IN THIS ISSUE 3. Company News 7. FTI News 8. Sports and Social Commitee 9. Motivational Qoute 10. Employee Milestones 11. A Little Ray of Sunshine 12. A typical day with... 14. Thank you
Company News It occurred a year later than it was originally scheduled but eventually it came and gone. We are of course referring to the month long football marathon that culminated the UEFA European Championships. A fantastic opening ceremony, glorious football, and spectacular goals all kept us glued to the television screen for four weeks, whether it was relaxed in our living room with a few beers or outside celebrating and singing with friends.
EURO 2020 is over. We now look forward to Qatar 2022.
At our Company, we have created our version of “Euro-village”, having decorated the Lounge Area with the flags of all 24 participating countries and showing the early afternoon games lives on our television screens. The climax of the tournament came to a boil at the final game when the two most supported football nations in Malta met. After a nail-biting fixture that ended in a draw, and after 120 minutes of football, at the end it was a penalty shootout that brought the cup to Rome.
Human Resources Developments for the Malta Entities In the past weeks, there have been several developments with regards to the Human Resources responsibilities for the Malta entities. Regine Debono Caruana, previously Meeting Point Malta and Meeting Point International HR Manager, has been trusted to take over the HR of the Labranda Riviera Hotel and Spa. Due to this, FTIAS’s HR team, headed by Alexander Barbara, took over the HR of the Meeting Point International team in Smartcity Malta. We wish both teams, together with Regine and Alexander the best of luck on their new ventures. (Photo on the left: Alexander Barbara and Regine Debono Caruana, FTI Group’s HR Champions for the Malta entities, working together to provide HR support of the highest standards to all the Malta entities.) Company News | THE VOICE | 3
Company News An Introduction to Microsoft Teams Weekly Stand Up Meetings Many of you might be curious to know what exactly our HR and Corporate Communications Manager, Alexander Barbara, is doing standing up with his laptop elevated on a tripod. Well, in light of the recent FTI Group transformation project, dubbed as ‘Phoenix’, and in our efforts to go Agile, all the FTI Group HRs, within all destinations, are doing weekly Scrum meetings. Their aim is to update each other on what we worked on the previous week, what we are planning to work on in the current one, and also ask for support from Head Office should we stumble on any barriers. Apart from learning what other HRs within various destinations are working on, this meeting is also creating various synergies between all parties involved. But why standing up…the discomfort of standing for long periods is intended to keep meetings short and Agile.
(Alexander Barbara, part of the HR and Corporate Communications team, attending to one of these HR Scrum meetings.)
Soft Skills Training
National Commission for the Pomotion of Equality Following FTIAS’s Equality mark certification back in 2010 and re-certification in 2017, earlier this year the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) requested further proof from FTIAS Ltd. to recertify the company once again for the next three years. This recertification is based on evidence that FTIAS Ltd. keeps its commitment to implement relevant policies and practices that concern gender equality and family friendly measures at the place of work. As part of the recertification process, the HR team received a list of questions regarding the company and six employees (chosen randomly), were also invited to attend a training session (delivered by NCPE representative) followed up by a short questionnaire. (NCPE Representative Andre Callus together with some of our staff members during the training presentation.) 6 | THE VOICE | Company News
Now we are hopeful that in the next couple of weeks we will be granted once again with the Equality mark and celebrate such important milestone with you.
FTI News Israel added to the FTI Portfolio We are pleased to announce that FTI will be offering, from winter 2021/22, a wide range of package tours to Israel. Over 30 hotels, tours and excursions make Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Dead Sea unforgettable. Israel can be reached daily for FTI guests with flights from Lufthansa Group, EasyJet, Ryanair, and El Al airlines. After that flying and vacations were almost a taboo subject in the last few months, the business has once again become extremely attractive. We can say that we never had a June with more new bookings in our Tour Operator history. We are expanding our offers in Austria and South Tyrol too. Whereas in the Caribbean, we are adding Grenada to our program together with six new hotels. From September we will also start offering an exclusive flight program through European Air Charter. We expect a booking boom, in autumn, for our classic top destinations, being Egypt, Morocco, the Greek islands, the Canary Islands, and Italy. With over 20 years of international experience and more than 8.4 million passengers carried since the company was founded, we have found a competent flight partner in European Air. We now have four Airbus A321 exclusively available for these connections.
A snippet from one of Israel’s beaches.
FTI News | THE VOICE | 7
Company News An Introduction to Microsoft Teams Breakfast Meeting
What a welcome! The new Human Resources team for Meeting Point International BCC Team organised a breakfast meeting where several discussions about what to expect and what Human Resources is currently doing with regards to their Human Resources shift. There was also time for questions to be asked. It was a lovely way to get to know each other and also have a delicous breakfast with some tea and coffee. Staff members from Meeting Point International Business Competence Centre Team.
Sports and Social Committee There’s nothing like a relaxing break in the middle of a working day to get your mind off our busy schedules, therefore we treated our colleagues with a sweet respite the Monday after National Ice Cream Day. Thank you goes to our Sports and Social Committee for coming up with cool ideas on how to make us happier, especially on a Monday!
Some of the ice-cream flavours available on the day. 8 | THE VOICE | Company News/ Sports and Social Committee
“I will breathe, I will think of solutions, I will not let my worry control me, I will not let my stress level break me, I will simply breathe, And it will be okay Because I don’t quit.” Shayne McClendon
Motivational Qoute | THE VOICE | 9
Employee Milestone by Trixie Van Der Kooi
Summer21 - Road Trip Malta-Czech Republic-Malta / 5000Km / 2 weeks Here is what Trixie had to say about her adventure to Czech Republic earlier this month: “Target: Visit Mum after 18 months. So car packed, back seats flat, dogs in the boot and off we went on the ungodly 5:00am catamaran to Pozzallo, Sicily. We had decided to leave early to avoid the main touistic areas; with a right hand drive car, local traffic and 2 dogs, it just made life too complicated. So off the beaten track we went... Road tripping gives you great freedom to do what you want, when you want and how long you want. Itineraries change last minute, hotels get booked just before arrival or on the spot and if you don’t like a planned area, you just continue driving. We travelled up via the Rome to Udine,Salzburg and then Prague. Return via Comacchio (which is like a mini Venice), San Marino, Rimini, Peschici in the Basilicata area, Tropea in Calabria and Siracusa. The highlight was probably the visit to Savoca in North East Sicily where parts of the movie Godfather were filmed. Car full of souvenirs, fridge full of edibles and a wine cupboard stocked with regional made wines. Road Trips are worth it!”
Camacchio San Marino
10 | THE VOICE | Employee Milestone 10| THE VOICE | Employee Milestones
Neopolis Syracusa
(On the left: Daniel during one of the running competitions organised here in Malta.)
A Little Ray of Sunshine It was time for the Operations Support team to give out in the community. This time, they have chosen to help our little fury friends from the Non-Governmental Organisation Animal Guardians Malta, which help abandoned or neglected cats. With the help of the rest of the Company, they collected several items that our staff members don’t make use of anymore, some colleagues bought cat food, and some others collected a nice sum of money for their everyday needs. Well done for this lovely initiative, it feels good to give back.
A Little Ray of Sunshine | THE VOICE | 11
A Typical D
Jason C MPI BCC/Oper 11 years
For the month of July, we meet, Meeting Point International, Business Competence Centre/Opera ManagerJason Cauchi, from and here is what we managed to get to know about his typical days.
So many things changed these last five months for Jason as he just got promoted to DAD, therefore first th the morning is to look at his little one’s happy and smiley face and his day is totally complete! That feeling very new for Jason, but wouldn’t change it for the world he added. Preparation of her bottle, food, and lun are made right after.
When it comes to life at the office, he tries to make it by 09:00 in the morning and go through his super orga calendar and sticks to it. Everything synchronised from his watch, work computer, and home calendars. helps him develop a plan for the following weeks including personal appointments, meal plans, and work t Tons of calls, meetings, and chats with his team members. Priority tasks he goes through them the night b so he is well planned for the next day at the office. Leaves office at around 18:00, and off home to start the shift.
As a person Jason described himself as a very organised freak! He explained that gadgets do tend to mak life better and easier which helps him plan and coordinate it further. For obvious reasons, home automat something that gives him a kick!
When he’s back home, apart from wrapping up his office work, he makes it a must to study and do phy activity. At the moment he is undergoing a Masters in Business Administration and also studying the Ge language (as he describes being a hobby).
During weekends, depending on his wife’s working schedule, it’s a father- daughter day. He also finds the tim practice one of his recent hobbies which is tennis.
Wow, we truly got impressed, having a baby, studying, and working are no joke but we want to wish Jason and also congratulations on his newest addition to the family.
12 | THE VOICE | A Typical Day with...
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Jason with his precious Chloe.
Special Thanks to Kevin Paris - Chief Executive Officer Alexander Barbara - Newsletter Editor Rachel Falzon - Newsletter Co-ordinator Samantha Bugeja AnnMarie Buhagiar Jason Cauchi Vincent Ciantar Katharina Frick Jessica Frendo Cumbo Trixie Van Der Kooi Rodianne Galea Romina Psaila
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