Employees should be given appropriate support from the moment they are hired to the moment they retire. Nicole Dochen, head of human resources, and Anne Reuter, head of career development, discuss this in an article published in Le Jeudi on 30 November. By Thierry Nelissen.

SOURCE: Le Jeudi - 30 November 2017

While some companies make a habit of – and even take pride in – high staff turnover as a means of constantly injecting new blood, others have realised that it is much better to nurture their human capital over the course of long careers. Banque de Luxembourg makes no apology for letting its human capital get better with age.

The bank has 900 employees with an average age of 42.5 years and an average length of service of 13.5 years. Its head of human resources, Nicole Dochen, and head of career development, Anne Reuter, are focused on supporting staff throughout their career. And if there is any turnover, it is usually within the bank itself. Internal mobility is encouraged “to allow the more experienced employees to put their skills to good use in other jobs. It helps keep employees on their toes and avoids complacency, which is all part of a long working life.”

The HR task is divided into three principal areas: personalised support, favourable working conditions and wellbeing. Customised training is offered to employees throughout their career and is one of the key measures to ensure that employees continue to contribute actively to the development of their profession, improve their skills and feel more useful to the company, regardless of their age.

Employee development is structured around a range of support programmes. The one for employees at the end of their career is called “Sophia” (Greek for “wisdom” and with the suggestion of ageing gracefully) and is designed to allow older employees to “approach” retirement without fear and achieve a smooth transition. A few years prior to retirement, employees are invited to take part in information sessions which discuss the administrative formalities of retirement, raise awareness about this next phase and help prepare for post-working life. But they also delve into “the emotional aspect, which is often the most vulnerable part of this transition”.

Obviously, like other companies, the bank has a gym and workplace facilities designed to promote wellbeing. Yet it also makes every effort to provide individual arrangements for family events or life’s vagaries. For instance, if an employee suffers a long illness, the bank will stay in touch with that employee and immediately start working towards their eventual return to work.

Meetings, talks and workshops are held on a regular basis, in particular to detect signs of work-related exhaustion and to combat stress. These measures are all part of the “Serenity” programme, which is not a top-down human resources or management process but rather is based on input from employees, whose ideas are taken into account. For Nicole Dochen, “such initiatives create a virtuous circle: ‘feeling well’ leads to ‘working well’ which in turn leads to job satisfaction.”