ING Direct 2007 Annual Report Download - page 30

There is increasing evidence for
a link between strong leadership,
employee engagement and
shareholder value: companies with staff-
oriented managers and committed workers
are the most successful. ING therefore puts
great emphasis on having a professional,
business-driven Human Resources function.
In 2007, ING focused on further improving
leadership capabilities and enhancing
employee engagement.
Leadership and talent management
ING invests signifi cantly in enhancing its
attractiveness as an employer. The ING
Employer Brand, introduced in 2006, was
activated across borders and global business
lines during 2007 (see business case).
Our employer profi le is further enhanced
by initiatives that empower our graduate
recruits around the world, such as the ING
International Graduate Programme (IIGP),
which in 2007, under the theme ‘Unleash
your talents’, involved 173 talents from over
30 countries.
In 2007, HR’s Leadership strategy focused
on leadership behaviour that drives
employee engagement. As a result, from
2007 performance evaluation of ING’s top
200 managers now includes leadership
behaviour alongside more traditional
measures related to business objectives.
Mobility, acquisitions and divestments
With an increasing need for international
mobility within ING several types of
international mobility policies came into
effect in 2007.
HR’s responsibility to safeguard the
interests of affected staff meant we were
closely involved in the various acquisitions
and divestments that took place during
2007. ING believes it is important when
merging companies to ensure company
cultures are also merged to create a shared
direction. HR is looking to further develop
its capabilities in this area.
Diversity in practice
Diversity is a key element of ING’s talent
development strategy. To better understand
and meet customer needs, we need our
workforce to refl ect our broad customer
base, in terms of ethnic, cultural and other
make-ups. In 2007, alongside various
diversity programmes, ING also set itself
its fi rst HR diversity goals.
Measuring and improving performance
ING continued to implement its Winning
Performance Culture (WPC) programme
across the organisation. WPC was
introduced in 2005 so ING can measure
itself against the kind of company it aims to
be. ING strives for a culture where shared
company values, beliefs and practices create
and sustain superior business performance.
In 2007, the scope of the WPC scan (an
online assessment providing a snapshot
of ING’s current performance culture) was
extended, resulting in the participation
of over 37,000 employees, a signifi cant
increase on 2006. Though there are areas
for improvement, the scan results suggest
that ING’s employee engagement is higher
than that typically seen in global
organisations. Particular strengths include
employee/job fi t, belief in the organisation’s
future, feeling valued, and trust in senior
leadership.
Improving staff employability
During 2007, measures to improve the
professional development and employability
of ING staff working in the Netherlands
were added to the collective labour
agreement. ING is the fi rst Dutch employer
to do this. The agreement with trade
unions involved a special budget to help
staff improve their employability.
Looking forward
Global HR continues to focus on supporting
ING’s business targets, with leadership
development, employee engagement and
the employer brand all high priorities.
We have invested considerably in enhancing
our attractiveness as an employer-of-choice
across the world. In 2007, our international
campaign included ads in the publications
The Economist and Harvard Business Review,
as well as on their websites. The global
employer brand was rolled out across the
business lines and by year-end had been
successfully activated in 18 countries.
Both the number of people applying to ING
and the number of people viewing ING
careers web pages increased in 2007. While in
Europe in particular, but also across other key
markets, ING climbed signifi cantly up the
‘Ideal Employer’ rankings.
Becoming a global
employer-of-choice
28 Our performance
Our people
ING Group Annual Review 2007