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Our employees come to work every day to make a difference for our guests and for one another. Every employee therefore plays an important role at Comwell, and as a company, we strive to create a supportive environment for our employees and their professional growth.

Our employees are the heart of Comwell Hotels

At Comwell, we give our employees the opportunity to learn and grow, for example through the Comwell Apprentice Academy and Comwell College. We set the stage for a nurturing environment, and here we see that our employees are inspired to build impressive careers, our young, talented trainees are confident in taking on responsibility, and—just as importantly—there is room for employees who need it to have a more accommodating work environment, for example, through the Solsikke Program.

At Comwell Hotels, we go out of our way to create a positive environment for our employees. One of our key priorities is to foster an inclusive work environment where diversity is respected and discrimination is not tolerated. We strive to treat each individual with openness and create opportunities for growth and well-being.

Our efforts to create an inclusive workplace encompass employees with diverse skills, ages, and backgrounds. This allows different experiences and perspectives to come into play in our day-to-day work. For some employees, work life may require special accommodations or adapted conditions, either for a short period or on a permanent basis.

In 2023, Comwell became the first hotel chain in Denmark to become part of the Sunflower programme, which aims to raise awareness of invisible disabilities. Having an invisible disability doesn't have to affect your work, but it can mean that in certain situations you need a little extra time, for example to complete a task.

This creates comfort for our employees, but also for our guests, who can all go to our reception desks around the hotels and get a Sunflower lanyard if they need it.

Attracting and training students is one of the areas we are particularly focused on at Comwell. And to strengthen our training programme, we have - with input from both students and department managers - developed our own Student Academy, which was rolled out completely in 2023.

The Student Academy is a supplement to Comwell's students' ordinary training programme and helps to ensure that students get the most optimal development and learning, both professionally and personally, during their time with the company. Along the way, the students try their skills in so-called 'cross training', where they perform tasks that normally belong to another profession - for example, kitchen students are learning how to work in the reception and MeetingDesigners are taught how waiters work.

The aim is to create a greater understanding between specialisations and tasks of different employees.

Hear what the students have to say here:

We have also joined the ‘JA TAK til elever’ initiative, which is a certification scheme developed by Dansk Erhverv (The biggest employers' association of Denmark), the Education Secretariat and selected vocational schools.

We are also involved in the work with Role Models, developed by the Student Schools' Student Organisation (EEO), where several of our students visit primary schools and talk about their everyday life in school and internships - all with the aim of inspiring more young people to take a vocational education.

Finally, we have joined the ‘Open Business’ initiative run by the Danish Employers’ Association. Through this initiative, we give students the opportunity to visit our hotels and learn about training opportunities in the hospitality industry.

Meet Anna Kehlskov. For the final part of her traineeship, she has been part of Comwell's Student Academy.

For Anna, it has been a particularly valuable experience to be able to meet with other students who have the same education as her, to spar and share challenges and successful stories. One of the most meaningful things is the personal development she has undergone, which has also been shaped by the comfort, trust and responsiveness that the Student Academy has shown her.

At Comwell, it is important for us to create a strong bond with our employees. Young and old both. And we know that for older generations in particular, the ability to organise their working hours is important in order to continue in the labour market.

And we want them to do so. To continue. For us, each employee's knowledge and skills are important in our daily work, which is why we do everything we can to customise a career plan that perfectly matches each individual's career hopes and dreams.

Late Career Policy

In our experience, a 65-year-old colleague can be just as energetic and willing to work as a 30-year-old. So it's not age that determines a strong and important workforce. That's why in 2023 we chose to end the term 'senior' and instead introduced a Late Career Policy that allows for dialogue, openness and flexibility regarding the wishes and needs that may arise during this phase of working life.

Our Late Career policy is based on the employee's life phase, potential challenges and wishes - always in relation to the opportunities Comwell can offer.

At Comwell Hotels, we want to help inspire our employees to develop and learn no matter where they might be in life. That's why our Late Career Policy helps set the framework for people to recognise career opportunities or want a change of scene, even if they're over 60.

A framework that may involve considerations such as:

• A balanced retirement from the labour market?

• More freedom to do what you love?

• Staying connected with just a few hours a week?

Through dialogue and openness, we find the right solutions for each individual employee, which also plays a part in our continued focus on ensuring a good and safe working environment with a high degree of well-being and focus on a proper framework.

60-year-old trainee waiter Ole Roloff, 65-year-old a la carte waiter Jørgen Berg Nissen and 58-year-old waiter Helge Lorenzen all still have impressive careers at Comwell Kolding, where they benefit daily from their many years of professional experience.