Contents Management report Corporate governance Consolidated financial statements Financial statements Pillar 3
In 2015, there has been a lot of attention on the changing
Rabobank organisation. Employees of local Rabobanks have
become more favourable about the time course of the changes
and the way they are involved. For employees of central units
the issues of future development and investment focus require
attention1. Gaining clear insight into the changing organisation
and the desirable staffing is very important.This should be
developed by management to a functional level. Gaining
insight into the changing organisation and the impact on their
own role is also important for each employee.This requires
ongoing management attention and it helps the employee
to assume personal responsibility for his or her future and
employability. This calls for a 'proper conversation' between
management and staff.This conversation is aboutthe current
performance and potential of employees within this changing
context.These conversations should be conducted in a timely
and regular basis and require courage and openness.
Employee Value Proposition
An Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the promise of
the employer, made to its current and future employees.
Major changes within the bank and in the banking environment
caused Rabobank to change its employers' proposition.
For example, in the past, employment relationships were
characterised by lifetime employment. This is no longer the
case. Reorganisation, cost reduction, staff cuts and modified
terms of employment require re-evaluation ofthe (implicit)
employer's offer.
Therefore, in 2015, a project was started to redefine the
EVP Rabobank and to establish what Rabobank, as a special
cooperative bank and employer, actually has to offer to current
and future employees, as Rabobank wants to be and remain
an attractive employer for people it wants to retain. It remains
important that (future) employees connect their talent with the
story, the mission and the ambitions of Rabobank.
When developing the new EVP, we made sure there was
a connection with the labour market proposition Space for you,
which was chosen in 2015. In 2016, the new EVP Rabobank will
be reviewed within Rabobank and subsequently be anchored in
the HR policy.
Cultural movement
In 2014, Rabobank launched the Culture Collective programme,
which focuses on the daily interaction with customers and
between employees. In various ways, Culture Collective
challenges executives, managers, team leaders and staff to
1 Source: Health Monitor ARBO, 1st half 2015.
reflect on their own attitudes and behaviour and the impact on
others. Rabobank subsidiaries DLL and Rabo Real Estate Group
have launched their own cultural paths.
In 2015, management teams of local Rabobanks and teams
at the central units, including those of Wholesale, Rural
Retail participated in meetings that were themed on
'Individual', 'Employee' and 'Organisation: Full customer focus'.
Subsequently, this group of managers is responsible for
transposition to their own unit, and acts as a role model in this
cascading transfer. They receive support and guidance from
facilitators: colleagues who are fully exempted and trained
for this role in the organisation. Additionally, in each domain
culture coaches are appointed who talk about attitudes and
behaviour with directors.
To foster cooperation and increase mutual understanding
between the local Rabobanks and the central units, the
participants in Culture Collective visited each other's unit in
2015. All the foregoing took place under the heading Your
Culture, My Culture.
Values Week
To encourage dialogue about dilemmas regarding attitude and
conduct in day-to-day work situations, Rabobank organised,
from 15 to 19 June, a Values Week worldwide.This week is also
the kick-off for making and signing the banker's oath as set out
in the package Future-oriented Banking. Additionally, within
Rabobank, we developed a 'value range'for all employees in
which the desired behaviours are identified.
The resulting debates this week concerned our culture and the
dilemmas we encounter in our daily work; not about any legal
repercussions. With this approach, Rabobank has shown that
the banker's oath and the associated values are much more
than a protective barrier to avoid getting into trouble. It is
a forward impulse to improve as a financial institution, to better
serve our customers, to give Rabobank more inspiration and to
empower colleagues. In 2016, Values Week will take place again.
Culture survey
Following the first cultural measurement among all employees
ofthe bank at the beginning of 2014, a culture survey was held
among a random sample of employees worldwide was held in
June 2015. The results showed that initial steps of awareness of
personal attitude and behaviour have been made.The results
also indicate that after a period of reflection, employees seem
to want to look ahead and give substance to the future role of
Rabobank as an innovative, efficient and social bank. A yearly
culture survey will measure how employees experience and
assess the culture.
83 Corporate social responsibility report
