YOU ARE HERE:
 

EMPLOYEES

 

CASE STUDY INDEX

Induction at Skandia UK
Company inductions are a great way to introduce a company's culture, history and values to new employees.

Employee benefits, Skandia UK
Everyone has different needs and aspirations at different points during their lives so a little flexibility goes a long way.

We work hard to ensure that we attract, engage and develop the best people by creating an environment where our employees feel supported, challenged and rewarded.

As part of this we have a set of commitments to our employees that are part of our Responsible Business Policy. Across the Group we will:

  • Recruit and reward employees fairly and according to merit. This is balanced with the need to ensure that the Group assists with advancing transformation in the unique context of South African operations.
  • Promote the health and wellbeing of employees in the work environment.
  • Provide opportunities for employee dialogue, listen actively and encourage participation in the resolution of issues.
  • Invest in employee development to support each individual in reaching his or her full potential and provide opportunities for career and personal advancement, including involvement in community activities.
  • Safeguard employee rights, including but not limited to, rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
  • Embrace and encourage the diversity that exists amongst employees, whilst treating individuals with respect.

We believe that our business units are best positioned to manage issues relating to their employees, so specific policies for employees are set at local level. But this local flexibility is complemented by a strong Group framework that helps shape the way we relate to our employees. Our Group values and our Responsible Business Policy, supported by our Code of Conduct, provide a broad overview of our approach, while our Group HR Policy sets out in more detail the standards of what we expect from business units.

Developing our people

To help employees fulfil their potential, we have a formal process to identify training needs and create individual development plans. Our Career Choices model helps employees to identify the right career path for them and clarifies the knowledge and skills they will need at different management levels. It also ensures that they know what is expected of them at each level of the business.

Managing succession risk

The loss of key staff can cause significant disruption in any company, and we see this as a key risk to the business.

We have mitigated this risk by strengthening our succession planning and our processes for growing talent within the business. In 2008 we developed the Global Leadership Potential Programme to identify individuals with top leadership potential and give them as early as possible the support they need to accelerate their progression. We also introduced a talent database to help us analyse and measure our succession coverage index. This means we are able to fill 65 percent of our leadership vacancies internally.

Increasing diversity

We are committed to increasing diversity throughout the Group: the different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of our employees are a great asset. Our policies ensure that no employee receives less favourable treatment on grounds of their gender, age, sexual orientation, race, disability, religion or any other factor unrelated to the requirements of their position. In southern Africa, recognising the unique circumstances, we balance these principles against our commitment to address employment equity and transformation issues.
As part of our focus on increasing diversity we closely monitor our employee profile, particularly at higher management levels.

Nearly half of all our employees are women and in 2008 the proportion of women in the top leadership group rose from 20 percent to 24 percent.

Case Studies

Induction at Skandia UK

Company inductions are a great way to introduce a company's culture, history and values to new employees. We revamped our induction programme in 2009 to make sure our new starters get off to a great start with Skandia. Now presentations contain regular quizzes and activities throughout the two days to consolidate what the attendees have learned about Skandia. At the end of the induction programme participants are asked to create a representation of Skandia in any format they choose; collages are a popular choice. Fran Herridge runs the two-day induction said "We've had great feedback and people seem to really enjoy the two days with us. The final task always brings out some really creative ideas - we've had Skandia represented as a lonely hearts ad and one group even created a board game."

Employee benefits, Skandia UK

Everyone has different needs and aspirations at different points during their lives so a little flexibility goes a long way. Skandia employee benefits package is modelled around lifestyles and life changes and is now flexible enough for employees to select the benefits that really matter to them. More than 2000 employees in the UK logged on to you+, our flexible benefits online system and chose the benefits that are important to them. More than 50% of employees increased their holiday allowance for 2009. Over 4,000 days were bought and nearly 400 days were sold; 28 people joined the cycling to work scheme and bought £11,850.47 worth of cycles and equipment; through the Give As You Earn scheme employees are donating nearly £20,000 a year to charities of their choice.