Employee enhancement, motivation and strengthening a sense of belonging are identified in the Business Plan as key factors for achieving strategic Group targets. Drawing on the inspiration behind LECOIP, investment plans that in 2018 will allow people to benefit from sharing the value created by the Business Plan, a significant commitment has been made regarding actions and processes to drive the engagement and motivation of people, developing real opportunities to build merit, professionalism and skills. Value has also been created through a system of industrial relations that maintain social cohesion and develop innovative and sustainable solutions focused on developing the supplementary welfare system for employees and their families. Finally, we continued to invest in ongoing training, focusing on important projects to support the Bank's strategic decisions.

DEVELOPMENT PLATFORMS AND INITIATIVES

On Air

Again in 2016, professional management and development at the Intesa Sanpaolo Group were facilitated by the “On Air” platform, which promotes personal motivation through a structured process involving making a statement about one's experience and abilities and signing up for professional growth and development.

Additionally, in the Banca dei Territori Division, the “skills census”, was relaunched, involving two steps: self-evaluation in the first, and the manager's evaluation in the second.

This skills survey enables the identification of the mix of skills available in each organizational unit, the setting up of targeted training materials and assistance with professional development choices, as envisaged by the Accordo Integrativo (Supplementary Agreement) in 2015. In 2016, there were 19,219 applications (9,851 women and 9,368 men). In response to the changing demands and the emergence of so-called new trades, and thanks to the mapping of expertise, skills, motivation and aptitude made available by On Air, the Direct Job Offering process continued, allowing targeted job search campaigns based on the nature of the open positions and skill requirements in the Company. An internal job market approach has created opportunities and space for growth across the Group for interested and motivated employees. There were 730 applications in 2016.

Managerial Development

In 2016, Intesa Sanpaolo established new guidelines on managerial assessment that identified two types of assessment: the Manager of Managers level for internal positions of responsibility over other Heads and Area Managers; and the Manager of Professionals level for positions of responsibility over Professionals and/or Branch Managers, focused on the application of a dedicated competency model adapted to the complexity of the managerial challenge. In Italy, during the year, managerial assessments were held involving more than 661 people.

The Corporate and Investment Banking Division continued with the individual development programme for to all managers (Thorough Managerial Feedback), involving about 110 managers (92 men and 18 women).

A Managerial Assessment project was also conducted at the International Subsidiary Banks, primarily targeted at second line managers, with a total of 286 managers (174 men and 112 women). The aim of the project was to highlight the target population’s compliance with the new Group managerial expertise model and define development initiatives in line with the improvement areas underlined by the assessment at both individual international bank and cross-country level. In line with the action taken in Italy, and in order to support managerial development locally, a tool, known as International Consequence Management, was extended to the International Subsidiary Banks enabling the creation of courses on personal development to strengthen skills with the potential for improvement.

Leadership Styles

The aim of the “Feedback 180°” project is to strengthen leadership styles by entrusting people with responsibility and making them aware of prevalent styles in order to support managers in the development of their leadership approach and bring them in line with business challenges. In 2016, the project involved 455 people (354 men and 101 women). “Feedback 180°” involves an initial assessment of leadership actions and how these impact on corporate efficiency. This is followed by a look at the results and a discussion on the strengths and areas for improvement that emerged. The course then involves the definition of individual and group development and empowerment programmes, and monitors the changes and improvements achieved.

The International Subsidiary Banks Division has also prioritised the support for management in achieving business objectives and the enhancement of leadership quality, making it a distinctive feature. In this light, the “Excellence 360°” project was launched for all 41 managers at Head Office and for the banks' first managerial lines, including CEOs and deputies (118 individuals), a total of 159 participants (106 men and 53 women). “Excellence 360°” is a tool aimed at making participants aware of their leadership styles, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement and creating the conditions to implement a behavioural change that would enable improved performance. Specifically, the skills under assessment were divided into 4 areas: Business Orientation, Driving to Excellence, Cross-functional Collaboration, and Managing People. The behaviours included in the feedback questionnaire were evaluated by the participant, by his/her line manager, and by 5 evaluators for each of the following categories: peers, employees and cross-functional customers/suppliers, with each participant (about 2,700 in total) receiving feedback from 17 individuals. Questionnaire results were made into individual reports and given to participants by a senior consultant in a two-hour coaching session, in which the elements where development efforts should be focused were identified. By January 2017, all participants had received their reports.

Performance Assessment

The new “PerfoRmer 2.0” performance assessment system is based on qualitative performance indicators that are more concrete and in tune with the less technical language of employees. The indicators are expressed on a qualitative scale with five levels of effectiveness. A new assessment form for heads of individual structures is also available.

Another new addition is “People Portfolio Management” which, through a matrix dedicated to the manager, correlates performance (final summary judgement) with leadership styles: the aim is to support and guide the managerial actions of managers towards the issues of the development and growth of employees and to strengthen the importance of the dialogue between managers and staff, which is key to professional development.

Performer 2.0 has been operational across the Group since January 2016 – apart from the International Subsidiary Banks that have an assessment system known as the “Global Performance System”.

The system is inspired by principles of impartiality, merit and the long-term sustainability of the results achieved, and aims to promote the dissemination of a performance culture based on the assessment and recognition of individual merit. In 2016, a project to implement the tool was launched with the aim of improving certain technical functionalities and making the system's methodology more flexible and more advanced, as well as facilitating the trickle-down of objectives.

TALENT MANAGEMENT PROJECTS

Intesa Sanpaolo International Talent Program

In 2016, the focus was on completing the design and construction of the Group Talent Management System, which in 2017 will be devoted to implementing the first Intesa Sanpaolo International Talent Program, aimed at contributing to the development of part of the next generation of the Group's middle management.

The program is in line with some of the Business Plan's central objectives – including talent and leadership development, strengthening motivation and a sense of belonging – and is also one of the first talent management initiatives devoted to Group employees globally. It will also help to improve internal mobility management. The key points are: a structured selection process; an innovative training offering with a high level of professional and managerial specialisation; and tailor-made career paths with 3 mobility levels (inter-divisional, cross-functional and international) specifically designed according to professional experience, aptitude and individual motivation.

The first phase will involve over 1,000 Group employees, invited to participate in a multi-stage selection process that will identify the first “class” of about 100-150 Talents, i.e. the first group of employees who will access the Programme during 2017. The medium-to-long-term goal is to involve 400-500 employees once the Programme is fully operational.

The initiatives include: courses (3 to 5 years) customized according to profile and aptitude; international experience (at least one year) in the various Group structures; specialised managerial training in English; mentorship programmes with Group senior managers.

To ensure high standards of quality and performance, the International Talent Program concludes with a monitoring and evaluation system via an IT platform. The assessment is annual and based on specific value-based indicators to detect programme effectiveness in terms of business impact, participants' professional development and contribution to achieving objectives.

International Career Paths

Intesa Sanpaolo strives to develop and motivate its people through the creation of international and inter-departmental career paths. International mobility is therefore currently regarded as a strategic management tool both for the development of the skills and expertise of personnel and for the strengthening and consolidation of a common culture at Group level.

During 2016, regulations on mobility within the Group were revised, highlighting the important role of all actors involved.

FAIRNESS AND VARIABLE REMUNERATION

Following the agreements reached in 2015, and as part of the of the second-level collective bargaining agreement, a union agreement was also signed in 2016 that provides for, in lieu of the Company Bonus and the Incentive System, a Variable Results Bonus (VRB) for personnel employed in Professional Areas and in the middle management category. The experimental nature of the VRB was reconfirmed this year, as was the rationality in allocating bonuses to ensure recognition of the professionalism and commitment from each person in the Group towards realising the Business Plan.

The Variable Results Bonus has three components:

  • the base bonus, primarily designed to reward all Group employees for their collective contribution to achieving the results outlined in the Business Plan, as well as to support those with lower salaries as part of an internal equality policy. Given its “participatory” nature, the base bonus is independent of the contractual agreement and the professional role held or the seniority accrued;
  • the additional bonus that recognises the contribution made to the results of the relevant department and varies according to the role or seniority and the professional category;
  • the excellence bonus, which rewards individual merit and the distinctive contribution made to achieving the team’s results.

In light of recent changes to the regulatory framework, the Parties have identified various innovative tools that enable bonuses to be recognised in the form of welfare services (the so-called social bonus), building also on what has already been tried and tested within the Intesa Sanpaolo Group.