, facilitating and promoting vitality actions RAI Amsterdam’s goal to promote the vitality of its employees so that they can be fit, energetic and healthy at work has become even more challenging with so many working from home. Over the course of 2020, the RAI promoted exercises to keep employees fit and energetic, including desk exercises, facilitated bike and walking tours with employees who live in the same area, and organised online bootcamps via My Intensity Training which could be realised in people’s own living room.

Diversity

diverse teams; target for Talent to the Top charter reached and surpassed We strive to ensure the diversity of our departments in terms of age, experience, gender and competencies, and aim to further broaden the concept of diversity in the years to come. We are convinced that diverse teams also have a positive influence on our results. In collaboration with the works council, this was taken into account in the 2020 reorganisation. In late 2020 the RAI employee database was well-balanced, with 51% female and 49% male staff (on an FTE basis). The objective in the field of gender diversity as described in the Talent to the Top charter was also met: the share of women in the policy team and second echelon of managers is 33%.

Composition of personnel

Personnel

Balance at the end of the year

EMPLOYEES

Male Female

Total

FTE

Male Female

Total

Below are some cross-sections of the composition of the RAI’s employees.

2020 2019

192 226 46% 54% 205 224

48% 52%

418 100% 429 100%

185 200 48% 52% 200 198

50% 50%

385 100% 398 100%

Personnel by age

Percentage / FTE (balance at the end of the year)

BY AGE

25 and under 26 to 35 36 to 45 46 to 55 56+

Total

Personnel by discipline

Percentage / FTE (balance at the end of the year)

BY DISCIPLINE

Commercial Operational Financial/management

Total 2020 2019

4% 26% 26% 28% 16%

4% 27% 30% 26% 14%

100% 100%

2020 2019

46% 39% 15%

48% 38% 14%

100% 100%

Absence due to illness

absence due to illness 5.1% The absence due to illness rate in 2020 was 5.1% (4.3% in 2019). In view of the reorganisation and working circumstances we consider this figure to be reasonable.

Absence due to illness

Percentage

Total

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

5,1% 4,3% 3,2% 2,5% 2,9%

Organisation setup and pay ratios

lean organisation In implementing the reorganisation in 2020 we have applied a horizontal organisational structure without too many intermediary management layers. The statutory Executive Board heads the management team comprised of business unit directors and business support managers. They manage departments with managers (depending on the scope) and employees. Directors, managers and employees are paid salaries in line with the market average. The pay ratio that reflects the total remuneration of the best-earning director compared to the average employee is 7.4 (end 2019: 6.8). The pay ratio increased in 2020 with the hiring of new employees in accordance with the Balanced Labour Market Act (WAB). This mainly added employees with a lower than average salary to our personnel database. Another reason is the reorganisation implemented in 2020, which meant that a number of employees with a higher than average salary left the organisation before 31 December 2020. These are the factors that shifted the median compared to 2019.

frequent and constructive dialogue

Cooperation with RAI works council

A frequent and constructive dialogue was held with the works council in 2020. In the previous year, the dialogues mainly involved the four-track policy of the company in view of the COVID crisis. The works council was actively involved in the reorganisation trajectory and consented to its implementation. It also held ten virtual meetings for employees itself before, during and after the reorganisation to offer a sympathetic ear and inform them about the process and employee options.

In addition to formal meetings with the Board, the dialogue continued in a number of subcommittees, such as the HRM Committee, Financial Committee, Working Conditions Committee, Terms of Employment Committee, Pensions Committee and Temps Committee.