Immediately after the announcement of the integration plans at the end of 2022, the HR departments of a.s.r. and Aegon NL started preparations for the employers’ transition. Important issues included the working conditions, the corporate cultures and, with the upcoming employers’ integration, onboarding and the social plan.

Working conditions

Prior to the employers’ integration, the working conditions of the Aegon NL employees who would enter the service of a.s.r. as a result of the business combination were discussed with the trade unions and employee representative bodies. An agreement was reached on the overall package on 16 June 2023. Affected employees have been informed about the implications of the agreement both in writing and via information sessions. The Aegon NL functions were administratively converted on a one-to-one basis in the a.s.r. job category system.

Culture

An independent survey of the culture of both organisations was conducted. This revealed cultural differences, but also many similarities between Aegon NL and a.s.r. A cultural change approach was drawn up, recording the principles, objectives and the framework for realising the change. The updated ‘story of a.s.r.’, the roll-out of which began in the final quarter of 2023, plays an important role in the cultural change approach. Management is crucial for a successful change. This is why a leadership programme has commenced in early 2024. One of the differences between a.s.r. and Aegon NL is the extent to which the English language is spoken in the office. Closely before the employer's integration on 1 October 2023, all a.s.r. and Aegon NL colleagues were informed that important announcements will be written in both Dutch and English.

Onboarding

The new management structure of a.s.r. took office right after the closing of the transaction between a.s.r. and Aegon NL. The selection of senior management members involved a very careful process in which all completed an assessment with an independent external agency and interviews were held with several MB members. The proposed management structure was shared with the organisation just before closing.

In order to provide support to the new management within the performance of their HR tasks, a toolkit was developed. Around the closing date, an offsite meeting was organised for the senior management, to discuss the cultural survey results and exchanging ideas on ‘the story of a.s.r.’.

Immediately after the employers’ integration, a practical development programme was started for the management, with an online workshop on ‘a bird’s eye view of management at a.s.r.’ and information meetings on specific subjects such as absences and external hiring. This programme will be followed up in 2024 with deep dives on relevant subjects.

In the period between the closing and the employers’ integration, the focus lay primarily on the two organisations getting to know each other. A magazine "Hallo collega" was sent to all colleagues, the MB visited all the locations and guidelines and tools were developed to facilitate the introduction of different teams. Activities were organised to mark the occasion of the employers’ integration, which was immediately followed by close attention to the practical onboarding process.

CLA and social plan

After the employers’ integration with Aegon NL, a.s.r. began talks with the trade unions on drawing up a new joint collective labour agreement (CLA), scheduled to enter into force on 1 July 2024. Until then, the existing a.s.r. CLA (‘The Other CLA 2023-2024’) and the Aegon Transitional Protocol will remain in force.

Transitional arrangements have been reached on the temporary reduction of employee contributions for pensions. These arrangements also apply for the a.s.r. employees

In July 2023, the trade union members agreed that the existing a.s.r. social plan will apply for all employees of the new combined organisation from 1 July 2024. The social plan will apply for the duration of the integration and for at least three years from the date on which Aegon NL employees entered the service of a.s.r., i.e. from 1 October 2023 to 1 October 2026. For advisory requests submitted before 1 July 2024, the social plans of Aegon NL and a.s.r. will be implemented side by side.

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