Our Systematic work environment management serves as our governance framework, set up to ensure sustainable working conditions and govern occupational health and safety, while preventing and addressing work-related ill-health.

The framework is governed through the Work environment directive and managed together with the Group Work environment committee and common structured tools and routines for the management teams, such as the centralised agenda. The effectiveness of this system is monitored through targets established for the Swedbank Group, as well as activities within each Business area and Group function.

Governance is achieved through:

• The Work environment directive
• Group-wide targets and KPIs
• The Work environment committee
• Employee involvement
• Guiding activities and management support
• Work environment inspections
• Processes for reporting work-related incidents
  

At Swedbank, we have established strategic targets on employees’ satisfaction and delivering a good customer experience. To assess employees' perceptions regarding their workplace environment, access to essential resources, work-life balance as well as professional development opportunities, and recognition within the organization, we use the Employee Engagement Index and the Sustainable Employee Index. These efforts are followed up alongside sick leave statistics.

Our targets are measured through surveys that provide insights and understanding into how our employees perceive Swedbank as an employer and workplace. The average response rate is 85%, and the survey provides valuable information to determine improving or mitigating actions.

Swedbank is also committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment by aiming for balanced gender representation across all levels. We have defined equity and diversity targets with KPIs that monitor pay gaps and gender balance among managerial positions.

• Group-wide work environment targets:
  - Sustainable Employee Index target >80
  - Zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or victimisation
• Risk Indicators:
  - Sickness ratios

By promoting favourable working conditions, nurturing an inclusive climate, and preventing any form of discrimination or harassment, we believe we can reduce the components of sickness ratios related to adverse organisational work environment factors.

Swedbank’s Work environment committee gathers Group-level managers from each Business area, Employee representatives and appointed representative from the Group Executive Committee to address the health and safety topics in the Group. The committee’s responsibility includes reflecting on the most prevalent and critical risks, sick leave figures, staff turnover and health and safety-related incidents. Follow-up focuses on the results of the operations in the Sustainable Employee Index. The Sustainable Employee Index is later followed up as a KPI at management level in the Group Executive Committee.

Work environment

Swedbank categorises the work environment in four areas which are addressed in the Work environment committee.

• Organisational: including workload, resource availability, and the structure and management of work. 
• Social: encompassing managerial support and the quality of interactions among colleagues. 
• Physical: such as indoor climate, lighting, ergonomics, and workspace layout. 
• Digital: relating to the platforms and systems used daily, as well as the interplay between people and technology.

Forums for employee representatives

Swedbank also engages in continuous dialogue with employees through employee representatives in various forums. In 2007, Swedbank established a Group-wide European Works Council (EWC), which is a cross-border forum for information and consultation with employee representatives from different European countries where Swedbank operates. The forum serves to deal with cross-border issues such as major organisational changes. In the Swedish operation, there is an ongoing dialogue with representatives from trade union organisations and health and safety representatives, in accordance with the collective agreements. Swedbank’s co-determination model is based on the trade unions being involved at an early stage and being given good insight and the opportunity to influence decisions regarding changes in operations that may affect the Group’s employees. The dialogue takes into account the views of the employee representatives, bringing the employees’ perspectives into Swedbank’s decision-making processes. Group Human Resources & Facility Management is responsible for the area of trade union relations. Swedbank’s employees are also represented on Swedbank’s Board of Directors by two employee representatives with deputies.

Employee surveys

One of the tools for engaging and connecting with employees is the regular employee survey for which Group Human Resources is responsible. The survey gives employees the opportunity to express their views on the operation and work environment through various questions; while also enabling an evaluation of employees’ engagement and how well they perceive, understand and deliver in accordance with Swedbank’s strategically important areas.

With an average response rate of 85%.  

Annual physical work environment inspections on health and safety are conducted at each workplace, involving a systematic review to investigate how the physical work environment and workplace design are perceived and support day-to-day work and health. Deficiencies are risk assessed, and measures are taken. These inspections are followed up twice a year in the Work environment Committee.

Work environment inspections is part of the Governance control model to identify and manage health and safety risks, prevent impacts on employees to comply with applicable labour and occupational health and safety laws.

• Identify - Risk identification
• Assess - Mitigation actions planned and executed
• Monitor - Follow up
  

In the financial sector, health and safety risks are mainly related to the organisational and social work environment, such as high workload, unfavourable working hours and cognitive and emotional stress. This predominately applies to employees in customer-facing roles and becomes visible through increased sick leave. Against the background of the organisational and social risks, Swedbank has chosen to focus on these areas in its health and safety work.

Sustainable Employee agenda

The Sustainable employee agenda is based on the results of employee surveys, incident reporting, sick leave figures, staff turnover and circumstances inside or outside the operation that may affect employees. The agenda forms the basis of risk assessments, measures and preventive work, and entails uniform work for sustainable employees in all operations, in all home markets

At Swedbank managers have the responsibility to work systematically, according to the Group governance process and routines, to support and promote work-related health and wellbeing among our employees.

• The work environment topic is to be included, discussed and reviewed as a standing item in management teams across all levels each quarter, using the predefined Sustainable Employee agenda.
• Having an ongoing dialogue in team meetings and one-to-one talks between manager and employee.
• A clear process on with prevention, monitoring and following up of employees on long-term sick leave, through e.g. individual rehabilitation plans and adaptations of work situations.
• Support through occupational health & safety training is available for all managers as well as for work environment representatives (i.e. employee representatives).

Dialogue as an important part of our health and safety work

One key element of preventive and systematic health and safety work is the manager’s regular and close dialogue with each employee about their own work situation, atmosphere at work, work-life balance, health and wellbeing.

To ensures strong governance, accountability and a supporting low-risk culture we have incident reporting systems for work-related incidents, accidents and issues.

We encourage openness though our incident reporting portal for traceability and but offer anonymous reporting through Whistleblowing.