Genève Aéroport's proactive policy of promoting the health, well-being and safety of its employees has been rewarded since 2013 with the Friendly Work Space label, awarded by Health Promotion Switzerland.

Protecting the health of employees

Health and COVID-19: a crucial issue

Geneva Airport has placed the health of its employees at the heart of its actions during these two years marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. All the training actions related to the health and safety of employees and all the users of the platform have therefore focused on these aspects, particularly through the following measures

• Distribution of hydro-alcoholic gel in the offices and terminal
• Provision of personal protective equipment for employees
• Installation of Plexiglas panels to protect employees in contact with customers
• Adaptation of passenger flows in the terminal and of employees in the work areas

The protection plan put in place by the Covid Task Force to ensure health security across the entire airport platform has been adapted several times as the pandemic has evolved.

Airport Health Accreditation

On 10 July 2021, Geneva Airport obtained the renewal of its Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) certification for one year. This distinction now rewards 81 Swiss companies that place Health Management (HM) at the heart of their policy.

Psychological support unit

In order to support the employees severely affected by the health crisis, an external psychological support unit was set up in 2020. It has been kept running during the first months of 2021. In addition, two online discussion forums were set up to allow employees to share their experiences.

Introduction of Pulse Surveys

The health crisis affected social relations within the platform and the company. The management was keen to maintain dialogue and inform employees throughout the year. Each quarter, a video conference with all the staff was organised.  This was an opportunity for the management to give an update on air traffic, the financial situation and the organisation of the airport. 

A new communication channel was created in 2021 through "Pulse Surveys". These surveys allow us to take the pulse of employees on their feelings through targeted and varied questions. Depending on the answers obtained, measures could be discussed and implemented. With a participation rate of more than half the workforce in 2021, this means of communication has proven its usefulness and has been made permanent.

Finally, a regular exchange of information with employees was maintained through e-mails from the General Management and the Human Resources Department. Almost 40 newsletters were also published.

Remote work on the rise

2020 changed the company in a major way and given a boost to teleworking. Before the pandemic, Geneva Airport had prepared a pilot project for flexible home working over several days a week. This project, called Flexiwork, was postponed due to the situation and had to wait for the end of compulsory telework before being relaunched.

Promoting exemplary behaviour

Men and women: equal treatment

An internal equal pay analysis was carried out in March 2200, as required by law for companies with at least 100 employees from 1 July 2020. The result: the difference in pay between women and men linked to the gender criterion, all other criteria being equal, is less than 1%. This result respects the legal requirement of 5%. The next salary analysis will take place in 2025.

The Airport favors the recruitment, with equal skills, of people of the least represented gender, in order to develop gender diversity in the teams.

Due to the low number of recruitments in 2020 and 2021, the proportion of women in Genève Aéroport's overall workforce remained similar to 2019. At the end of 2021, almost 30% of the company's employees are women, of whom almost 70% work part-time. 19.1% of management positions are held by women in 2021. This figure rises to 28.6% for senior management positions. Just under 9% of part-time workers are men, and the majority of them are women. From 1 January 2021, male employees will be entitled to two weeks' paternity leave.

Conflicts of interest: raising employee awareness

In 2020, Geneva Airport continued its efforts to update the body of standards and mechanisms relating to conflicts of interest. The directive on the prevention and management of conflicts of interest issued in 2018 was revised in 2020.  

Other actions were also undertaken, such as the reinforcement of the procurement training procedure and the implementation of an e-learning training module on the Conflict of Interest Directive for all Geneva Airport employees. 

An alert system was set up in 2020 enabling everyone to communicate to internal relays - or via a secure platform - any behavior considered inappropriate. Employees have received information on the subject of protection of personality. A workshop was held in the course of 2021 for line managers to present the operation of the new whistleblowing system and the associated process.  

Geneva Airport has also drawn up a code of conduct reminding us of good practice in terms of behavior within the company. It was adopted in June 2021 and distributed to all departments.

The Airport wishes to develop healthy working environments and a culture of responsibility and exemplarity. A Management Charter, setting out the behavior expected of managers, has been drawn up.

Enhanced management training

In the autumn of 2021, a new managerial training course was deployed within Geneva Airport on the basis of this new charter, through a pilot with the aim of eventually making every line manager benefit from it. A tailor-made programme in partnership with the HEG-Geneva has been set up to adapt the content to the culture, needs and expectations of the Airport.

Commitment to the region

Sponsorship maintained in 2020...

Since 2006, Geneva Airport has been pursuing an active sponsorship policy at the local level by supporting numerous partnerships in the cultural, sporting, humanitarian and aeronautical fields. 

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had a serious impact on this activity. The amounts allocated were reduced to CHF 700,000 from CHF 900,000 in 2019. 

Despite the crisis, Geneva Airport has maintained its commitments to its main sporting partners (Geneva Lions, GSHC) and cultural partners (Geneva International Film Festival, Geneva International Human Rights Film Festival and Forum), as well as to more modest local players.

In terms of sponsorship, CHF 75,000 of the CHF 100,000 earmarked for humanitarian, charitable and social work was donated to Swiss Solidarity in 2020.  The "Coronavirus Switzerland" fund-raising campaign was intended to finance projects for the benefit of those most affected by the COVID-19 in Switzerland.

... and reduced in 2021

In view of the difficult financial situation of Geneva Airport in 2021, sponsorship activity was further reduced. CHF 135,000 was spent this year.

Conscious of its social responsibility, Geneva Airport has respected its sponsorship commitments for as long as possible. However, partnerships expired were not renewed. Geneva Airport, a historical partner of the Geneva Lions basketball club since its creation, had to put an end to this adventure. On the other hand, it supported the club in its search for a new partner (SIG). 

In line with the expenditure reduction guidelines, no new commitments have been made in 2021.

External ARFF interventions

The Geneva Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Department (SLIA) ensures an operational response on the airport site 24 hours a day throughout the year. It may be called upon to intervene on cantonal territory at the request of the SIS, for example, during a major fire in Versoix in November 2021. 

The ambulance service operates throughout the canton, as well as in part of the canton of Vaud on direct request from 144.

In December 2021, Geneva Airport's professional fire fighters underwent two weeks of water rescue training in Marseille. They are training to be able to intervene on Lake Geneva in the event of a water landing.