At a recent meeting in Paris, the 48 members of Hilton’s European
Consultative Forum (ECF) - a representative body of employees from Hilton hotels throughout the European Union - renewed until 2012 the existing, seven-year old European Work Council agreement.
An example of the collaborative nature of the relationship between the ECF and the senior board is the recent interactive briefing to further the understanding of the importance to Hilton International of demonstrating good Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The briefing was made possible by a joint employee and management application for funding from the European Commission.

Partly funded by the European Commission for ‘Fostering Employee Involvement’ under Budget Heading 04030303, the intensive briefing looked at CSR issues in detail and underlined their relevance to Hilton International. The briefing underlined how Corporate Social Responsibility affects Hilton International on a day-to-day basis
at all levels and encouraged members to think about how CSR issues affect them and their hotel.

Facilitated by an external expert in CSR, Acona Ltd, the briefings proved very popular, and will lead to a custom e-learning package to be distributed throughout all Hiltons in the European Union.

Manfred Monje, Secretary of the ECF said: ‘It is very important that our European management transport CSR into our local properties which means that every general manager, team leader and local employee representative should be aware of CSR.’

Jane Brown, Employee Representative from the United Kingdom, explained: ‘The session led to a heightened awareness of our responsibilities with regards to our environment’ whilst Louise Murdaca, Employee Representative from Germany, added that ‘(The importance of CSR) proves there is no one answer to a problem.’

Tea Colaianni, Vice-President, Human Resources, Hilton Europe and Africa, said: ‘The funding from the European Union underlines how seriously this initiative is taken by all concerned. Corporate Social Responsibility is central to the way Hilton International do business across the globe, as demonstrated by, for example, our Environmental Sustainability campaigns and charitable fundraising initiatives.’
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