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Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2017
GRI content index / Assurance statement Engaged citizen Fair partner Responsible banker Sustainability management Overview Foreword
Human Resources
Managing human resources in line with the interests of the company and the changing conditions of the professional
world, in particular through digitization, are challenges we’ve never faced before. Creating the best possible
framework for employees to develop and to contribute their potential is one of the key tasks of the Human
Resources (HR) department. Continually monitoring and adapting existing and new approaches is the company’s
primary task, in particular for HR. It is important to put the various dimensions of corporate culture, new technology,
equipment and workspace into a holistic context for the employee. We call this the “Employee Experience.” The
goal is to proactively increase competitiveness, thereby contributing to business success while promoting employee
development.
Impacts, risks and opportunities
As a large financial service provider, RBI has a special responsibility towards its employees. How the company
conducts itself affects not only the employees, but also indirectly affects their families and society as a whole. RBI
is aware of this responsibility and must take action to balance these competing forces every day – generating
adequate profits for its shareholders while at the same time ensuring the well-being of its employees. The opportunity
to create and maintain jobs – with positive socio-economic benefits for individuals and regions – is a major concern
of RBI within its 14 markets in CEE. This has an indirect impact on security, stability and prosperity in society.
Nevertheless, RBI cannot escape technological changes and rising cost pressures and, as a result, cannot
completely avoid economically necessary job losses. RBI considers a responsible approach to this topic to be
essential. In addition, RBI tries to counteract the increased workload for individuals by improving efficiency to
reduce the risk of illness and its possible impact on the families of employees. RBI takes maintaining the physical
and mental health of its employees seriously. Through a variety of health care and sports provisions and
opportunities, the company seeks to prevent potential negative effects of what is primarily sedentary office
work and stress that can have a material impact on well-being.
RBI’s topmost goal with employees, regarding sustainability, involves the topic of meaningfulness. At RBI we are
trying our best to work towards achieving the goal number eight laid out within the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), that is (SDG 8); the transformation towards “good jobs.” We understand this is an opportunity to
increase employee satisfaction, productivity, loyalty and employees’ identification with the company and what it
stands for. The opportunity to be grasped here, which would come from the SDG 8, would be to trigger a quality
competition in terms of “good jobs” – in the case of RBI leading by example in CEE where possible. This goes
hand in hand with fair remuneration, which is a concern of RBI, as it creates a win-win situation.
Through professional diversity management, with a focus on empowering women and employing people with
disabilities, RBI can contribute to reducing inequality in society. If there is no diversity, RBI risks having a lack of
varying perspectives, which influences business decisions and therefore the company’s results. RBI sees utilizing
different cultures to give added value as an opportunity.
Adequate vocational education and training not only contributes to the success of RBI, it also motivates employees.
The sum of all vocational education and training measures provided by the company also influences the educational
level of our society. This is why RBI offers comprehensive learning opportunities for its employees. More details
can be found in the chapter, “Our strategic approach to training and development” from page 86.