A human resources management model based on a threefold commitment that enables us to work as one team
BBVA’s corporate culture can be summed up in the vision “we work for a better future for people.” In line with this aspiration, over recent years the Group has developed a management model based on a threefold commitment to transparency, objectivity and equal opportunity. This means we work as one team.
One immediate result of this management model has been the recognition obtained by BBVA Group in 2013 as the 13th best multinational in the world to work for from the international consultancy GPTW. BBVA’s place in the ranking as the best financial company has been the result of the excellent positioning of the Bank in countries such as Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. In addition, in the second quarter of the year, BBVA has been chosen as one of the three most attractive companies to work for in the banking sector in Spain in the “Randstad Employer Branding”.
BBVA, 13th best multinational in the world to work for, according to GPTW
The opening of new headquarters is the best reflection of BBVA’s commitment to adapt resources to people’s needs
One of the projects BBVA has been working on relentlessly is the creation of working environments that promote greater communication and collaboration among the teams. Among other initiatives, this commitment can be seen in the construction and opening of the new “Ciudad BBVA” (BBVA City) in Madrid, where 1,600 employees are already working and a total of nearly 6,000 will move by 2015. The setting, the design of the common areas and the firm commitment to make the workplace a place for sharing and collaboration, here become a new concept of location focused on efficiency and comfort. This means the new working methods, whether face-to-face or teleworking, are used as flexibly as possible according to the needs of people, who can make use of the new technologies to reconcile professional and personal life. The headquarters in London, New York, Houston and Madrid have been followed by offices in Mexico DF, currently under construction.
Our model of people management is geared above all to professional development
One of the aspects highly rated by GPTW is the Group’s commitment to transparency, objectivity and equal opportunities in our employee’s professional development. One key element of the model is the mobility policy, which establishes, among other measures, the publication of vacancies through the “Apúntate+” application, the Group’s internal job-posting tool. “Apúntate+” has the following objectives:
- To provide BBVA employees with an additional channel for managing their professional careers that makes the internal opportunities for development more transparent.
- To streamline the hiring of specific profiles, covering current or expected needs for positions associated with these profiles using internal staff, rather than making use of the external labor market.
- And in this way, to optimize vacancy management.
In fact, this year work has continued to promote transversality. The vast majority of positions are currently published at global level, making it possible for all the Bank’s professionals to be aware of any current vacancy and apply for it, regardless of the geographical area in which the position or the employee in question is located. Over 5,000 publications, practically half of which have been filled through this tool, are proof of this commitment.
In 2013 a further step was taken in the process of increasing the skills of BBVA’s professionals with the Competencies Assessment Process. This year a new support application has been used, called the Self-Development Plan (SDP). This tool helps each employee to interpret the results of their report, offers a diagnosis of the knowledge and skills that they can improve and gives access to all the elements for development that the Group has available (training, coaching, mentoring, specialized publications, best practices, etc.) so that each person can prepare a tailored work-plan.
Training continues to play a key role in BBVA as a response to the new profiles required by the industry and to increase awareness of corporate responsibility
With respect to training, in 2013 the main focus was on optimizing customer relations. Progress was also made in designing and distributing global know-how in response to the new personnel profiles demanded by the Bank and the industry. The distribution channels have been diversified and updated with new forms of access to training. E-learning is key to distribution and has accounted for 51% of the Group’s total training. In addition, in 2013 a special effort was made to provide training on the specific legal requirements of each country, which has accounted for around 22.5% of global training. There has also been a significant boost to training in risk through the Risk Learning Program.
An important element that should also be mentioned in this section is the launch of the Responsible Business Plan, which aims to increase the awareness of the Group’s professionals of corporate responsibility, seeking to convey BBVA’s commitment to society through the exercise of responsible banking. The e-learning program “Responsible Business” has been designed for this purpose, and will be made available to all employees in 2014.
Diversity, a competitive advantage that enables talent to hold positions of responsibility and decision-making
Another aspect that BBVA is openly committed to is the development of diversity. Work is being done in two directions through a committee structure in which the highest levels of responsibility are fully involved:
- First, in 2013 work continued on the Global Gender Diversity Plan, a project that focuses on three lines of action: maternity, professional development and awareness. Eight corporate initiatives have already been implemented in this area.
- Maternity: coverage of vacancies due to maternity leave by people with similar skills levels; a corporate model of mentoring to make return easier after maternity leave; and a post-maternity monitoring interview nine months after returning to work.
- Promotion and development: metrics for monitoring the professional development of women and identification and development of the talent of women in the Group.
- Awareness: incorporation of gender diversity in the assessment of the actions of supervisors; inclusion of key diversity concepts into leadership training programs; global e-learning courses to raise awareness of diversity targeted at executives, team leaders and the rest of the workforce.
- In addition, within the framework of the Group’s Diversity Plan, BBVA Spain has a position of head of equality in the different areas of human resources management, in order to streamline and guarantee the principles of gender equality. All employees also have a protocol for action in the area of psychological harassment, and awareness raising campaigns have been conducted to prevent gender violence, as a result of the Collaboration Agreement with the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality.
