Our Stakeholders

How we engaged

We actively engage with the investor community through meetings, roadshows and conferences, and are very grateful for their long-term support. The Board receives regular updates on investor themes and questions and the Chair also hosts meetings with some of our largest institutional investors.

What was important in FY25

• Clear communications and transparent reporting
• Early engagement with investors by our new Chair
• Transparent communication around progress against our focused strategy
• Focus on embedding sustainability in our strategy and investment case

Our actions and how we responded

• Regular engagement with shareholders and analysts
• Appointed a new Head of Investor Relations
• Clear communication around progress against our focused strategy (more information on page 8)
• Evolved our investor slide deck and ESG reporting

How we engaged

We invest substantially in training, development, diversity and culture to ensure Hays is a great place to work. This was supported by enhanced leadership communication around our People & Culture strategy. This was done via town halls, videos, email campaigns and regional Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). We also undertake bi-annual global employee engagement surveys. The results are analysed by regions and executive management and presented to the Board.

What was important in FY25

• Clear communication of our focused strategy
• Ongoing commitment to learning & development
• DE&I progress
• Advocating for positive mental health and colleague wellbeing
• Communication of our Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
• Enhanced working practices with flexible and hybrid working
• Promotions and overseas transfers

Our actions and how we responded

• Direct actions based on Your Voice findings (more information on page 37)
• Created a new set of Valued Behaviours and a modernised leadership framework.
• Progress on our DE&I strategy
• Enhancements and growth of ERGs, including an ERG Leaders training programme developed
• Board commitment to employee mental health (more information on pages 62-63)

How we engaged

By building long-term relationships with candidates, we help them fulfil their career ambitions. Our engagement is multi-channel, working via our website, social media, publications and Hays MyLearning, our free-to-use Training & Wellbeing platform.

What was important in FY25

• Providing career opportunities
• Market insights, thought leadership and expert career advice
• Provision of training and development via Hays MyLearning
• Helping people back into the workplace
• Identifying and supporting hidden talent
• Protecting customers’ data

Our actions and how we responded

• Investment in customer service and user experience
• Career mentoring and volunteering (more information on pages 60-63)
• Tailoring learning and development to individual career requirements (more information on page 83)
• Talent+ initiatives in the UK&I and Germany
• Focus on data protection and responsible AI strategy (more information on page 86)

How we engaged

We seek to have a positive impact by engaging with the communities in which we operate, actively providing support, career advice and training. Our ‘Helping for your tomorrow’ programme continued to expand in FY25. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact, setting ambitious targets to halve our own GHG emissions by 2026 (see more information on page 67), and reducing our broader environmental impact. Our Net Zero Working Group is developing strategies which will underpin our SBT on reducing carbon emissions.

What was important in FY25

• Ongoing growth of ‘Helping for your tomorrow’ and our volunteer/community programmes worldwide
• Increased internal awareness of our environmental impact and our GHG abatement strategy
• Remaining carbon neutral
• Maintaining a trajectory to deliver on our SBTs
• Fee growth in the Green Economy

Our actions and how we responded

• Each colleague globally is entitled to one day of volunteering each year
• Volunteering decreased by 48% year-on-year. Our efforts are targeted on helping people in the world of work, and the environment (more information on page 62)
• Significant local charity fundraising
• For the third year, our ‘Neighbourly’ initiative in the UK delivered over 6,500 hours of volunteering in FY25. The UK&I continues to offer two volunteering days per colleague
• Developed our ESG double materiality analysis (see page 55) and also a verification readiness review for our GHG data

How we engaged

We are committed to treating our suppliers fairly and with respect, and publish a Supplier Code of Conduct on our website. We have contacted landlords and are in discussions with suppliers to assess their commitment to reducing environmental impact and increasing societal engagement.

What was important in FY25

• Clear Supplier Code of Conduct
• Partnership in reducing environmental impact, including stating our preference to work with partners also on a Net Zero journey

Our actions and how we responded

• Communication of our environmental standards and requirements to customers
• Working with landlords around our own GHG reduction plan