Motivated & competent

UNIQA employees

We demand a lot from our employees. They should always listen to customers and sales partners, and offer the best possible support at all times. We endeavour to create a working environment that is as attractive as possible in this regard – because employees who feel comfortable also provide first-class service.

Value-oriented and capable

We are a company with character. We have many strengths, but of course we also make mistakes. And we define this character through UNIQA’s values. They represent us and our spirit and provide the guidelines for our actions:

We have defined four specific core competencies for each of these values, ranging from customer focus to openness, and we see these as the basic requirements for successfully fulfilling our diverse responsibilities. That is why we pay particular attention to these competencies with new hires, in addition to considering their technical knowledge. With a clearly structured onboarding process, we ensure that new employees feel that they are in good hands at UNIQA right from the beginning, and are able to contribute towards the Company’s success as soon as possible.

Well educated

We support employees with their personal and professional development through a comprehensive range of educational and continuing education. Managers and employees work together as part of the annual employee appraisals to define specific development measures for further personal and professional growth based on their main tasks and defined objectives. UNIQA’s training and development courses consist of numerous e-learning modules, live seminars and on-the-job training.

Aside from specific subject knowledge, the central topics of these modules are conflict management, communication, corporate wording and proper telephone conduct.

There are also two leadership programmes specifically tailored for management staff: “SHAPE” is aimed at managers who report directly to the Group Management Board as well as to Board members of UNIQA International AG, and “NEXT” is aimed at all other executives responsible for managing staff. The programmes, launched in 2016, are both designed to last two years, and participation is voluntary.

Diverse

As an employer in 16 countries, we value the diversity of our teams, as this is an important element of our success. In addition to ensuring representation of different nationalities and age groups, maintaining a gender balance is also very important to us. More than half of the employees in the UNIQA Group are women. The proportion of women in senior management positions is 23 per cent throughout the Group as a whole, and 28 per cent in UNIQA International.

We also actively work to recruit new female talent: Daughter’s Day gives girls an insight into the professional environment at UNIQA – presented live by UNIQA’s female managers.

Sharing in our success

Commitment and performance are valued highly at UNIQA and are thus also rewarded accordingly. A bonus system for managers based on the Company’s financial success (Short-Term Incentive, STI), and a performance-related bonus scheme for field sales management (EB-AD) are therefore essential components in our variable remuneration systems.

A bonus system (profit sharing) has also been developed for employees who do not have variable salary components, as we believe that all employees at UNIQA should benefit from the Company’s success. In addition, UNIQA also provides long-term support for employees in the form of retirement pensions, occupational disability benefits and survivors’ pensions.

Supported and free from burden

Time at UNIQA means time for living. Supporting employees in finding the right balance between leisure, family and work is extremely important to us. The “UNIQA Freiraum” service portal provides a wide range of information and services on the topics of health, family and benefits, as well as leisure, culture and mobility.

Children’s days are held regularly at UNIQA Tower in order to relieve the burden on employees with family responsibilities. UNIQA also offers help and advice to employees who are taking a leave from work. Meetings for employees on parental or unpaid leave provide information on the latest developments within the Company as well as on practical aspects for returning to work. They also provide an opportunity to exchange experiences and stay in touch.

In addition, we rely on flexible working time models and enable part-time and remote work in a targeted effort to promote the compatibility between career and family life.

Healthy and committed

Happy and healthy employees are motivated performers. That is why we focus on direct health promotion with initiatives such as free vaccinations and discounts on massages, while also emphasising the importance of prevention through various initiatives. The services offered range from health screenings to expert presentations on avoiding burn-out, as well as specific fitness tips from UNIQA VitalCoaches. Likewise, employees can also receive support with their private or professional problems through the KEEP BALANCE psychological telephone advisory service. In addition, they can also make use of extensive sport and relaxation opportunities free of charge. The UNIQA Sport Club provides a wide range of options encompassing 22 different areas – from tennis and volleyball to sailing and yoga.

Social responsibility is a part of our corporate culture, which is why we also encourage social commitment on the part of our employees. Every year, employees can take a social day upon which they get involved in social matters and work with disadvantaged groups. The Company releases them from work for the day. The allocated time can be increased to two days for special occasions.

Feedback from employees is important to us, which is why we conduct regular employee surveys – the last survey took place in September 2017. In a dialogue between managers and their teams, the results were discussed internally, and concrete action plans for further improvements were drawn up, which will be implemented in the course of 2018.