Bringing our values to life

Our businesses have adapted these values in different ways to suit their requirements and circumstances. In TUI Nordics they are called Blue Spirit and in TUI UK & Ireland they are part of the internal brand Be Special.

In the Activity and Specialist & Emerging Markets Sectors, colleagues nominated individuals and teams for TUI Spirit awards. In TUI Deutschland, TUI Spirit champions have been selected to help develop ways to further incorporate TUI Spirit into every day working life.

Special Experiences Collection

In September we produced our first Special Experiences Collection, a web-based magazine to showcase stories and experiences of colleagues across the Group, living the values in their daily working lives. Many of the examples highlighted colleagues who provided exceptional customer service.

‘Barteline Wolfs, a Belgian colleague working in the Costa del Sol was on her way into work when she got a call to say that some clients needed her assistance. Barteline found herself in the third traffic jam of the day and unable to reach the hotel in time. She saw no other option than parking the car, taking off her shoes and running the mile to the hotel. There were many amused faces when she arrived and the clients were very impressed’.

‘A couple booking their wedding in Slovenia through one of our Thomson shops had some very specific requirements for their special day – including black roses. Travel advisor, Kate Wareing, scoured Europe and eventually tracked down a supplier, Kate said ‘You just need to go that little bit further, if that’s what they wanted as far as I was concerned that was what they were going to get’.

In businesses new to the Group, GMB members and their teams work to embed TUI Spirit in a timescale appropriate to each business. For example, in Russia and Ukraine, our values have been shared and there will be a further programme of activity to embed them in Spring 2010.

Living our values – Responsible leadership

Our people are vital to achieving our sustainable development goals. Responses to internal surveys show us that colleagues are motivated by knowledge of the Group’s commitment to sustainable development and that our record in this area is becoming increasingly important to recruitment and retention. 73% of TUI Travel’s senior leaders agree that ‘my business acts responsibly on environmental matters’ and 66% agree that ‘my business acts responsibly in the local communities in which we operate’ (Leadership Voice, October 2008).

Living our values – Customer obsessed

An example of how this value has been brought to life is in our UK Mainstream business. Over 10,000 colleagues, working in overseas destinations, retail, customer service and head office roles have attended a training module called Be a Dream Maker with a focus on how to deliver a special experience to external and internal customers.

80% of attendees said they had seen a positive impact on their own performance after participating in the training. Be a Dream Maker has now been integrated into the induction programme for all new colleagues. The positive effect on customer satisfaction was also clear through the 2009 summer season with ratings improving considerably compared to the previous year.