Social Sustainability
TAV Airports conducts studies to integrate the concept of “corporate sustainability,” which requires that environmental and social issues be treated with the same care as the financial values they generate, into all business processes and corporate culture.
TAV Airports is aware of the impacts it creates on the communities in all its areas of operation, as well as on its own employees, employees in the value chain, and end users of its services. With this awareness, it implements international human rights standards related to the direct and indirect impacts it has on all these communities and determines the processes required to improve them.
In order to make visible its responsibility, sensitivity, and activities concerning human rights, which it supports and respects, as well as to make comparisons and share best practices, the Company enrolled in the “Business World and Human Rights Program” in 2022, which was established for UN Global Compact member companies.
Simultaneously, the Company is involved in the Business World and Human Rights Project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the UN Development Program, the Japanese Government, and the implementing partner TURKONFED.
In 2022, as per the French “Potier Law” on the duty of vigilance of parent companies and their affiliates regarding supply chains, the Group ADP’s - which includes “reasonable due diligence measures to identify risks and prevent serious Human Rights violations” - the “Human Rights Risk Mapping” study has been completed as of December 2022, which includes the operations of TAV Airports and/or its sub-contractors and suppliers.
Although the Potier Law is not a comprehensive or limiting list of human rights, it does cite numerous European and international sources on all human rights topics. The categorized list, topics, and definitions below are based on various sources (UN and OECD Business and Human Rights Guidelines, ILO Agreements, Sustainability due diligences of mainly French international groups, French ISO 26000 certification, etc.)
At the conclusion of the study, professionals from TAV Airports Holding and group companies were interviewed; it was agreed that there are no risks associated with the processes of the Human Resources Management System and that related studies in the displayed areas of operation comply with local legislation, international directives, and sustainable approaches.
Occupational health and safety at TAV Airports focuses on protecting and strengthening the health, performance, motivation, and productivity of employees in the long-term.
Occupational health and safety approach and policies in all Group companies are based on identifying risks, taking preventive measures, and aligning operational processes with these measures.
The minimum requirement in all fields of operation is to comply with national regulations. To go further, the main objective is to reach a zero-accident frequency by applying good practices and international standards. TAV Airports’ OHS approaches are supported by Company-specific rules and in-house regulations.
OHS policies throughout the group are established by the OHS Committee, which is included in the sustainability governance structure and has been operating since 2019. The Committee consists of Occupational Safety Experts and Workplace Physicians to give advice and support all affiliates on the continuous improvement of occupational health and safety.
TAV Airports monitors and reports accident frequency rate and accident severity rate indicators through the OHS Committee in order to measure and monitor its occupational health and safety performance.
TAV Airports’ main aim in monitoring the Occupational Health and Safety performance is to reduce AFR and ASR values every year in a sustainable manner by ensuring continuous improvement. In 2020 and 2021, there was a major decrease due to reduced working hours as a result of reduced traffic because of the Covid-19 pandemic in the accident frequency and weight rates. After the effects of the pandemic faded in 2022, the trend of decreasing accident severity continues, despite an increase in the number of accidents when compared to the previous two years. In 2022, a significant reduction in working hours was observed when compared to 2019, which provides a better comparison. Thus, in terms of Occupational Health and Safety, the year was quite successful.
TAV supports a wide variety of projects and initiatives in education, sports, and culture as part of its corporate social responsibility approach. Customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction form the basis of the Company’s social impact in the regions where it operates.
TAV Ege, Havas, TAV Operation Services and Fraport-TAV Antalya operations have ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System certificates.
TAV Airports organize its human resources policy at international standards in order to ensure the happiness and loyalty of its employees. Striving to be the preferred employer in its markets, TAV’s human resources policy is built on occupational safety, comprehensive opportunities for the professional and personal development of staff members and equal opportunity for all.
TAV Airports supports equality and diversity in all its activities and do not accept discrimination based on race, colour, gender, religion, language, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, political opinion,
ethnic identity, health condition, family responsibilities, union activity or membership, physical disability or age during selection and placement. All employees are treated fairly as part of “equality of opportunity” principle and receive equal opportunity. Guidelines of Labour Law No. 4857 are followed and occupational groups under age of 18 are not employed at TAV (except for interns). Employees above the age of 18 are insured.
In addition to all these, equality, diversity, inclusion, and fairness are priorities in terms of the vision and values of the Holding and its Group companies. These are incorporated into the operational flow with a shared understanding across all businesses. We support intercultural interaction, the transfer and enrichment of cultures through cultural diversity as an organization whose operations span a large geographic area.
Within the sustainability governance structure, the Diversity, Inclusion and Fairness Sub-Committee, which is comprised of representatives from all companies, plays an important role in establishing and disseminating general policies and principles for the group. Gender equality has been identified as one of the committee’s primary working topics.
Supporting women’s employment in all functions, TAV Airports and its Group companies use an egalitarian inclusive policy and language, prohibit any type of discrimination in the workplace, highlight each opportunity by motivating and ensuring equal opportunities whenever possible, and support this issue in becoming a critical part of the corporate culture and approach.
We participate in the Civil Aviation General Directorate Gender Balance Development Commission (TCDGK) as TAV Airports Holding and Havas, which was established to monitor gender balance, develop proposals for improvement, conduct studies for the creation of equal opportunities for genders in selecting aviation professions, and especially encouraging women’s training in areas of aviation.
In order to encourage female employment, TAV Airports Holding adopted the Equal Opportunities Model (FEM) developed under the leadership of KAGIDER with the technical support of the World Bank, and the cooperation of PricewaterhouseCoopers and EY; and following an independent assessment, it was certified. TAV Airports Holding has registered its sensibility for gender equality and women’s empowerment in employment with its structure, actions, and employment features in front of the national and international public with FEM since 2017.
As a signatory of the UN Global Compact, it also supports the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) which is a joint initiative of the UN Women and UN Global Compact. The Women’s Empowerment Principles, which are one of the sub-initiatives of the Global Compact Contract and were established on the basis of gender equality, aim to empower women on a global scale, particularly in the areas of health, security, education, and development. The principles were developed by UN Women and the UN Global Compact as a “social gender lens” to inspire individuals and institutions striving for women’s inclusion in all areas and levels of economic life, as well as to empower studies in this area.
Group companies actively participate in original projects supporting gender equality in various sub-dimensions based on the industries in which they operate. Some of the projects in which the group companies actively participate in different sub-dimensions of gender equality are as follows:
Since 2016, Havas has been among the first signatory companies to the Business Against Domestic Violence (BADV) initiative, which is run by Sabanci University Corporate Management Forum and which establishes support mechanisms at workplaces against domestic violence and aims to make violence against women more visible. Within the project, prevention and support methods against domestic violence using management and organization abilities of the business world are determined. Taking measures against domestic violence in the workplace will boost employee productivity and motivation, reduce employee turnover, and contribute to lowering the risk of violence against women and improving human rights.
TAV Airports is a board member of the “Woman in Technology Association (Wtech),” which continues its efforts to help people discover their own potentials; to educate curious, inquisitive, productive and self confident technology specialists and help them find their place in the business world. TAV Technology actively supports the Women Leaders in Technology Training Program, which aims to specialize and empower women who are underrepresented and have low motivation to pursue a career in technology.
TAV Airports is a participant in the Women in Sales Network social project, which was launched by Sales Network in 2019 with the goal of raising awareness in companies and among women, developing ideas for increasing women’s participation in the World of sales, and creating a qualified workforce pool.
TAV Operation Services is the spokesperson for the Mentors for a Million Women Program, which aims to connect young female students or female workers (aged 15-25) studying or working in STEM fields with sector leaders via a digital platform.
Committing to the goal of increasing the share of women on the Board of Directors to above 25%, the Company attained this goal in 2018.
For a job that has same or equal value, no different approach is taken based on gender. Moreover, applying special protective orders because of the gender of the employee (such as maternity leave, prohibition of working at night) does not create a basis for paying a lower wage.
At TAV Airports, the same wages are given for the same jobs. Remuneration policy determines wage management principles, to be implemented at the Holding and its affiliates, that are fair, consistent, balanced with the responsibilities taken and competitive with the market.
Remunerations are managed by evaluating the value added to the corporation by the jobs regardless of the titles of the employees. In order to determine the wages for the positions in a balanced way according to the added-value provided by them, they are evaluated by looking at job definitions and organization structure. After the evaluations, positions are placed within the “Company Level” structure. Experience, seniority, performance and productivity are also effective for the process of determining the wages of the employees.
The Company gets involved in several wage researches every year in order to follow the developments in the markets and to maintain a competitive financial position in the market. Acquired market data are analysed, and based on the value of the job, wage scales are created within the Company level structure by also considering internal balance.
During selection and placement process, before hiring from the outside of the Company for an open position, the job posting is first announced within the Group, if applicable. Intra-group transitions are supported by ensuring communication with the HR managers. By posting the announcement in “Open Positions at TAV” section found in TAV Portal, internal applicant process is supported. In addition, internal promotion process is supported within the framework of rules and standards determined under the scope of talent management and development planning processes.
A total of 15,511 employees participated in three categories on March 21, 2023 within the Employee Satisfaction Survey, namely survey participation, certificates, and lists, nine group companies of TAV Airports was awarded the “Great Place to Work” Certificate after meeting the workplace criteria for having
a high confidence culture in the program organized by the Great Place to Work (GPTW) Türkiye Institute, which evaluates employees’ experiences with corporate culture were entitled to participate in the process. Other than the companies, 26 locations have the GPTW Certificate.
BTA and TAV Operation Services, which are among the subsidiaries of TAV Airports, have been named one of the top 27 companies in Türkiye in terms of female employee happiness, according to the Great Place To Work Institute, the leading research institution in the sector conducting studies on corporate culture and employee experience.
Again, Ankara Esenboga Airport, operated by TAV Airports, named one of the “Best Employers in Anatolia” by Great Place to Work. 13 companies were included in the list, which was compiled based on employee evaluations in 60 topics under five different titles.
TAV Airports strives to offer its guests a fast, comfortable, and safe travel experience with the aim of keeping customer satisfaction at the highest level.
In 2022, Izmir Adnan Menderes, Ankara Esenboga, Madinah, Tbilisi, Zagreb, and Skopje airports operated by TAV Airports won an award for being the best at the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards organized by ACI World, which was organized this year in Krakow, Poland at the passenger experience summit.