Employee engagement

We want employees to be fully engaged with RSA because that improves motivation and involvement. Motivated employees are excellent advocates for our products and services and actively share ideas and opinions to help solve business issues. Our continued success depends on employees enjoying their work, supporting our culture and our goals.

We engage employees to understand how they view the company and where we can make improvements. It also helps us to communicate plans for the business. We measure employee perceptions of the company through the annual Global Employee Survey and Performance Management Survey. These surveys gauge employee attitudes and help to develop our strategy.

An annual European Consultative Forum brings together employee representatives and management to discuss issues of concern and business developments. In 2008, we held working groups for the first time, discussing the introduction of the new RSA brand as well as how to improve employee engagement in our businesses. Delegates from each country were able to work together with the support of interpreters.

Employees also provide feedback in other, less formal ways. For example, employees are able to comment on UK intranet articles to stimulate debate.

We recognise the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining. In 2008, approximately 75% of RSA’s global workforce was unionised. In the UK and Ireland, we recognise the Unite trade union which represents non-management employees. We take a proactive approach to consulting with unions and employees for any operational changes, including redundancies, which may impact employees and ensure we support people through change. We meet local employment laws regarding minimum notice periods wherever we operate.

During 2008 we made a new agreement that we believe will lead to a smoother and more effective way of working. To help us achieve this, RSA and Unite have each agreed some specific commitments and some collective ones. For example, Unite have committed to set up a forum to share its beliefs, values and strategy with RSA’s leadership. RSA has committed to share strategy across the business and raise proposed changes early and we have jointly committed to more proactive information sharing.

Employees in Lithuania are improving their health and helping the environment by getting to work by bike. In May 2008, Kestutis Gadeikis, Senior Actuary at RSA Lithuania organised a bicycle day which attracted an unprecedented number of participants.

“Since childhood I have been interested in environmental protection. This is why I, along with other RSA employees, cycle to work every day. So I decided to try and encourage others to join us. Since the bicycle promotion day there has been a ten-fold increase in the number of people cycling to work. People are realising that there are many advantages to pedal power. In addition to keeping fit, they also avoid the usual traffic jams.

We have also established a bicycle club as well as organising a company bicycle trip and hope to get more employees involved.”

Kestutis Gadeikis
Senior Actuary, Lithuania

Healthy Customer Service Team

“I manage six customer service teams, a total of around 100 employees. I know that keeping my staff happy and healthy means reduced costs for the business and a better service for our customers.

In the call centre everyone sits quite close together which makes maintaining workplace hygiene vital. By relatively simple means, we have achieved an amazing effect. We implemented a campaign where ‘health’ rates were recorded and assessed in sales reports, by the working environment committee and teams themselves. We also provided information to employees on the importance of health. Together with these actions and by providing disinfectant hand gel in the bathroom we have increased the attendance rate by 3% to 96.5%. This was worth SEK 10 million (around £1 million) to the business from increased sales and reduced sickness costs.”

Fredrick Göthberg
Inbound Sales Manager, Sweden