A key strategic goal of the Reuters integration was to create one company in one year. This means one team, one combined management structure, one mission, one set of values and one way of doing business across our organization. The adaptability, flexibility and focus demonstrated by our staff to meet this goal have allowed the company to perform strongly through this period.
As a knowledge business, our professional workforce is a major strategic asset. We have a highly talented and diverse employee base, with more than 110 nationalities represented in more than 90 countries. We have a unique perspective across multiple customer segments and geographic areas, reflecting the different markets, cultures and countries in which we operate. This also allows us to apply a range of different approaches to best meet our customers’ needs.
In 2008, we focused on maintaining a high degree of employee commitment and ensuring that our employees were energized about our purpose and strategy. Results of the first joint Thomson Reuters employee survey were very positive, despite the major changes resulting from the integration and the external backdrop
of extraordinary economic turmoil. Employee engagement has improved significantly (see graphic below). Additionally, the survey results show powerful assets for the company, including a very high degree of discretionary effort by employees and a high level of passion among our staff for the work that they do. We will continue to benchmark these results against a high-performing company norm.
Improved Level of Engagement
During periods of major change, companies often see engagement scores dip, but the level of engagement across our employee base increased by 5% compared to 2007.
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Employee engagement is measured through a survey of all Thomson Reuters employees, which is conducted by Towers Perrin/ISR using its Engagement Index.
More Global Workforce
A substantially changed geographic footprint means that Thomson Reuters now has a significantly more international presence, with nearly half of the workforce outside the Americas. 2008 also saw our workforce balance tip toward Asia – we now have more people in Asia than in Europe.
