Staff matters

Introduction

As a bank that has built its success on doing things differently, Nedbank recognises that one of the factors differentiating it from its competitors is its people, which is why Nedbank makes a point of celebrating their diversity and uniqueness. We are committed to creating a culture in which all our employees can realise their potential, achieve their personal and career aspirations, give back to their communities and generally Make Things Happen – for themselves, their families and others.

2008 HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS

R12,8 million Rand amount allocated to external bursary fund aimed at supporting studies of university students in appropriate fields. This amount funds actual bursaries and related costs. 464 External bursaries awarded to students at 17 different universities across South Africa. 949 Bursaries granted to Nedbank Group employees as part of the internal bursary programme. R3,1 million Rand value of study grants paid to 305 Nedbank Group employees. 227 Employees were paid Education Assistance Fund grants. R1 127 199 Value of grants issued to staff as a result of 230 Holsboer Benefit Fund applications.

93,33% Percentage increase in the number of students participating in the Nedbank Strategic Leadership and Development Programme (SLDP). 13,68% Percentage increase in the number of students participating in the Nedbank Leadership Development Programme (LDP). 10,5% Percentage increase in the number of students participating in the Nedbank Management Advancement Programme (MAP). 61,9% Percentage increase in the number of graduates on the Nedbank Graduate Development Programme. 100% Success rate for the first time of TO PP Trainees for their first- and second-year SAICA qualifying exams. 44,9% Percentage of total staff (including Africa) who attended Role Orientation Workshops as part of the Nedbank Management Development Programme. 2 The number of industry awards garnered by Nedbank HR in the form of the African Banker Award for Gender Sensitivity and the Association for Advancement of Black Accountants in Southern Africa.

3% The percentage decrease of the Barrett Survey entropy score, from 17% to 14%, which is much closer to the optimal level of 10%. 75,1% The overall percentage score of the Nedbank Staff Survey, which compares favourably with international benchmark scores. 628 Total number of positions advertised on the new external eRecruitment system. A total of 22 654 potential candidates were registered on the system and approximately 6 500 referrals were submitted by Nedbank Group employees via the eReferral system. 20 The number of campuses visited during a successful external recruitment radio advertising campaign and graduate recruitment programme, which saw contact made with more than 8 500 new job applicants. 5 961 Number of Nedbank Group employees and dependants who took part in the national voluntary counselling and testing (VCT ) campaign. 11,89% Percentage of employees who made use of the Nedbank Employee Wellbeing programme. R1 274 871 2008 contribution to worthy causes by employees who are members of the Nedbank Group Payroll-giving Project.

• The Nedbank culture and climate is showing vast improvements towards a healthy organisation, which is indicated through the positive trends in the Nedbank Staff Survey and the exceptionally positive scores in the Old Mutual Engagement Survey, compared with 2007.
• Nedbank Group’s total skills spend went beyond expectations. Participation was significantly increased in the areas of business education (in both the LDP and MAP), external bursaries and the Nedbank Graduate Programme. An additional focus area for 2008 was the MDP, in which a remarkable 44,9% of the organisation participated.
• The year under review saw the launch of the recruitment system, with a significant number of potential applicants registered on the talent database. This talent database was aided through the extensive communication of the employer brand and employee value proposition to current and potential employees. The Nedbank internal staff eReferral system and the external recruitment campaign also proved to be productive in the search for potential employees.
• Nedbank employees were given the opportunity to know their HIV/Aids status through onsite and offsite voluntary counselling and testing (VCT). Through increased awareness, more than double the number of the 10% expected employees now know their status.
• Nedbank introduced FlexibleWork Practices to qualifying employees.
• In 2008 Nedbank exceeded its transformation targets. The three-year Nedbank Employment Equity (EE) Plan was delivered to the Department of Labour, with all objectives on track against agreed milestones. The focus in 2008 was on the promotion of diversity, with a noteworthy contribution to this objective being people with disabilities (PWD).
• A thorough review and enhancement of the group’s Remuneration and Recognition Programmes was undertaken this year. In addition, talent plans have been developed in all business clusters and activity in this regard is closely tracked and monitored.
• Agencies that specialise in recruiting PWDs have been engaged and a very successful pilot was run in one cluster.
• The Barrett Survey results demonstrated solid improvements on culture alignment scores.
• The Nedbank Staff Survey delivered increasingly positive results, particularly in the areas of leadership and communication.

 

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS FOR 2009

The recent economic crisis has confirmed our belief that the focus on our people is critical and will become increasingly significant in the years ahead. To this end we will continue to focus on our people’s development, general wellbeing and productivity. Our staff surveys have indicated that our focus has had the desired effect, and we will continue to intensify our efforts in the following areas:

• Build our unique culture of a ‘great place to work’ to attract and retain the best people.
• Ensure that transformation is holistic, beyond the numbers and fully inclusive of all our diversity in terms of race, gender, disability, etc, through meaningful dialogue with our staffmembers.
• Manage our talent in such a way that we retain the best people and provide exciting opportunities for them.
• Recognise and reward our people competitively.
• Create a continuous learning culture that fosters growth on all levels and enables our people to achieve their career aspirations and become fully productive members of society.

 

GRI – Financial Services Sector Supplement: FS1 and FS2