Quality, flexibility and mobility

We promote quality, flexibility and mobility in our staff and partners through constant initial and further training measures, in order to realise our ambitious company goals.

The Group strategy of consistent internationalisation and constant improvement of profits demands human resources that satisfy the high demands with regard to professional quality, flexibility and mobility. Use of the right employees, at the right place and at the right time, is a central task of operational human resources management and the targeted personnel development programme.

Go Ahead takes us forward

We founded the mobility programme Go Ahead in 2003, to promote the rapid expansion of international business, and expanded it with new elements for improved efficiency. This programme supports temporary assignments by Austrian employees at international Group companies as well as bringing our foreign colleagues to Austria or giving them assignments in other countries.

212 participants from 15 countries.

The exchange of company-internal know-how and networking that takes place as a result of this programme has received positive evaluations by the 212 participants from 15 countries. In addition, participation in the Go Ahead programme is considered a distinction and variable preparation for one’s further career within our Group.

Short-term programme enjoys popularity

In 2007, the programme was expanded with Go Ahead Light Mentoring for short-term stays abroad, making it much more attractive to many employees with families.

Of the 88 new participants who took part in the mobility programme in 2007, 31 employees decided on the version Go Ahead Light with reduced stays abroad, and 38 decided on an assignment within the framework of Go Ahead Mentoring.

Preference for assignments to Austria

In 2007, 51 employees from the subsidiaries accepted assignments in Austria, while 37 colleagues from Austria were able to gain experience at a Group subsidiary abroad.

Personnel expenditures compiled in UHRS

Operational Human Resources Management and Personnel Development were merged in 2007, into UNIQA Human Resources-Service GmbH (UHRS). The goal of this company is to better coordinate complex work procedures.

For basic training within Raiffeisen Versicherung, eLearning as well as tests and certifications were implemented in 2007, on the Raiffeisen Academy platform. The institutionalised employee meetings for all in-house staff were held once again, including agreement on the required development steps. For managers in new positions, structured development plans were coordinated with the individual needs of the managers for the first time in 2007. A separate employee meeting was also introduced for the field service.

Innovative personnel recruiting of high-potential employees

We build up qualified employees for expert positions and management jobs in the international subsidiaries with the innovative “Potential Recruiting Project”. The realisation of the innovative training programme started at UNIQA Slovakia and UNIQA Poland and is being continued in Hungary and Italy.

UNIQA Human Resources employees worked with local managers and HR directors to select university graduates for a one-year trainee programme. Subsequently, they were prepared for future management tasks within the Group over the course of six months in Austria.

Roughly 140 UNIQA managers from all countries of Central and Eastern Europe were informed about the current Group strategy and plans of the company in two ManagerCircle events in Vienna and Dubrovnik during 2007.

UNIQA managers from all countries assembled in Dubrovnik and Vienna for the ManagerCircle 2007. Saša Krbavac organised the successful event in Croatia, in which more than 140 employees participated. Chairman of the Management Board Konstantin Klien was also one of the speakers.

International apprenticeships

The pilot project “International Apprenticeships in the UNIQA Group” was started in 2006. The two-year insurance apprenticeship is combined with a five-month internship abroad and is intended to promote willingness for mobility, and also offers the opportunity to build networks during the apprenticeship extending far beyond the normal work environment. Starting in autumn 2008, the programme will be expanded throughout all of Austria with an apprenticeship training programme in ExclusiveSales in which apprentices will gather their first sales experiences in addition to technical knowledge.

The current strategy for ExclusiveSales was the focus of a motivational event at management level in 2007. The five key topics of total customers, sales expansion, sales not administration, standard & more and providing for the future now were explained in lectures and discussions. ExclusiveSales has achieved a new milestone with the QualityPartnership in regard to the total customer strategy: over 370,000 customers make use of the advantageous services of the unique insurance package.

Training of customer advisors

In 2007, the basic training based, in part, on a new foundation, was started by 262 customer advisors. The training is now more strongly oriented around the life-tree model “Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow”. Special importance is placed on conveying technical- and sales-related know-how in the coordinated training modules.

The management and advising staff in ExclusiveSales had the opportunity to choose from a broad selection of seminars in 2007, within the framework of the Managers Development Forum (FEF). The training units were constantly focused on practical applications using the new and existing instruments and tools for supporting the five key sales aspects.

The comprehensive and ambitious seminar programme for professional and personal advancement of our partners in broker sales has set new standards in terms of quality and innovation. Our BrokerService is the largest partner to brokers in Austria, and frequently took on a trailblazing role in the development of industry standards.

GeneralAgency Academy receives new orientation

The “GeneralAgency Academy” was given a new content orientation as the central initial and further training institution for our independent sales partners. Expanding on the basic training in which new GeneralAgents and PartnerAgents are taught about the most important UNIQA future provisions and risk solutions based on the total customer strategy, the further training courses also offer interested persons training and knowhow in the areas of “Entrepreneurs & Managers”, “Product & Argumentation”, “Sales & Pros” and “Work & Technology”. Seminars specially designed for the work of back office employees of the GeneralAgency round off the wide range of initial and further training opportunities.

Ten years of Broker Academy

A central element of our success among freelance brokers is the Broker Academy (MAK), which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2007. More then 2,000 participants have taken part in Broker Academy events and seminars during this time. In 2007, the Broker Academy presented a best-of programme, consisting of the most frequently booked seminars of past years. The seminar brochure, with topics from business, finance and stock markets all the way to personal fitness and mental training courses, was sent to 4,000 brokers and met with great acceptance.

The trips abroad organised within the scope of MAK International in 2007, brought a total of 123 of our business partners, including from Poland and the Czech Republic, to the booming country of South Africa. In May 2008, a fact-finding tour through the Russian metropolises of Moscow and St. Petersburg was on the programme.

In addition to the attractive seminar offerings of the Broker Academy, UNIQA made insurance products of the new rate line “BrokerSelect” available to partners in broker sales for the first time. These products are characterised by an attractive price-benefit ratio, transparency and simple handling within sales. Under the umbrella brand “BrokerSelect”, there are now rates for automotive, household, legal expenses and accident lines. Multi-contract customers of UNIQA whose contracts are collected together within a TopConto can lay claim to a special discount.

Cooperation in bank sales intensified and expanded

As part of the establishment and expansion of bank sales in 2007, the cooperation between UNIQA and the Raiffeisen banking group was further intensified in Central and Eastern Europe. Within the framework of the Preferred Partnership with Raiffeisen, the cooperation already underway in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Ukraine, has now been expanded to markets in Albania and Kosovo.

In the 13 markets in which this strategic partnership with Raiffeisen has now been established, we focus on offering combined banking and insurance products, on preparations for a staged introduction of capital-forming life-insurance products as well as on developing synergies through shared utilisation of sales channels. In addition, the cooperation with the Veneto Banca group in Italy, primarily in the area of life insurance, has produced considerable results. Raiffeisen Versicherung is the competence centre here for the entire area of bank sales within the UNIQA Group.

The 'Pink Ribbon' campaign

As the largest health insurer in Austria, we support the “Pink Ribbon” campaign to raise awareness of the dangers and prevention options of breast cancer. Like many other buildings, monuments and sights throughout the world, the UNIQA Tower was blanketed in pink light on 1 October.

Friendliest service in 2007

In a survey of freelance brokers by the industry magazine risControl, UNIQA held top position in the category of “Service-friendliest insurance company in 2007”. The evaluation encompassed the behaviour of the company in direct business transactions, from the application to the issuing of the policy, in claims management as well as in service, advising, information and communication. The jump to the top is the result of the massive efforts of UNIQA to take a posture of partnership toward freelance brokers in all areas, to take their needs into account and to secure an advantage over the competition by satisfying these partners with our service, information and availability. This success is, for us, a motivation to further improve the service quality in broker sales as well as in the international Group companies. A key strategy on this path is regionalisation. Decentralisation projects that intentionally build upon the strengths of the respective regions are already underway. Initial successes have already been enjoyed, particularly in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Occupational old-age provisions emphasised

As a full-service provider, Raiffeisen Versicherung placed particular emphasis in autumn of 2007 on supplemental pension security through occupational old-age provisions. Within the framework of the broad selection of optimal provision solutions for companies, particular emphasis was given to employee group insurance “My guaranteed company pension” for employees, as well as the pension approval and direct approval for business executives and managing employees.

The 11th International Pension Symposium of Raiffeisen Versicherung in Lisbon, made up of top-notch experts, concerned itself with the increasing age of the population in the European Union and the consequences for social security systems. In the opinion of the experts, increasing of the labour force participation rate of persons over 55 years through stronger investments in human capital as well as gradual raising of the pension eligibility age could help to ameliorate the growing problems in old-age and nursing care insurance.

Market acceptance of their innovative provisions programme for women, Womanlife, was confirmed for Raiffeisen Versicherung by the most recent women’s study. According to this study, Austrian women currently feel self-confident and significantly more independent than previously. In decisions on financial security for old age, 38% of women rely on the advisor of their bank and, in particular, on the advisor’s professional competence.

Joint initiative for climate protection

Twelve companies of the Austrian Raiffeisen organisation founded a private initiative against climate change in 2007, out of feelings of social responsibility. The Raiffeisen Climate Protection Initiative (RKI) under the presidency of the former EU Commissioner of Agriculture, Franz Fischler, intends to contribute to emerging synergies in the area of energy efficiency and to sensitising large sections of the public with regard to climate protection.

Awarding of the GreenBuilding certificate of the EU.

Since the start of 2008, the UNIQA Tower can officially boast the EU “GreenBuilding” certificate. The Austrian energy agency recognised the striking building in Vienna as an “energy-conscious new building”. This makes the UNIQA Tower the first new office building in Austria to which this certificate has been issued. UNIQA also considered possible energy-saving measures with regard to their costs as well as economic and environmental advantages for the hotel project currently under construction on Praterstrasse.

Corporate social responsibility

UNIQA also makes a contribution to the conservation of endangered species. In addition to transport insurance for the transfer of two panda bears from China to the Vienna Zoo in Schönbrunn, UNIQA also took on custom insurance for the duration of the animals’ stay, including a newborn panda baby.