Human Resources

Eureko’s business model is stakeholder based: customers, distribution partners, shareholders and, last but not least, employees. We aim to create value for all our stakeholders. For employees, this means we must actively create a working environment in which they can use their skills and talents to full effect while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We aim to be a preferred employer. But we are equally selective in our recruitment and retention. That is because the people who create value for all stakeholders need to have a particular mindset. They need to be performance driven and at Eureko, performance means both result focused and customer service-driven.

HR challenges
We ask a lot of our employees. Whether they work for one of our brands or distribution divisions in the Netherlands, at the holding, or at one of our operating companies around Europe, Eureko seeks the same commitment to customer service. But we ask even more. As a European organisation, we must be aware and prepare for changing demographics, greying populations, diversity. In 2010, the labour force in the Netherlands is expected to decrease for the first time in modern history; other European countries are in the midst of similar demographic change. In the current economic environment, 2010 may seem a long way into the future. However, Eureko is convinced that we cannot lose sight of the longer-term realities that will challenge us in the future.

Employee satisfaction
Every year, Achmea in the Netherlands carries out an Employee Satisfaction and Commitment Survey. The aim is to discover employees’ perceptions of the organisation, how committed they feel to Achmea and how effective measures resulting from previous surveys have been. In 2008, it is gratifying to conclude that employee commitment and general satisfaction has grown, with response levels (69%) almost the same as in 2007 (70%).

Key goals in 2009 are talent development and deployment of employees and enhancing the quality of management.

Preferred employer
We work consistently on becoming the kind of preferred employer that not only establishes Collective Labour Agreements (CLA; CAO in Dutch) for its people, but also helps them to grow their employability. Eureko people must also be aware of the bigger social picture. One example is the joint ‘life-stage diversity’ programme we have launched in the Netherlands with the Universities of Utrecht and Tilburg, trades unions and the works’ council. In a competitive environment, with an ageing and culturally diverse labour market, we aim to remain a sustainable and attractive employer. By recognising and valuing the diverse qualities of individuals we are convinced that Eureko will become even more customer focused and innovative, creating even more value for our stakeholders. One immediate result is that in a recent independent survey our umbrella-brand Achmea earned the top position as employer for working parents. Achmea ranks among the top five preferred employers in the Netherlands.

Diversity programmes
Also in the Netherlands, we have launched pilots on what we call the Achmea Work Concept. The concept is concerned with how we work in the broadest sense of the word – it explores the physical, mental and virtual environment our people inhabit during their working day. We are looking at innovations in the way we organise our work station and how IT contributes to facilitating the job. Diversity in solutions is a primary goal – the range of solutions will be diverse because we are a diverse group of people. As part of the new CLA, we have already introduced a special ‘diversity day’ holiday. There are also special arrangements so that employees can do voluntary and community work. It is initiatives like this that drive home Achmea’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and help ensure Achmea ranks in the top five of preferred employers.

Management development
Another key component in our Human Resources strategy is management development. We further accelerated the Management Development (MD) programme by reviewing and profiling every individual manager and specialist in the top 1,000 (2007: 300). This is an ongoing process because we believe that developing our individual specialists and managers is the most effective way to develop the organisation. The MD programme is driven by MD Committees in every division, operating company, at Achmea and Eureko levels and in the functional disciplines. From 2009, we will be introducing succession planning Europe-wide.

Education and training

Our people have to be assured of our commitment to and investment in growing their skills. Eureko offers a wide range of education and training programmes. Ensuring the right people are in the right place and equipped with the most appropriate skills is an ongoing challenge. So coaching, action-learning and on-the-job learning are important for personal and professional development. Group-wide, our strategic programmes include:

The Eureko Academy
The Eureko Academy focuses on stimulating the exchange of knowledge and expertise, also through e-learning, within Eureko. In addition to the Eureko Group, it also works with Eurapco partners, arranging workshops, meetings and seminars. All programmes, designed in cooperation with academic partners from around the world, are tailored to meet organisational business objectives. Within the Eureko Academy framework, we have developed a number of dedicated ‘business schools’ that focus on specific disciplines, such as marketing, HR and finance alongside existing programmes for actuaries.

Management programmes
We have an extensive range of management development programmes, including leadership, accelerated learning to fast-track managers, and the annual ‘Challenge’. This brings together our commitment to corporate social responsibility and the development of our (future) leaders. This programme started in 2005 and ended in 2008. In total, seven groups of 15 managers participated. Themes included housing for people with dementia, youth unemployment and homelessness, literacy, safety and care, diabetes and informal care.

Traineeships
Eureko’s International Management Traineeship is an award-winning programme, with international opportunities throughout Eureko for ambitious starters with a background in general or financial management. The growth in international opportunities for employees and Eureko’s increasing internationalisation go hand-in-hand. The advantages are clear: we are able to attract more people with international ambitions; more of our people gain international experience; the employer of choice strategy in mature job markets is reinforced; and international solutions for local labour markets become feasible. From 2008, our operating companies in Greece and Turkey have also launched the traineeship opportunity. Furthermore, we are offering actuarial traineeships in the Netherlands to colleagues from the operating companies in Eastern Europe.