The HR strategy enables a.s.r. to realise its targets in an innovative and efficient manner by providing for the most driven and skilled workforce. The focus lies on:

• strategic personnel planning

• total workforce management

• leadership

• vitality

• diversity, equality and inclusion

Strategic Personnel Planning

In order to realise its targets, a.s.r. needs a future-proof workforce with the skills required both now and in the future. This workforce must also be sufficiently flexible to handle changes. a.s.r. deploys Strategic Personnel Planning (SPP) for that purpose.

After drawing up a SPP for a.s.r. in 2020, the roll-out per business line began at the start of 2021. An extensive data analysis of the workforce was performed for all business lines, including forecasts up to 2030. These analyses form the point of departure for the strategic planning and the necessary interventions. During this process the Works Council was actively involved, this involvement will continue in the next phases.

Total workforce management

The total workforce has grown by 3% in 2021 compared to 2020 to 4,155 FTEs (2020: 4,042)¹. This growth can mainly be explained by the addition of BND PPI and new vacancies as a result of revenue growth at a.s.r. and Distribution and Services. This growth is fairly evenly distributed over the various business lines.

Through total workforce management, a.s.r. ensures that the best solution is sought for every capacity requirement. This can be a permanent employee or a flex worker, but also possibly a robot. A vacancy can be filled via internal transfer but also via external recruitment.

On the basis of external benchmark data, rate cards were developed for flexible hiring, similar to the salary scales for permanent employees. The rate cards are the standard for the rates for new hiring. All contracts that need to be renewed are tested using the rate cards.

Recruitment is also steered more explicitly towards the deployment of temporary employees rather than seconded employees in lower grades, as the rates for temporary employees are lower.

Trainee programmes

a.s.r. offers two trainee programmes in order to attract newly graduated talent. Via these programmes, candidates can develop faster as specialists or progress to management positions.

After a one-year break, due to COVID-19, the a.s.r. trainee programme was started up again in 2021. In September 2021, 12 trainees with Masters’ degrees in various subjects started at one of the a.s.r. business lines, in fields matching their previous education. The trainees carry out a number of assignments independently and follow a customised development programme.

On 1 January 2021, five trainees started the IT Talent Traineeship, a two-year programme for candidates with Masters’ degrees in the field of IT or data science. They are trained as IT professionals via assignments, professional courses and skills training. Five new candidates were recruited in September, they started per 1 January 2022.

Filling vacancies

a.s.r. aims to fill at least 40% of all vacancies internally. In this way, knowledge of the company is retained and employees are given the opportunity to develop further within the organisation. In 2021, 327 of a total of 650 vacancies were filled internally, amounting to 50%.

Leadership and agility

In an environment where automation and digitisation are gaining ground, and agility is essential for remaining sustainably employable, attention to employee development is more important than ever. A new vision for talent development, Focus on Talent, was therefore introduced in 2021. a.s.r. devotes continuous attention to leadership in this vision.

Focus on talent

In order to be able to continue making the difference for customers now and in the future, the development programmes were modified to create a better match with the skills required for the future and with the individual needs of every employee. All employees have access to a varied and personal range of training courses, and additional training is available for employees with specific profiles. The profiles and the accompanying training offered are developed together with the business and are continually upgraded on the basis of employee feedback, current developments and strategic personnel plans. In the new approach, a.s.r. no longer invites (groups of) employees for general development and inspiration programmes. Instead, employees plan their own development with a personal development plan. The manager acts as a sparring partner.

Leadership Education programme

As a result of COVID-19, managers needed extra time to achieve the required number of Leadership Education points in 2021. They earn these through participation in parts of the programme. A mandatory training course entitled Consciously diverse and inclusive together was added to the programme in 2021. This unconscious implicit bias course was developed to encourage awareness of a diverse and inclusive culture within a.s.r. A ‘Successful leadership of hybrid teams’ course was also offered in the summer of 2021, designed to prepare managers for the reboarding of their teams after COVID-19.

Development

The percentage of employees who followed training courses rose to 64% (2020: 45%), the increase in the participation grade is partly due to the fact that an increasing proportion of the training courses in 2021 was offerend online. In 2020 less online options were available, whilst many physical training courses were cancelled as a consequence of COVID-19. Despite this increasing participation grade, the total amount spent on training in 2021 is € 4.4 million, which is almost equal to last year (2020: € 4.6 million). The total training costs did not increase despite the fact that many more employees (2,457 in 2021 vs. 1,725 in 2020) have participated in training courses as online courses are less expensive compared to physical training courses.

Vitality

The subject of vitality was assigned its own cluster in the a.s.r. Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) in 2021. A number of additional agreements on vitality were reached in this CLA, and close attention is devoted to vitality during work from home. Every employee is required to arrange a check of the home workplace. At the end of 2021, 52% of the employees had conducted this home workplace check. Employees can also take part in an annual health check-up and a vitality scan, which gives them an insight into sources of energy and stressors. In October 2021, a pilot project was started to optimise support for employees who are sick. In the future, they will be asked to complete a digital questionnaire after their third day of illness, which provides an insight into the background of the absence and the potential follow-up steps. This enables a.s.r. to contribute to a faster recovery and in a more targeted manner. Evaluation of this pilot project is scheduled in the first quarter of 2022.

(Nil) absenteeism

The absenteeism rate in 2021 was 3.7% which is 0.2%-points above the target of 3.5% for 2021. This is a slight increase compared with last year (2020: 3.6%). a.s.r. continues to pay much attention to the development of absenteeism and provides assistance in this respect, because a longer period of working from home can pose risks to the mental health of employees. The Employee Mood Monitor showed that, during the mandatory lockdowns, some groups of employees experienced more anxiety and stress, less social connectedness and insufficient moments to do something else during the day.

The short absence (and therefore also the reporting frequency) slightly increased in 2021 to 0.52% (2020: 0.48%), but is still below the target of 0.7%, probably caused by COVID-19 effects like infections and side effects of vaccination. The largest share of absenteeism is long-term. COVID-19 has made it clear that the lines between private and work life are thin and the work-life balance is under pressure. a.s.r. therefore will continue to focus on the health and vitality of its employees in 2022.

In 2021, the percentage of employees who did not report sick (nil absenteeism) was 63% (2020: 63%), the target for 2021 was 58%.

Diversity, equality and inclusion

In 2021 equality and inclusion were added to the basis for the diversity policy. Also, diversity, equality and inclusion were added to the definition of personal leadership within a.s.r. This definition now stands for: sharing dilemma’s, devoting attention to diversity, equality and inclusion, entering into dialogue with each other, setting and asking for clear frameworks, and taking action.

A target was added for diversity, equality and inclusion: in 2022, a.s.r. aims to be among the 25% of the highest-scoring companies in the Denison scan with the Diversity and Inclusion module, and to maintain this score for at least two subsequent years. In 2021, the scores for diversity and inclusion in the Denison scan rose. However, the low score for equal promotion opportunities remains notable. This gave cause for an in-depth study. More detailed results will be available in the first quarter of 2022.

In order to promote commitment to the targets of diversity, equality and inclusion at work, the EB has signed the Diversity Charter of the Social and Economic Council (SER).

To further stimulate awareness, the 360 degree feedback tool that is widely used at a.s.r. to obtain feedback on behaviour, leadership and development was expanded with questions on diversity, equality and inclusion in 2021. Questions on this theme were also included in the daily gamification. Gamification is a learning intervention used by a.s.r. that makes use of gaming techniques and principles. It helps employees to gain knowledge about different topics in an accessible way. The dialogue sessions on diversity, equality and inclusion were continued; 691 employees took part in these in 2021.

Female / male

The Diversity, equality and inclusion policy (DGI) of a.s.r. followed the new legislation per 1 January 2022. As a result, the targets for the SB, EB and senior management have been adjusted from at least 30% female and at least 30% male in 2021 to at least one-third (33%) female and at least one-third (33%) male in 2022.

On 31 December 2021, the EB consisted of one female (33%) and two male (67%) members and the SB of two female (40%) and three male (60%) members. On 31 December 2021, the senior management consisted of 16 members, four of whom were female (25%) and 12 of whom were male (75%). The DGI policy is part of the recruitment process and the annual employee review, in which succession planning, among other things, is discussed.

Participation desk

To reduce the distance from the labour market for candidates with a work disability, a.s.r. has established the Participation desk. This desk employs people with a Work and Employment Support for Disabled Young Persons benefit (Wajong) on various assignments. During a two-year period (maximum), they gain work experience and develop employee skills. They receive intensive guidance and a tailor-made development programme. The aim is to prepare them for a permanent position, preferably within a.s.r.

a.s.r. is committed to employing at least 70 work-disabled people who fall within the Participation Act (Participatiewet) target group by 2026. At the end of 2021, 46 employees (2020: 37) who fall within this target group were employed through the Participation desk at a.s.r.

• ¹This figure includes the FTEs of the subsidiaries of a.s.r.