Employment and salaries
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[102-8]
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[102-41]
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[401-1]
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[401-2]
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[401-3]
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[405-1]
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[405-2]
The employment policy at the bank and the Group is based on the principle that every employee is important, regardless of their sex, age, health, sexual orientation, religious denomination, marital status or country of origin.
[GRI 102-8] As at 31 December 2019, the number of employees in the bank’s Group was 27 700 FTEs, 85% of which were the bank’s employees (23 600 FTEs). The majority of employees were women (74%). Employees aged 30-50 were the largest age group in both the bank’s Group and the Bank (63% in the Group and 61% in the bank, respectively).
Most employees of the bank’s Group and the bank are employed full time. Most of those who work part time are women.
Regular workers constitute 87% of the employees of the bank’s Group and 88% of the employees of the bank; the rest are middle and senior managers. 72% of the bank’s employees have been employed for more than 10 years (68% of the employees of the bank’s Group).
Structure of employment in the bank and the bank’s Group by type of position, age, working time and gender [GRI 405-1]
| Bank | Bank’s Group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| women | men | total | women | men | total | |
| by job group and gender | ||||||
| regular employees | 77% | 23% | 88% | 76% | 24% | 87% |
| middle management | 69% | 31% | 7% | 66% | 34% | 8% |
| senior management | 56% | 44% | 5% | 52% | 48% | 5% |
| total | 75% | 25% | 100% | 74% | 26% | 100% |
| by age group and gender | ||||||
| up to 30 years | 72% | 28% | 13% | 71% | 29% | 15% |
| from 30 to 50 years | 72% | 28% | 61% | 71% | 29% | 63% |
| above 50 years | 84% | 16% | 25% | 83% | 17% | 23% |
| total | 75% | 25% | 100% | 74% | 26% | 100% |
| Full-time vs part-time employment | ||||||
| Full-time | 75% | 25% | 99% | 74% | 26% | 98% |
| Part-time | 77% | 23% | 1% | 65% | 34% | 2% |
| Total number of employees | 75% | 25% | 100% | 74% | 26% | 100% |
Fluctuation index calculated as the ratio of employees terminated in 2019 to the number of employees as at the end of 2018 was 14% for the bank and 15% for the bank’s Group. The fluctuation was much higher among women than men.
New employees and fluctuation in the bank and the bank’s Group by age group and [GRI 401-1]
| Bank | Bank’s Group | Bank | Bank’s Group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| newly hired | turnover index | |||
| <30 | 50% | 46% | 4% | 5% |
| 30-50 | 47% | 50% | 7% | 8% |
| >50 | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Total | 12% | 15% | 14% | 15% |
| women | 68% | 66% | 10% | 11% |
| men | 32% | 34% | 4% | 4% |
| Total | 12% | 15% | 14% | 15% |
Returns to work after parental leave [GRI 401-3]
| Bank | Bank’s Group | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| parental leave | women | men | women | men |
| Employees who used parental leave in 2019 | 953 | 6 | 1 155 | 10 |
| Employees who returned to work in the reporting period after the end of parental leave in 2019 | 628 | 6 | 747 | 8 |
| Employees who returned to work in the reporting period after the end of parental leave, and who are employed at the end of the year | 549 | 6 | 654 | 8 |
| share of returns to work after parental leave | 66% | 100% | 65% | 80% |
| share of employees who returned from parental leave and remained at work | 58% | 100% | 57% | 80% |
Men also used parental leave and after returning to work they remained employed as at the end of the year. In the case of women, some of them terminated their employment after returning from leave.
The Policy for remunerating the employees of the bank and the bank’s Group ensures a consistent salary system by:
- applying a salary system which is in line with market trends, acquiring optimal job candidates,
- adjusting mechanisms, tools and salary levels to the bank’s and bank Group’s strategy and goals,
- taking into account the bank Group’s ability to shape the desired mechanisms and salary levels,
- setting permanent salaries on the basis of job valuations,
- developing the remuneration structure on the basis of the results of work achieved and appraisal of the skills of the employees;
- building employee responsibility for the tasks being assessed on the basis of objectivized criteria,
- ensuring that the variable components of the salaries are parameterized so that they take into account the bank’s and bank Group’s long-term cost of risk, the capital cost and liquidity risk,
- establishing a system in which monetary or non-monetary forms of remuneration do not encourage the people involved to favour their own interests or the interests of the bank and other entities from the Group to the detriment of customers.
[GRI 102-41] A Collective Bargaining Agreement concluded with the company’s trade union organizations is in force at the bank, regulating, among other things, salary issues. According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the bank’s employees are entitled to the following salary components: (i) a basic salary, (ii) allowances for working overtime and in conditions which are particularly onerous and harmful to their health, (iii) bonuses and rewards for special achievements at work.
Basic salaries and additional benefits granted to employees are set on the basis of job valuations and an analysis of market salaries.
The bank has a bonus system under which the amount of a bonus depends on achieving set targets. The targets set for the employees are related to the bank’s key management indicators.
Apart from the bonus system, there is a system for awarding the bank’s employees. Employees may receive awards:
- individually – for those employees who achieve outstanding professional results or attainments bringing important effects for the bank,
- for recommending candidates for the bank’s employees,
- for actions related to employee retention.
The key actions related to the bank’s employee remuneration system in 2019 included:
- award campaigns for the bank’s financial results,
- sales support campaigns for employees of selected organizational units – in particular for employees of the retail network units. The competition winners were awarded financial prizes and additional training raising their professional qualifications.
In the bank’s Group entities, depending on the level of employment, the principles of remunerating employees are defined in the salary regulations and in the employment contracts or just in the employment contracts. In the individual entities belonging to the bank’s Group there are separate bonus systems for the employees.
The average gross basic salary in the Group in 2019 was PLN 6 300 (excluding the salaries of the Management Boards of the bank’s Group entities), and in the bank it was PLN 6 500.
Average salary by gender and the relation of women’s to men’s salaries [GRI 405-2]
| BANK | GROUP | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Average basic salary (in PLN thousand) | 6 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.3 |
| women | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5 | 5.2 | 5.5 |
| men | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 8 | 8.4 |
| Ratio of women’s to men’s salary (%) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 65 |
| regular employees | 70 | 70 | ||||
| middle management | 76 | 79 | ||||
| senior management | 73 | 77 | ||||
The employment policy does not discriminate employees based on their gender. The number of women in the bank’s Group is three times higher than the number of men. Moreover, there are positions on which mainly women are employed, and they include mainly sales and customer service positions. Women represent 88% of the sales force.
Due to the fact that the number of women in the bank’s Group is three times higher than the number of men, there are positions in which only women are employed, and there are considerably more women among the regular employees. This affects the general ratio of women’s salaries to men’s salaries, which amounts to only 65% in the bank’s Group (the salary gap is 35%). The differences between the salaries of women and men are lower if the type of position and unit is taken into account.
Percentage of women in the number of employees and the relation of women’s to men’s salaries by type of entity and position [GRI 405-2]
| Regular employees | Middle management | Senior management | TOTAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head Office | Share of women in the number of employees (%) | 49 | 50 | 35 | 48 |
| Sales network (retail and corporate) | 88 | 80 | 62 | 85 | |
| Specialist business units | 73 | 60 | 45 | 72 | |
| Total | 77 | 69 | 56 | 75 | |
| Head office | Ratio of women’s to men’s salary (%) | 86 | 83 | 90 | 82 |
| Sales network (retail and corporate) | 85 | 85 | 85 | 72 | |
| Specialist business units | 80 | 88 | 87 | 74 |
Additional benefits offered in the bank and in the Group manifest the care for the level of satisfaction of the employees. The range of additional benefits offered is wide. Moreover, the bank finds it important to adapt the benefits offered to its employees to the trends on the labour market because activities in this respect are strictly correlated with creating the bank’s image as a good employer.
The main additional benefits offered to employees include:
Medical care
The bank provides additional medical care, to which the employees are entitled according to differentiated packages of benefits dedicated to specific groups of jobs. All employees have the opportunity to benefit from medical consultations with doctors of all specializations and a wide range of diagnostic examinations free of charge. The employees are also able to benefit from the prophylaxis programme called “Zdrowie jak w banku” [Guaranteed health], which has the objective of the early detection of diseases and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. As part of the prophylaxis programme, the bank’s employees are entitled to annual medical check-ups. The employees are provided with additional materials on how to take care of their health and the provider of such materials, in cooperation with the bank, organizes contests promoting a healthy lifestyle among the employees.
The employer regularly monitors the level of execution of the medical services by the supplier in order to ensure that the employees have the best possible access to such services.
Medical care is provided on equal terms to persons with permanent and temporary employment contracts and those who work part time and full time.
Service providers may use paid medical services generally within the same scope as the basic medical package provided to employees.
The other Group entities (operating in Poland) provide medical care to their employees on the terms negotiated with the provider of such services by the bank, on the basis of separate agreements, and the medical care is provided to employees irrespective of the type of their employment contract or working time (full or part time).
Employee Pension Programme
An Employee Pension Programme (EPP) has been operating at the bank since 2013. Under this programme, employees are able to enter into a long-term savings programme to supplement their pension income received from the mandatory parts of the pension system. The bank’s EPP is operated in the form of an agreement on the bank contributing a Basic Contribution (3.5% of an employee’s salary) and the Additional Employee Contribution to Investment Funds managed by PKO TFI SA.
The principles for joining EPP are the same whether the employee works full or part time and whether his/her employment contract is temporary or permanent.
Employee Pension Programmes are also provided to the employees of the larger companies of the Group. The pension programmes are provided to employees irrespective of the type of their employment contract or working time (full or part time).
Cafateria system and related benefits
Employees can benefit from the MyBenefit cafeteria system financed with funds from the Corporate Social Benefits Fund (CSBF), enabling the employees to select their preferred additional benefits. An employee may use the awarded funds for recreation, sport or shopping in various shops, on cultural events and other dedicated activities according to her/his preferences, including childcare in nurseries or kindergartens. The level of funds received from the cafeteria depends on the gross income per person in a given family. Cafeteria benefits are also provided to persons who have employment contracts for a limited period or work part time on equal terms to those who have employment contracts for an unlimited period.
Some of the other Group companies also offer the possibility of using the MyBenefit platform to their employees, and the remaining entities provide other benefits, such as e.g. vouchers.
Sports cards
Good practice at the bank and other Group companies is to provide employees with the ability to use sports cards. In view of promoting healthy lifestyle among employees, the bank provides them with the opportunity of buying several types of sports cards so as to ensure that they obtain a benefit that is best adapted to their needs, and thus really support their pro-health activity.
Other benefits
The list of additional benefits offered at the bank also includes offers and discounts for the bank’s employees and the possibility of joining group insurance. The bank supports sports initiatives and activities (for example, there are running, mountain sports and football teams at the bank) and the employees’ charity activities.
[GRI 401-2] All non-salary benefits are available to employees irrespective of their type of contract or working time (full or part time).
Major non-salary benefits for the employees in 2019 [GRI 401-2]
| Number of beneficiaries | Share in total employment (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| BANK | ||
| Medical packages* | 23 688 | 100 |
| Employee pension programme | 18 428 | 78 |
| Subsidization of organized recreation | 4 198 | 18 |
| Welfare payments | 948 | 4 |
| Housing advances | 3 640 | 15 |
| Benefits available from MyBenefit platform or special social benefits, such as Christmas bonuses | 23 701 | 100 |
| Sport cards | 4 610 | 19 |
| GROUP | ||
| Medical packages* | 27 385 | 98 |
| Employee pension programme | 19 515 | 70 |
| Subsidization of organized recreation | 4 528 | 16 |
| Welfare payments | 1 083 | 4 |
| Housing advances | 3 646 | 13 |
| Benefits available from MyBenefit platform or special social benefits, such as Christmas cards | 25 241 | 90 |
| Sport cards | 5 446 | 19 |
*Medical packages are not used by people who work in foreign branches.
The objective of the recruitment policy at the bank’s Group is to acquire the best candidates from external sources and promote internal talents as well. As a result, the bank employs persons with different types of professional experience and skills.
The bank encourages employees to take part in internal recruitment (in the entire bank’s Group) as part of their professional development in other business areas.
In 2019, an image campaign Dzień dobry w pracy [Welcome to work] and #ZajmijStanowisko [#TakeAStand] was undertaken. The campaign is focused on the bank’s employees who reliably present the bank as an attractive workplace. A new career portal was launched on the bank’s website www.pkobp/kariera and new templates of recruitment announcements were designed and implemented. At the same time, extensive promotional activities were carried out in the social media with the use of dedicated graphics prepared by recruiters for the purpose of job announcements.
In connection with dynamic changes on the job market, the bank takes ad hoc actions aimed at obtaining candidates with specific skills or for positions that require targeted image-related activities.
The bank cares about the candidates’ experience in the recruitment process by diversifying the channels of reaching different groups of candidates, shortening the recruitment time or applying modern selection methods. At the same time, the candidates’ experience is analysed for the purposes of improving the recruitment process. In this area, in 2019 a Candidate Experience survey was carried out – the candidates completed a brief online questionnaire in which they were asked to assess the various stages of the recruitment process.
In the recruitment process, the bank and the entities from the bank’s Group care about human rights and ensure equal opportunities. The recruitment policy is based on high standards of counteracting discrimination and personal data protection with the support of modern technologies and information systems.
In 2019, the Recommendation Programme was extended. Its purpose is to encourage the bank’s employees to join in the process of looking for appropriate candidates to work in our organization. The programmes include about 100 job positions, for example, in areas such as the retail market, IT, corporate and investment banking and risk management for which the employees may recommend candidates with appropriate qualifications. Financial gratification is provided for an effective recommendation.
For years now, the bank’s strength has been to offer internships dedicated to students and young graduates. As part of the Internship Academies organized at the bank in 2019, a total of nearly 307 persons were invited to internships in various areas, such as IT and data analytics.
Cooperation with universities and high schools is important. In 2019, a number of workshops were organized at selected universities in Poland and in the bank’s headquarters, during which the students had an opportunity to become acquainted with selected areas of operations.
The bank also takes part in student projects. For example, it was a partner of the Build up your future and B in Banking student conferences organized by the academic clubs of the Warsaw University and the Warsaw School of Economics.
The bank promotes itself as an employer at numerous job fairs, university fairs, hackathons, meet-ups and conferences. PKO Bank Polski is also the host of the Agile Warsaw meet-up, where it builds its position as an agility leader.
These actions improve the perception of the bank as an attractive employer. In 2019, the bank received several awards confirming yet again its attractiveness on the market among candidates.
In the prestigious ranking of employers – Universum Student Survey – the bank was ranked 7th in the business category and 7th in the law category. Students rated the bank highly for technological innovations, an ample package of employee benefits and ethical conduct. The Talent Survey conducted by an advisory firm Universum is one of the largest in the world. It encompasses professional preferences and goals, career and sectors in which the respondents would like to work. More than 18 000 students from 71 universities participated in last year’s Polish edition, including students of business, law, engineering, IT, medicine, sciences and arts.
The Young Entrepreneurship Foundation granted the “Most Active Firm” title to PKO Bank Polski in the 15th edition of its “Day of Entrepreneurship”. The bank received this title for supporting secondary school students entering the job market and providing practical training in entrepreneurship and functioning in the world of finance.
Relations with the employee party and freedom of association
Employees are represented at the bank by the trade unions and the Employee Council.
The bank has two trade union organizations:
- the National Trade Union of PKO BP Employees (a representative union),
- “Solidarity” Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of PKO BP Employees.
Cooperation with these social partners takes place in accordance with the applicable regulations, including holding consultations in the case of planned organizational changes, resulting in significant changes in the organization of work, the level and basis of employment of employees.
The employer does not prevent the employees from joining the trade unions or acting as their members in any way.
Approx. 11% of the persons employed as at 31 December 2019 were trade union members.
The employees may report their complaints, opinions and suggestions through trade unions. All types of complaints may also be filed directly through a special box, in accordance with the procedure for reporting complaints and irregularities.
The Employee Council also operates at the bank. The principles of cooperation with the bank’s Employee Council have been set in a separate agreement.
Meetings with trade unions and the bank’s Employee Council are organized as necessary – at least several times a year, and information on planned operational changes are communicated to the employee representatives without undue delay [GRI 402-1]. No operations or suppliers characterized by a high risk of restricting the freedom of association and collective bargaining agreements were identified in 2019 [GRI 407-1].
Moreover, 12 Ambassadors of Ethics were elected in 2019 in general elections by all employees of the bank. Their main role is to support the bank in promoting ethics.
A trade union organization also exists at KREDOBANK SA. Trade union organizations do not operate in other entities of the bank’s Group. The dialogue with the employees takes place in accordance with the applicable regulations. Its form is adapted to the size of the company and its specificity: the larger entities have Employee Councils, while the dialogue with employees at other companies is held, among others through selected employee representatives and forms of communication with employees, either direct or via e-mail or through the intranet, which are accepted at the given company.
No collective disputes were recorded at the Group companies. The employees have the opportunity to report complaints about a breach of employee rights and other irregularities
The bank’s employees may obtain any information on employee matters from one place by contacting the HR Contact Centre. A team of consultants answers questions, among other things, on HR and payroll support, social issues, recruitment and training. This solution accelerates and simplifies the communication process between employees and the HR services – the units responsible for personnel management.
Development activities are adjusted to the nature of the individual entities of the bank’s Group and regulated by internal regulations, which guarantees a flexible approach to the execution of the development policy.
The principles of employee development and succession planning in PKO Bank Polski set the goals, directions and activities of the bank in the area of management of development of the bank’s employees or co-workers. This document replaced the previous Principles. It simplified the existing provisions and adjusted them to the current expectations of the organization and employees (simplification of wording, changes to the principles of applying, extending the cafeteria of development activities).
The main assumption made in the training policies is the support of:
- the achievement of the strategic goals of the bank’s Group entities and the business goals,
- the introduction of new employees into work,
- the assurance of professional qualifications for the employees and the adaptation of their knowledge and skills to the changing requirements of the market on which a given entity operates,
- the preparation of the employees for the implementation of new solutions and products offered by the bank’s Group entity or for introducing changes into the existing solutions and products offered.
All employees, regardless of their age or gender, may take advantage of training activities throughout the bank’s Group. Individual companies may apply the criterion of the position held when referring employees to specific training, such as participation in education at degree level (different levels of education at the individual companies of the bank’s Group) or foreign language courses. The employers finance training activities in whole or in part.
When referring employees to training, the entities in the bank’s Group take into account internal appraisal systems, e.g. regular interviews, 360 individual development plans survey, testing of training needs, ISO based assessment system and feedback. In companies in which the competence model was adopted (this applies to the bank and two other subsidiaries), the improvement of the employee’s professional qualifications and skills is related to it.
[GRI 404-2] The bank enables the employees to use various forms of improving their professional qualifications. The bank’s intranet portal contains the Catalogue of Trainings which is updated and communicated once every quarter. It contains a number of development activities to select from, both for employees and managers, with a description of these activities and easy to use tool for signing in to the individual training sessions.
Projects are conducted to develop both hard and soft skills. A team of several dozen internal trainers conducts group training, on-the-job training and internal workshops (also for interns). Group training is held by external companies in selected projects. In order to address the need to develop programming skills, online training in this area was added to the external training offer in 2019. The bank’s employees also actively use the internal e-learning platform, including on training regarding product knowledge, as well as knowledge of processes and use of IT applications. Academies and Programmes dedicated to specific groups of employees and organizational units are launched as part of the strategic initiatives. For example, two editions of the development programme for managers were conducted in 2019. After completing such training, every participants receives access to a dedicated platform on which he/she can consolidate the knowledge gained during the course. The Digital Transformation employees have access to both internal and certified training courses in agile methodology.
The employees may also use language courses, both individual and group.
An internal e-learning platform is actively used at the bank, mainly for holding training on product knowledge, knowledge of processes and use of IT applications.
As part of their professional development, the employees may apply for partial financing of their post-graduate studies, such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), solicitor’s training or PhD studies. In addition to the execution of a number of individual applications, a Big Data post-graduate programme addressed to data analysts was completed at the bank in 2019.
The bank also holds adaptation training sessions for new employees, which are adjusted to the needs of various business areas. The offer also includes e-learning courses in the most important regulations and procedures and professional courses, including product-related courses, for the retail network employees. The meetings organized on the first day of work are very important for the new employees who receive the most important information on the bank and get to know their team. All such solutions not only provide the knowledge which is necessary in the initial period of employment, but are also consistent with the organizational culture, which promotes a friendly working environment.
In order to avoid non-financial risk, training was provided in information security, bank secret and bank security and labour protection.
Basic data on training in the bank and the bank’s Group [GRI 404-3, GRI 404-1]
| Bank | Bank’s Group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| women | men | total | women | men | total | |
| days of training in a year | 50 812 | 18 110 | 68 922 | 51 689 | 18 897 | 70 586 |
| Participation of employees subject to regular performance appraisal and career development reviews (%) | 98 | 94 | 97 | 86 | 78 | 84 |
| average number of hours in a year per employee | 23 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 20 |
Diversity management
The bank strongly opposes any forms of discrimination, intolerance and other behaviours that are in contrast with the organization’s values, and promotes attitudes based on mutual trust among the employees. Any conduct that could suggest the presence of mobbing is unacceptable.
The bank’s policy regarding mobbing and discrimination is regulated in the internal regulations:
- the bank’s Employment Regulations,
- the Principles for counteracting mobbing and discrimination and the procedure for handling complaints concerning violation of employee rights.
Diversity policy
Diversity management in the bank pertains to all its employees, authorities and key managers. Diversity-related activities relate to many aspects of the activities of the bank’s Group, and their aim is to ensure respect for other people, equal treatment and the utilization of employee potential. Once a year, these initiatives are presented to the Supervisory Board and the Management Board of the bank.
Diversity means that people are important irrespective of their gender, age, health, sexual orientation, religion, marital status or country of origin.
The bank’s Code of Ethics and Work Rules include provisions pertaining to, among other things, counteracting discrimination due to gender, age, disability, race, religion, nationality, political views, trade union membership, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or due to employment for a fixed or indefinite period or on a full-time or part-time basis.
When carrying out recruitment projects, the bank’s Group complies with provisions on equal treatment in employment and occupation, consistent the EU Employment Equality Directive. Processes related to candidate selection are based on objective grounds, and their subsequent stages are carried out in compliance with the agreed procedures and rules.
The essence of the job valuation process in the bank’s Group is the job valuation based on substantial criteria, which prevents discrimination.
Principles for the implementation of occupational health and safety tasks, as well as technology and technical solution standards require taking the steps necessary to adjust workstations to the needs of persons with disabilities.
The Group employs and provides development opportunities for pupils, students and graduates of secondary schools and universities with various profiles.
Competence model and employee appraisal system based on competencies and performance
Employee appraisals are carried out on an annual basis, based on a competence model including general corporate, leadership and specific competencies. As part of the periodic appraisal system, every employee together with his/her superior agrees on an individual development plan during the periodic interview.
[GRI 405-1] Diversity management also pertains to members of the Supervisory Board and the Management Board of PKO Bank Polski and key managers. Managers and supervisors are persons of different gender, age and experience.
| Diversity according to gender, age and experience | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Women | Men | |||
| Supervisory Board | 2 | 9 | |||
| Management Board | – | 9 | |||
| Key management | 119 | 187 | |||
| Age | 30-40 years | 41-50 years | 51-60 years | above 60 years | |
| Supervisory Board | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Management Board | – | 5 | 3 | 1 | |
| Key management | 61 | 176 | 62 | 7 | |
| Years of service in PKO Bank Polski | up to 5 years | 5-10 years | 10-15 years | 15-20 years | above 20 years |
| Supervisory Board | 10 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Management Board | 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| Key management | 61 | 102 | 49 | 41 | 53 |
The bank also introduced provisions which set the directions for selecting, appointing and planning succession, including staff resources and assessing the appropriateness of the Management Board members and persons holding the key functions at the bank. These persons are assessed in terms of their competencies, knowledge and skills, experience adequate to the position and reputation understood as sufficiently unblemished opinion, honesty and ethical behaviour. As a result of the regulations implemented, the Supervisory Board makes decisions on the selection and assessment of the Management Board Members and the Management Board Members make decisions on the selection and assessment of the MRT (Material Risk Takers). The Supervisory Board monitors the effectiveness of the Policy applied and, if appropriate, makes changes taking into account the recommendations of the Committee for Nominations and Remuneration.
The Code of Ethics of PKO Bank Polski also contains significant provisions concerning the attitudes and values promoted among the employees (detailed principles for management of ethics and similar activities are presented in the part of this report devoted to ethics management).
The bank has internal regulations in place for counteracting mobbing and discrimination. These principles guarantee counteracting undesirable phenomena in employee relations and specify how to react to situations of interpersonal conflicts. Based on these principles, the bank’s employees may without worrying about the consequences report a complaint about any breach of employee rights defined in the commonly binding provisions of the law and the bank’s internal regulations. Moreover, an employee is entitled to additional support in the process of clarifying the complaint through a possibility of indicating a representative of a trade union organization or an employee representative appointed by internal regulations of the bank – to participate in meetings with the employee or to submit opinions on the validity of the claim. Ongoing support to the employees is offered by the HR Contact Centre through which the employees may obtain up to date information about the way to report complaints and anonymous notifications of breaches of employee rights.
Complaints concerning widely defined breaches of employee rights are reviewed individually, therefore, optimal review deadlines are set for them separately, which enables formulating appropriate conclusions and recommendations or taking appropriate additional actions or HR-related decisions. In the course of verifying the complaints various methods are applied (for example, anonymous surveys, detailed interviews with employees, verification of fluctuation ratios and other HR data). Each time, when deciding what measures should be taken, the bank takes into account care for ensuring the highest possible impartiality of the review, therefore, many times representatives of different entities participate in the process of clarifying the matter, in line with the bank’s organizational structure.
Other entities belonging to the Group also have the necessary solutions in their internal regulations guaranteeing compliance with the applicable law regarding the prevention of mobbing and discrimination – in separate regulations or through appropriate provisions in the employment regulations, ethics codes and other regulations applicable to a given company.
Training
Appropriate diversity management contributes to increasing team work efficiency, improving the atmosphere at work, retaining valuable and experienced employees, improving innovation and creativity. For these reasons, such training is organized at the bank. Managers participating in such training acquire knowledge and skills in the area of management of diverse teams, which makes it possible to eliminate undesirable behaviour and situations and support valuable and positive ones.
The scope of diversity management training was tailored to the needs of the employees in 2019 and such training is included in the catalogue of training courses which is available to all employees of the bank and the bank’s Group.
Occupational health and safety (OHS)
| THE BANK | THE BANK’S GROUP |
|---|---|
| [GRI 403-1] OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM |
|
| The OHS Service at the Bank has been organized as an OHS Office and placed within the structures of the Administration Centre. The Office encompasses field teams, supporting all units of the Bank throughout the country, which perform the tasks specified in the Regulation of the Council of Ministers (…) on OHS Service on a daily basis. These tasks comprise:
– periodical occupational risk assessment; Moreover, the OHS Office seeks to improve occupational safety and health on an ongoing basis by popularizing prevention, good practices and prophylaxis in a broad sense, thus complying with the legal requirements defining the employer’s obligations towards employees. |
The Bank’s Group OHS policy has not been formulated by the Bank. All subsidiaries of the Bank perform OHS tasks in accordance with the current provisions of the law. These provisions are so clear that, in fact, it means applying the same HS rules throughout the whole Bank’s Group. Other entities located outside Poland operate under the rules which apply to the country in which the entity was registered. |
| [GRI 403-2] HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, RISK ASSESSMENT, AND INCIDENT INVESTIGATION |
|
| Job hazards were identified at the Bank and it was found out that there are no jobs that would be associated with a risk classified as high (i.e. there are no jobs that would require action to reduce the risk level). Occupational risk for 100% of the positions at the Bank was assessed using the Risk Score method. Each assessment is subject to ongoing monitoring and periodical verification. The main hazards include:
– falls on the same level (slips, stumbles); |
Among approx. 90% of positions which were assessed in terms of occupational risk none have been classified as associated with a high risk that would require mitigation actions. Due to the fact that office positions prevail, the identified hazards are consistent with the assessments performed at the Bank and belong to the same groups of hazards. |
| [GRI 403-3] OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES |
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| The Bank has a contract for providing occupational health services with Luxmed. Employees have medical check-ups at the start of their employment and regular check-ups afterwards at Luxmed clinics or clinics cooperating with Luxmed. Every employee may also use specific medical care services free of charge outside the scope of occupational health. The contract also provides the possibility of extending the scope of medical services for the employee or his/her family. | All other Bank’s Group entities have contracts with external medical service providers for providing occupational health services. Medical examinations are financed or reimbursed by the employer. |
| [GRI 403-4] WORKER PARTICIPATION, CONSULTATION, AND COMMUNICATION ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY |
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| Communication between the employees and the employer is carried out in the form of an open dialogue through the trade unions, which operate in the Bank in a sound and representative manner. An employee representative always participates in the OHS Commissions and has the opportunity to communicate directly with an occupational safety and health representative. | A vast majority of the other entities of the Bank’s Group employ less than 250 employees, and therefore they are not obliged by law to appoint OHS Commissions. All consultations and communication with the employer take place either directly or through an OHS representative. Entities located outside Poland apply local regulations. |
| [GRI 403-5] WORKER TRAINING ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY |
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| Occupational health and safety training at the Bank is organized by the internal OHS service. Introductory and periodical training is carried out in all locations in Poland using proprietary materials and teaching aids. The dynamics of the OHS service and the number of its members allow maintaining the percentage of persons who have received up-to-date training at 100%. Moreover, the OHS Office staff includes qualified paramedics who regularly train employees in first aid. | All employees participate in the system of OHS training. Such activities are organized in compliance with the law and, depending on the number of employees in a given company, they are executed by: – the internal OHS service; – a properly qualifies external provider; – the employees of the Bank’s OHS Office under cooperation agreements. |
| [GRI 403-6] PROMOTION OF WORKER HEALTH |
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| All entities of the Bank’s Group, including the Bank, take voluntary (other than legally required) actions promoting worker health. Popularization of healthy lifestyle contributes to increased interest in the following benefits offered by employers in the Bank’s Group: – free of charge preventive check-ups (e.g. an annual health package, mammography or flu shots); – training promoting healthy lifestyle (e.g. exercises for office workers); – access to a number of sports and leisure facilities as part of the employee benefit package; – organization of sports clubs, competitions and events supporting physical activity and taking care of the environment; – organization of regular campaigns promoting health, such as “Owoc ma moc” [Fruit Power] – offering free fruit in the offices; It should also be noted that the Bank takes an active part in external sports events as their organizer, patron or sponsor, thus building its image of an entrepreneur promoting healthy lifestyle. |
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| [GRI 403-7] PREVENTION AND MITIGATION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPACTS DIRECTLY LINKED BY BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS |
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| Preventive actions taken at the Bank to improve safety and working conditions: – support and definition of measures to be taken in the event of the occurrence or psychological or social hazards, such as stress or mobbing; – information campaigns concerning ergonomics and safety at work (leaflets, brochures, intranet sites); – additional, non-obligatory training in first aid and safe driving courses for employees using company cars; – prevention of vision problems: access to eyesight tests, reimbursement of the purchases of eye glasses and corrective lenses; – accident prevention is carried out by the OHS services during induction and periodical training. Work-related accident prevention is carried out in consultation with the employees; – the employer provides personal protective equipment for employees doing jobs that are associated with exposure to external factors.
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In the other entities of the Bank’s Group preventive actions are conducted on a lesser scale and are not precisely defined. This is due to the fact that these entities have far fewer employees, or sometimes to the nature of their operations. All entities are covered by the system of accident prevention and all have access to medical services. Some entities benefit from information campaigns and non-obligatory external training. Moreover, in accordance with good practices each of them can use the resources of the Occupational Health and Safety Office operating in the structure of the Bank. |
| [GRI 403-8] WORKERS COVERED BY AN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM |
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| The basic occupational health and safety management system resulting from generally applicable laws – 100% of the employees. | |
| [GRI 403-9] WORK-RELATED INJURIES |
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| 114 accidents were reported in 2019. As a result of the proceedings conducted, 6 of them were not classified as work-related accidents, and 13 are still pending. The most common work-related injuries include: fractures, bruises, twists and other bodily injuries. | The total number of accidents reported in 2019 in the other entities of the Bank’s Group was 8. Two of them concerned persons working based on contracts of mandate. The most common injuries were bruises and burns, joint injuries and neck injuries. |
| [GRI 403-10] WORK-RELATED ILL HEALTH |
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| Five instances of suspected work-related ill health in former employees of the Bank were reported in 2019. All proceedings are pending and none of the reported ill health cases has been confirmed to date. | No reported cases of ill health |