Vitality
Contents Foreword Management report Corporate governance Consolidated Financial Statements Company Financial Statements Pillar 3
have been successful in finding new employment before their
positions became redundant, we have increased participation
in related activities to speed up the process and improve results.
Rabo Global Traineeship
2016 saw the commencement of the first Rabo Global
Traineeship programme: 18 trainees started in March and
another 35 in September, including 15 international trainees
from our regional offices in the United States, India, Indonesia
and the United Kingdom. These international trainees complete
a joint orientation programme in the Netherlands, and are given
the opportunity to tackle an assignment abroad. The personal,
tailored, one-year traineeship gives these young, talented
Rabobank employees the chance to gain greater knowledge
and experience of the bank, and to fast-track their personal
development within various organisational entities both in
the Netherlands and abroad.
The programme also promotes advancement and retention
of talented 'alumni' trainees, through the set-up of the
Management Development Steering Committee for
alumni trainees, under the direction of a Supervisory Board
member and including several directors from various central
departments and local Rabobanks.
One of the bank's strategic pillars is Empowering employees.
Rabobank therefore values the health and vitality of its staff.
Instead of being viewed as the absence of illness, health is now
regarded as the ability to deal with life's physical, emotional and
social challenges, while retaining as much individual control as
possible. Work is no exception, and health therefore represents
the ability to deal with changing circumstances and to take
one's own responsibility to achieve and retain vitality. Rabobank
offers support and encouragement in this respect.
This positive definition of health informs the resources
made available by Rabobank to empower its employees.
Covering areas such as vitality, work-related stress, resilience
and absenteeism, these resources vary from digital tests
and information sessions to courses, workshops and one-
on-one support. As part of this vision on health, in 2016 we
collaborated with the Dutch Cancer Society to present the
'Work and Cancer' workshop aimed at managers and HR
advisers; 113 ergonomics coaches completed training on the
importance of movement at work, and campaigns on vitality
and work-related stress focused on retaining individual control.
During the first half of 2016, 66% of Rabobank employees
reported feeling a sense of vitality (compared to 64% in 2015),
and seven out of ten stated that they felt engaged (67% in 2015).
Absenteeism rates dropped to 3.6 in 2016, lower than both
the figures in 2015 (3.72) and the OH&S standard of 3.7. 47% of
long-term illnesses were mental health disorders (46% in 2015).
In 2016, 46% of employees never called in sick (46% in 2015).
Of those who were away sick, 79% had returned fully to work
within the week (80% in 2015).
Some employees were at risk of becoming unfit for work
in 2016 due to work-related stress, often as the result of
an excessive workload. In the Netherlands, 29% of employees
said they experienced their workload as high (2015: 31%),
and 15% experienced reported experiencing work-related
stress (2015: 18%). The workload figures exceed the OH&S
standard of 25%.
Culture change
The Culture Collective movement that was started in 2014
continued into 2016. Board members, managers, team leaders
and employees were challenged in a variety of ways to reflect
on their attitudes and conduct, and how they influence others.
The Culture Collective meetings were in line with both the
bank's current internal transitions and prominent customer
focus. Management teams of local Rabobanks, management
teams at the central units and HR managers took part in events
dealing with how to be a rock-solid bank by empowering
employees within an ever- changing environment.
We also organised a summer school, and all board members,
managers and team leaders were invited to attend. The sessions
focused on providing team coaching as an alternative to one-
on-one interventions when resolving underlying problems
in teams. Real-life examples were used to provide first-hand
experience and the opportunity to learn through giving and
receiving feedback.
Managers are responsible for concretising concepts for their
own business units, and acting as role models for cultural
change. They are supported in this role by culture coaches from
their units and central facilitators. Preparations are being made
to include Culture Collective in the Performance and Health
plan for 2017 and beyond, with the intention of making line
management responsible for creating a healthy day-to-day
working culture.
Remarks:
Absenteeism figures are for all Rabobank employees in the Netherlands.
Figures on work-related stress, workload, engagement and vitality are
limited to employees of local Rabobanks during the first half of 2016.
99 Our output and impact: developing talent and competencies
