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Explanation of stakeholder interaction and materiality

Materiality Assessment

In this report, we provide an up-to-date picture about the topics that are relevant to us and our stakeholders. The topics that we include in this report are determined by our stakeholders’ expectations and also on the basis of our strategic pillars. We closely follow social developments that may affect our organisation. In order to do this, we use external surveys (such as sector surveys), media and political scans, issue analyses, individual interviews and our employee satisfaction survey (Heartbeat). We also look at the GRI guidelines, our reputation surveys, business risks, trend analyses, market developments and the factors that influence trust and reputation. Based on these sources, we drew up a list of the topics most relevant to us. These were then approved by our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and our Senior Management Team (SMT). This means that those teams are also responsible for the actions and achievements in connection with the various topics of material importance. Our progress and our policy with regard to the material topics is evaluated each year, based on the results we have achieved. If that evaluation gives us reason to modify our approach or our policy, we will include this in the relevant chapters of our report.

  • Business ethics: Encouraging all of our employees to work in a responsible, honest and ethical way is in line with our standards and core values, in which training, openness and encouraging reflection and discussion are of are of crucial importance for safeguarding an ethical culture, including a safe environment for reporting concerns.

  • Circular economy: Contributing to the transition towards a circular economy by focusing our attention on extending the service life of our products and by reusing materials not only in our network, but also in our buildings and products

  • Digital inclusion: Contributing to a digital society in which everyone is able to participate, by focusing on helping both young and old to develop digital skills, so that they can continue to play an active part in our increasingly digital society

  • Digital transformation: Creating a future-proof organisation by focusing on the digital transformation of our organisation, so that we are able to fulfil our customers’ changing expectations and needs  

  • Diversity and inclusive culture: Creating a pleasant, safe and inclusive working environment, in which employees feel at home, feel heard and which is reflective of society

  • Electromagnetic radiation: Ensuring that electromagnetic radiation is handled safely and responsibly by focusing on transparent communication with regard to the health effects of electromagnetic fields

  • Energy consumption and CO2 emissions: Reducing our energy consumption and CO2 emissions by focusing on making our offices, data centres and products sustainable and by enabling our customers to make choices that are more environmentally friendly

  • Governance: Ensuring responsible governance and effective governance on a long term basis 

  • Impact of products and services: Developing products and services that will contribute towards a safer, more efficient, healthier and increasingly digital society, ensuring a positive customer experience and reducing our impact on the environment

  • Innovation: Contributing towards the innovative technology that will help people move forward, and enable people to actively participate in society and to feel connected

  • Investing in society: Investing in partnerships with NGOs and foundations, whose social objective is to encourage digital and social inclusion

  • Chain management: Promoting a fair, ethical and responsible chain by focusing on creating a safe working environment and fair wages within our chain

  • Network: Investment in a reliable, innovative and future-proof network

  • Privacy: Safeguarding the privacy of our customers by handling our customers’ personal data in a responsible way

  • Security: Upholding the security of our customers by implementing the correct security measures in order to prevent our customers from becoming victims of crime or cybercrime

  • Responsible employer: As part of our purpose-driven strategy, we are creating an informal, safe and inclusive working environment in which everyone is able to develop within a market that is dynamic and demands a lot from our employees. We take steps to ensure that our people embrace the purpose and come to realise that they are having an impact on society as a result of the work they are doing. In addition, we focus on providing personal development, unlimited training and development opportunities and attractive employment conditions. 

  • Customer care: Investing in order to ensure happy and satisfied customers by putting them first and by listening to their needs and expectations 

These topics determine the basis for our impact report. 

Explanation of stakeholder selection

VodafoneZiggo enables communication between individuals, organisations, governments and companies – everyone who is part of our society. We regard all people and groups affected by our actions or who have an influence on our organisation and service as our stakeholders. As one of the largest telecommunications providers in the Netherlands, we don’t merely feel connected with society, but are actually serving a major need that exists within society and we are aware of the responsibility that this entails. That is why interact and continue to interact with a variety of stakeholders, in order to find out what’s going on in the world around us and what role they feel VodafoneZiggo can play in that world. We use the input that we receive from our stakeholders as one of the factors that inform our strategy and we find it a valuable asset when determining the strategic choices we have to make. In the stakeholder table below, we have provided details of the contact we had and the dialogues that took place with our stakeholders in 2020, the frequency of the discussions and the topics that came to the fore. We have also included information about how we responded to this as an organisation.

Stakeholder group   

How we enter into discussion   

Topics and issues 2020   

Our response   

Link to material topic   

Customers  

1. Reputational research (on a quarterly basis);
2. NPS measurements (monthly);
3. Workshops with customers to gain an effective understanding of the needs, wishes and experiences of the customer (ongoing)
4. Ziggo Community (ongoing)  

1. Impact of coronavirus crisis on our products and services
2. Roll-out of our GigaNet (5G on mobile and docsis 3.1 on fixed);   

1. Focus on mitigating the impact of the coronavirus crisis on our products and services, and on our customer contact;
2. Investment in digital infrastructure  

1. Digital inclusion;
2. Electromagnetic radiation;  
3. Impact of products and services
4. Investing in society;  
5. Privacy;
6. Security;  
7. Customer care;  

Employees  

1. Heartbeat survey (three times a year);
2. All Hands sessions (on a quarterly basis);
3. Joint participation in voluntary activities (ongoing);
4. Onboarding of new colleagues (monthly);
5. Works Council (ongoing);
6. Update from the CEO on the intranet (monthly);  

1. Home-based working and hybrid working;
2. Health and wellbeing of employees;   

1. We have developed a blueprint for hybrid working both during and after the coronavirus crisis;
2. In our communication with our employees, we are more explicitly devoting more attention to their health and wellbeing;   

1. Digital transformation;
2. Diversity and inclusive culture;
3. A responsible employer;  

Government (including politics, ministries and regulators)  

1. Regular consultation with the Board of Directors and all other levels within the organisation on a variety of topics (ongoing);
2. We have contact with relevant parties and organisations at various times, both within and outside the legislative process, about matters that affect VodafoneZiggo (whenever relevant);
3. We contribute by actively participating in consultations in various areas (such as on the topic of rules regarding an investment obligation in Dutch content) (occasionally);
4. We organise working visits and information sessions with professional stakeholders to engage in dialogue on material topics of importance (occasionally);
5. We contribute to roundtable meetings and expert sessions, such as the digitalisation agenda for education of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the Education working group of NLdigital (occasionally);  

1. Contribution of the telecommunications sector towards the combating of the coronavirus;
2. Increase in the usage of our networks as a result of the coronavirus;
3. Digital inclusion;
4. Hybrid working;
5. The security and integrity of our networks;
6. Green and digital transitions;  

1. We are continuing to provide our input with regard to policy proposals and are continuing our efforts to remain compliant with the latest legislation and regulations;
2. Where possible, we will continue to share our constructive insights with stakeholders within government;   

1. Business ethics;  
2. Circular economy;
3. Digital inclusion;
4. Electromagnetic radiation; 
5. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions;  
6. Governance;  
7. Innovation;  
8. Privacy;
9. Security;   

Industry (including sector-specific and trade organisations)  

1. Regular contact via sector-specific organisations (such as NLdigital) (ongoing);
2. We participate in platform discussions (occasionally);
3. We are a partner of various organisations (Netwerk Mediawijsheid, ECP, JINC and VHTO) (ongoing); 

1. Interoperability;
2. Digital inclusion;
3. Digital wellbeing   

1. We will continue to collaborate constructively with the sectoral and trade organisations to coordinate issues associated with interoperability, etc.;
2. Where necessary, we will pull together as a telecommunications sector with regard to policy changes affecting the telecommunications sector;   

1. Business ethics;  
2. Circular economy;
3. Digital inclusion;
4. Electromagnetic radiation;
5. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions;  
6. Governance;  
7. Innovation;  
8. Privacy;
9. Security;   

Society  

1. We strive to build (varying, sometimes temporary) alliances to put problems on the agenda, solve them and/or to influence policy. Examples of this include the Alliantie Digitaal Samenleven (Digital Society Alliance), which sets out to enable people to participate in the (digital) society (occasionally); 
2. We organise events in collaboration with external partners (occasionally);
3. We contribute to roundtable meetings and expert sessions, such as the Education working group of NLdigital and Curriculum.nu (occasionally);   

1. Contribution of the telecommunications sector towards the combating of the coronavirus;
2. Digital inclusion;
3. Green and digital transitions;  

1. We have developed and shared a blueprint for hybrid working both during and after the coronavirus crisis;
2. By means of our People Plant Progress programme, we are focusing on improving society in areas such as digital inclusion, digital wellbeing and CO2 reduction.  

1. Business ethics;  
2. Circular economy;
3. Digital inclusion;
4. Electromagnetic radiation;
5. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions;  
6. Governance;  
7. Innovation;  
8. Privacy;
9. Security;  

Investors;  

1. We collaborate on many different levels (from board of directors to operational management) with our parent companies and (foreign) colleagues (ongoing);
2. We issue our financial results once a quarter and inform parties, such as analysts and the media, about them (on a quarterly basis);
3. Several times a year, we attend conferences, at which analysts can speak with our senior management (2 to 3 times a year);
4. Every year, we organise an office day, on which our senior management provide a business and strategy update to various stakeholders (every 2–3 years);
5. Responding to (basic) questions from analysts/the media about Vodafone Ziggo and responding to requests to the CFO (ongoing);   

1. Market developments;
2. Economic developments;
3. Position of competitors;
4. Roll-out of (new) networks, such as DOCSIS 3.1 and 5G;
5. Green Bonds;
6. Regulation (risks);  

1. To clarify our strategy, GigaNet and financial expectations to the outside world;  

1. Business ethics; 
2. Circular economy;  
3. Digital inclusion; 
4. Digital transformation;
5. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions; 
6. Financial performance;  
7. Governance; 
8. Innovation;   
9. Investing in society; 
10. Network; 
11. Privacy; 
12. Customer care 

Suppliers  

1. Performance promo planning calls (fortnightly);
2. Evaluation meetings (on a quarterly basis);
3. Meetings at management level (a few times a year);
4. Board meetings (1 to 2 a year);  

1. The launching of 5G;
2. Demand and supply changes due to the coronavirus;
3. The impact of the coronavirus on security of delivery within the supply chain;
4. Portfolio changes as a result of the coronavirus;
5. The shift from physical sales to digital sales as a result of the coronavirus;  

1. Due to our constructive relationship with our suppliers and the high frequency of meetings, solutions were found in good time before unforeseen situations occurred;  

1. Business ethics; 
2. Circular economy;  
3. Electromagnetic radiation; 
4. Governance;  
5. Privacy; 
6. Security;  
7. Customer care;   

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