Nedbank's approach to transformation
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Nedbank officially began its transformation journey with the acceptance of the Employment Charter in 1993. Transformation has been core to Nedbank’s strategy and the need to accelerate transformation has also been included as one of the strategic focus areas in the Nedbank strategy for 2008.
Transformation touches every area of our business, including our staff, shareholders, clients, procurement practices, business partners, the community and the environment. By its very nature, transformation can give rise to fear and uncertainty. At Nedbank we understand that our approach needs to address these fears, meet expectations and exceed the requirements as set out in the Employment Equity Act and the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) codes.
Employment equity
So far, representation of designated groups has been measured through the Financial Sector Charter (FSC). In terms of our representation as per the FSC, we have seen positive movement at all levels of employment. Female representation has also increased at all levels.
During 2007 a number of initiatives were implemented to increase understanding of EE, and our executive team was taken through a journey of understanding the EE Act and the dti codes. Training sessions were conducted for all HR professionals, while an awareness session on the dti codes and EE was conducted for all staff.
Employment equity forums
The Employment Equity Forums (EEFs) continue to play a pivotal role in facilitating EE within Nedbank. Under the Chairmanship of Nombulelo Moholi, Director of Group Strategy and Corporate Affairs, the Nedbank Employment Equity Forum (NEEF) has brought more focus to holding each part of the business accountable for EE implementation. Some of the issues dealt with at NEEF in 2007 were:- conducting an investigation into the attrition rates of black managers and providing recommendations on ways to reduce these attrition rates;
- conducting a recruitment audit to ensure that proper recruitment processes are followed and that designated groups are not prejudiced in the process; and
- focusing on cluster EE plans to contribute to positive action towards their delivery of EE targets.
EE plan
In line with the Employment Equity Act requirements, we are currently in the process of developing the 2008 – 2010 EE Plan. The process of developing the EE Plan will include conducting an analysis with Nedbank employees that will assist in understanding the current barriers to EE. Our objectives and action plans will then be built to address the barriers identified by Nedbank employees. Numerical goals have been set for the 2008 – 2010 EE Plan. These goals have been included in the business scorecard and EE has been allocated 10% for the balanced scorecard of executives and management, with an additional 5% for other pillars of the dti codes, amounting to a total of 15% for transformation as a whole.Diversity
One of the key outcomes of transformation is a more diverse workforce, the benefits of which are widely recognised. Among the most important of these are enhanced employee recruitment and retention from a wider pool of high-quality workers, improved corporate image and reputation, and greater innovation. In addition, our clients are diverse, and having a representative workforce helps us respond to clients’ needs.Diversity is, therefore, not only a race issue, nor is it only a South African issue. It touches on many aspects of our lives both at work and in our personal capacities. Diversity is about how we make decisions and our attitudes in relation to, among others, different religions, cultures, genders, sexual orientation, generations and disabilities. As such, Nedbank embarked on the following initiatives in 2007 by way of promoting tolerance and fostering good relations among our employees:
- Distributed the Care about Culture booklet, which has information on the different cultures in South Africa.
- Developed and piloted the ‘Great People’ Programme aimed at creating a shared vision of what is truly a great South African and, hence, what is truly a great Nedbanker.
- Conducted workshops for key decisionmakers and employees on broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE). The focus of these workshops was to create an understanding of what BBBEE is as well as the need for it.
- Developed a BBBEE booklet and distributed it to all employees. The booklet expanded on the Employment Equity Act as well as the FSC to demonstrate how the Employment Equity Act, the BBBEE codes (also known as the dti codes) and the FSC are linked.
- Conducted dti training for all HR practitioners.
Nedbank Internal Ombudsman
The purpose of the internal ombudsman is to give staff an additional channel to voice any concerns they may have regarding, among other issues, discriminatory practices, racism and inequality in the bank, thereby enabling Nedbank to free itself from such practices. Since its inception more than 18 months ago, the internal ombudsman has dealt with 105 concerns, of which 88,6% were successfully resolved by year-end.Nedbank Women’s Forum and Gender Advancement
The Nedbank Women’s Forum played an active part in advancing the Nedbank transformation strategy during 2007. Various informative discussion groups were presented and a number of workshops undertaken. A series of workshops, which were designed to assist new mothers to reintegrate into the workplace, was particularly well-received. The Women’s Forum initiated and implemented a Women’s Empowerment Programme and the forum helped Nedbank celebrate Women’s Day, took part in the ‘take a girl child to work’ campaign and provided life skills training for high-school children.People with disabilities
A key focus during 2007 was to ensure greater accessibility for people with disabilities (PWDs) in the workplace. Considerable progress has been made in improving the working environment for disabled staffmembers, including the following:- Lifts in some of our major buildings have been upgraded with Braille to make them easier to use for the blind.
- A sign interpreter is used in most of the CE’s presentations to make the information accessible to the hearing-impaired.
- An informative booklet was distributed to each staffmember to raise awareness and educate staff on PWD issues.
- The Disability Desk on the Nedbank intranet assists staff with awareness on the needs of PWDs and covers everything from defining disability, to outlining company policies and procedures regarding PWDs in the workplace.
- A joint initiative between Nedbank Sponsorships, Nedbank Vehicle Finance and Nedbank Human Resources saw Nedbank sponsoring the 2007 Disability Expo.
My name is Bella Robbertze and I have worked for Nedbank Group for the past 20 years. I was born with cerebral palsy (CP), which is basically brain damage caused by oxygen starvation in-utero, at birth or in very young children. One of the results of CP is that the damaged brain cannot properly control the tension in muscles and there is a change in muscle tone, which can be either increased or decreased. Every person with CP has his or her own unique problems. People with CP are not necessarily mentally disabled, although they are physically challenged. I am a quadriplegic because all four of my limbs have been affected by my disability.
I was a pupil at the Frances Vorwerg School, where I was elected Head Girl. After school I went to Access College to acquire secretarial and bookkeeping skills. I started my career with Nedbank in 1987 as a secretary to the Manager at South Rand depot. At the time I thought the job would be a stepping-stone to a career in accounting, but instead found myself developing my banking career towards dealing with clients. I see myself as a people’s person and as an administrator and I deal with clients daily, which is thoroughly enjoyable.
Nedbank has been extremely supportive of me. Over the years my disability has become worse and I reached a stage where my workload increased and my mobility difficulties were not helping the situation. I requested the medical aid fund and Holsboer Benefit Fund to assist me in purchasing a motorised wheelchair, which greatly improved my life. After five years, I needed a new motorised wheelchair and again the medical aid assisted me, for which I am very grateful.
I would like to see Nedbank become even more aware of people with disabilities. One step would be to make the branches and buildings more accessible to disabled staffmembers and clients and to consult with them before renovating or changing branches.
Living with a disability brings its own set of challenges, which can usually be overcome with a few small changes. For people with disabilities minor alterations are life-changing as they expand the accessibility of the world.
In conclusion, it is my dream to help educate society about disability, to see 80% of blue-chip companies open their doors to people with disabilities and to see them participating in disability programmes, just as Nedbank does.
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Transformation: the way forward for 2008
Nedbank Group has accepted that transformation does not happen by accident, but has to be planned carefully. To ensure that the transformation momentum intensifies, the group’s transformation objectives for 2008 are to:- Continue with stakeholder engagement by:
– creating a platform for dialogue on transformation; and
– establishing a PWD forum where disability issues can be highlighted and addressed. - Continue to communicate the EE plan by:
– popularising and operationalising the ‘10 Nedbank transformation truths’; and
– continuing efforts to create an enabling culture throughout the group. - Set the diversity management process in motion by:
– talking more about diverse cultures and facilitating cross-cultural respect; and
– expanding the Women’s Empowerment Programme to have greater reach within the group. - Meet annual numerical targets by among others:
– focusing on the advancement of those from designated groups; and
– continuing to attract and retain talented people, especially from designated groups and people with disabilities.
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| Dec 2007 | Dec 2006 | |||
| Total number of employees (opening balance) | 24 034 | 22 188 | ||
| SA permanent employees at beginning of year | 19 666 | 18 681 | ||
| Add: Recruitment | 4 696 | 3 415 | ||
| Less: | 2 781 | 2 430 | ||
| Resignations | 2 337 | 1 944 | ||
| Deaths | 34 | 29 | ||
| Dismissals | 182 | 165 | ||
| Retirements | 96 | 108 | ||
| Retrenchments | 13 | 77 | ||
| Emigration | 94 | 72 | ||
| Disability | 25 | 35 | ||
| SA permanent staffmembers at end of year | 21 581 | 19 666 | ||
| Add: Other staff categories | 4 941 | 4 368 | ||
| Contractors and financial planners | 1 700 | 1 470 | ||
| International staffmembers (including Africa) | 1 793 | 1 595 | ||
| External entities | 1 448 | 1 303 | ||
| Total number of staffmembers (excluding temporary staff) | 26 522 | 24 034 | ||
| This page was updated on 21 August, 2008 |  Return to top |
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