Employees

The ongoing professional training of our employees is a matter of fundamental importance. For this reason, in 2017, we provided training activities with the aim of offering ongoing technical training and nurturing managerial skills for the various categories of professionals operating within the Bank. In 2017 more than 560,000 hours of training were provided to the Group's staff, for an average of 48 hours per employee.

The growth and evolution of the Bank is often a source of opportunities for people to move within the organisation and acquire new knowledge and skills. Secondments, changes in role and travelling for work are all opportunities for employees to progress in their careers and represent a support for the bank in terms of organising its business.

A solid governance process was created in order to govern the definition, implementation and management of remuneration policies. This process involves a number of company bodies and departments at different levels and depending on their jurisdiction.

A key role continues to be played by our internal communication activities and the involvement of employees in promoting our corporate culture and values and spreading our objectives and policies. In 2017 BPER Banca celebrated its 150th anniversary. This was also an opportunity to strengthen the new positioning and identity of the Parent Company including with regard to its employees.

The promotion of female resources and gender equality represent fundamental moral principles, as well as important competitive instruments for the success of the business. This is why we have developed a series of management and organisational projects to promote merit and improve our staff’s work-life balance. The Group’s population is balanced in terms of male and female employees.

During the course of 2017 the Employee Welfare plan was extended, with a view to providing products and services that take into account the individual family requirements. The offer of welfare services covers the areas of supplementary healthcare, assistance to family members, supplementary pensions, training and education and services related to free time, as well as cultural and recreational activities.

I temi legati alla mobilità sostenibile si inseriscono all’interno del nostro Piano Welfare. Favorendo la gestione degli spostamenti casa-lavoro attraverso l’uso di modalità di trasporto più sostenibili riusciamo a coniugare il benessere delle nostre persone con l’attenzione all’ambiente delle città nelle quali viviamo e lavoriamo.

The policy adopted by the Bank to ensure that all its employees can enjoy the right to health and safety was drawn up in consideration of the following principles: pursuing the protection of health and psychophysical integrity of workers, including through the creation of high-quality workspaces, equipment and processes; pursuing the evaluation of “risk factors” as well as “risk conditions” and the “precaution principle”, through company measures to improve the well-being of employees beyond the regulatory provisions.

During the course of 2017 negotiations continued on trade union procedures associated with some of the most significant extraordinary operations under the 2015-2017 Business Plan. The ever-increasing management difficulties and complexities, resulting from an economic, social and political scenario that has been rendered even more unstable by the difficulties in the credit sector, has not prevented a fruitful dialogue between the parties and the signing of significant agreements. During the course of 2017, discussions with the trade union organisations enabled us to continue to extend the Welfare Plan of BPER Banca and the other companies of the group and make improvements to the respective web page.