In-Formati initiative5, to support voluntary trainers in holding We also offer support to our colleagues returning from leaves
financial education sessions for deaf customers. Developed of absence, whether due to serious illness, maternity leave or
in cooperation with the Italian Deaf Association (ENS), this other reasons.
initiative will support the financial inclusion of the nearly In Italy, for example, our Welcome Back training package
800,000 people in Italy who live with hearing deficits. supports employees as they are reintegrated into our workforce.
In Germany, our hvb-familie.de website for employees on
parental leaves of absence keeps them informed of important
Valuing age company news and events and gives them access to current job
Aging generations and newly imposed retirement restrictions postings.
in several countries make it increasingly important to manage And in Ukraine, our induction program for colleagues returning
generational differences in the workplace. To this end, we from maternity leave helps them catch up on the latest
launched a series of initiatives to assess our colleagues’ stance developments at the bank and adapt quickly to changes in their
on these issues and to develop appropriate responses. work environment6.
In Hungary, we conducted a quantitative and qualitative As part of our ongoing Groupwide City Plan strategy7, we
analysis after our People Survey, to better understand the needs continue to invest in our colleagues’ workplace conditions.
of our senior colleagues. Based on this analysis, we established Our Take Your Space project was launched to promote a new
priorities for an employee career program for seniors to be work environment concept, with an emphasis on design
implemented in 2013. This program includes ways to address solutions that would improve the well-being and work-life
potential issues or obstacles faced by our senior colleagues, balance of our colleagues. The redesign of our workspaces
enabling us to maximize the value of their contributions and enhances flexibility and the quality of our employee
increase their engagement. Selected senior employees will act interactions. We will continue to pursue additional facility
as mentors and trainers for our younger colleagues, sharing upgrades and services for our colleagues.
knowledge and fostering collaboration across generations.
EFFECTIVE WORKSPACES
In Croatia, we launched the Think, Engage, Influence project, which
gives a stronger voice to our junior colleagues by aggregating their
feedback on how to improve our processes. The project engages our
youngest employees and draws on their ability to generate fresh
ideas. In 2013, we will expand the project to our senior colleagues in
order to improve their exchange of knowledge and experience with
our bank’s key decision-makers.
In Italy, where colleagues who are older than 55 years make up
13 percent of our workforce, we designed a program to engage
with and address the needs of older colleagues.
The project incorporates a series of initiatives based on the
results of an initial survey. It will be implemented in 2013.
Promoting work-life balance
An inclusive work environment where individuals can balance
their personal and professional lives helps create a more
engaged workforce. This is vital to achieving strong results.
To this end, we introduced a number of initiatives to improve Our new UniCredit center in Kaiserwasser in Vienna is a strong
our colleagues’ well-being and their work-life balance. In Italy, example of ways to integrate the personal and professional
we launched the UniCredit Welfare Plan, which promotes interests of our colleagues. This multi-functional building
solutions that are flexible to the needs of our colleagues and will host training and customer events, and it includes every
their families. Our Group secured many discount agreements for amenity needed for work-related tasks, including wi-fi access
such services as child and elder care, and we created a section throughout. It will also provide colleagues and their families
on our intranet where employees can manage these services. access to sport and leisure facilities. The UniCredit center was
In 2013, we will continue to expand the range of services, developed in cooperation with UniCredit Bank Austria AG’s Work
improving their national coverage and value. Council and will be completed by mid-2013.
6. Refer to the Supplement for more information on our health and well being initiatives.
5. Refer to the Fostering Communities chapter for more information. 7. Refer to the Preserving Natural Resources chapter for more information.
UniCredit · 2012 Sustainability Report 27