Personnel at If P&C
From a HR perspective 2013 was an intensive year. Several parts of the organization were involved in major business development initiatives. These initiatives affect and rely on people. Consequently, the HR agenda was largely geared towards providing hands-on support to the organization for the processes of managing change, developing future ways of working, and identifying and meeting the requirements for new skills. The focus topics were:
- Leadership: A new leadership development concept was implemented with an increased focus on coaching and feedback to maximize each employee’s performance. A new cohort was recruited to If’s Future Leadership Programme.
- Performance culture: Development of the performance management process continued. An employeeship model clarifying the individual’s responsibility for his/her performance through ongoing competence development was launched.
- Competence development: Throughout the year, If continued its major drive to develop the skills and capabilities of its employees to meet current and future business needs. If’s employees attended more than 32,000 e-learning courses and over 8,600 seminars during the year. Various new methods were implemented, such as Learning Design and Action Reflection Learning. A number of mentor programs and other specific initiatives have been undertaken to support the parts of the organization that are facing a generational shift. Competence development schemes also included activities with If’s main partners, for example the launch of the new Nordea agreement in Sweden and Finland.
- Right person in the right place: The If employer brand has been strengthened by carrying out specific initiatives throughout the year. One such initiative was LinkedIn, where the If career page has seen a 200 per cent increase in followers since its launch in the autumn of 2012. Targeted recruiting actions toward analysts and IT professionals has led to greater external interest in vacancies in these areas.
Personnel Facts
The number of persons employed by If on 31 December 2013 was 6,830 (6,788). The impact of normal efficiency improvements and some targeted efficiency actions within parts of the organization was offset by the one-time effect of acquiring Tryg in Finland and its approximately 200 employees. The integration of Tryg’s and If’s organizations during the year led to some overlaps in functions and subsequent redundancies of 26 employees.
Personnel turnover increased slightly from 8.7 per cent in 2012 to 9.3 per cent in 2013. The increase is attributable to Tryg redundancies and specific efficiency measures across the organization.
Employee satisfaction remains high. 9 out of 10 If employees gave a positive response when asked whether they enjoy working at If.
Overall, illness-related absenteeism is low (3.4 per cent). Norway continues to have a higher percentage of sickness absences (4.8 per cent) than If’s other countries. In 2013, If has focused on improving the situation in Norway.
Sickness Absences
If P&C, 2012–2013
| 31 December 2013 | 31 December 2012 | |
| Denmark | 2.4% | 2.0% |
| Sweden | 3.4% | 3.3% |
| Finland | 2.9% | 3.2% |
| Norway | 4.8% | 4.8% |
| Latvia | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Lithuania | 1.5% | 0.8% |
| Estonia | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Total | 3.4% | 3.3% |
Personnel Turnover
If P&C, 2012–2013
| 31 December 2013 | 31 December 2012 | |
| Denmark | 10.9% | 11.4% |
| Sweden | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Finland | 8.7% | 6.6% |
| Norway | 8.6% | 8.0% |
| Latvia | 17.7% | 13.1% |
| Lithuania | 14.0% | 18.5% |
| Estonia | 22.2% | 12.8% |
| Total | 9.3% | 8.7% |
Personnel Cost Initiatives
Focus on further leveraging If’s Nordic synergies through cross-border personnel cost initiatives was seen in 2013. Cost-saving opportunities are opening up as information technology matures and processes and systems become more Nordic. These include taking into account the differences in personnel costs among the countries when hiring employees for staff and back office positions.