Creating the conditions for performance
The Group's HR policy: to become the preferred employer
"Because we are a service company, the Group's men and women represent our main assets: their ability to listen and provide sound advice enables us to stand out in our customers' eyes. It is therefore vital to develop their skills and commitment, a key driver as we work towards our Ambition 2012: to become the Preferred Company in our industry".
Henri de Castries, Chairman of the Management Board.
For AXA, winning the preference of its employees will directly contribute to winning the preference of its customers. To combine the personal development of its employees with that of the Group's business, AXA promotes a management style that empowers people, based on its core values: professionalism, innovation, pragmatism, team spirit and integrity.
That is why AXA strives to motivate its employees and encourages them to improve their core competencies. By developing the leadership and technical skills of its people and creating a working environment that is conducive to their engagement, AXA's goal is to make its human capital a source of high performance. At AXA, this policy is translated into a formula which ties in skills with the commitment of the Group's employees.
In practice, this means, among others, ensuring that employees clearly understand what the top priorities are and giving them the possibility to improve their existing skills or acquire new capabilities in order to perform effectively. Executive attitudes and behaviors will be key drivers of company performance. Indeed, their leadership is essential in terms of shaping the attitudes and behaviors of staff. They are therefore expected to lead by example.
More generally, AXA has defined its HR policy by setting social performance objectives for the management of its employees on both a collective level and individually. In keeping with its philosophy of decentralized management, the Group's policy provides a general framework that AXA subsidiaries are expected to comply with, although they are free to draw up and roll out action plans designed to best address their own local needs and requirements.
Performance founded on engagement
In 2005, AXA conducted an opinion and attitude survey of Group employees based in five countries (France, Germany, Ireland, Spain and Japan). The aim of the survey was to understand the relationship between employee engagement and organizational performance, particularly in the area of customer service. The findings indicate a high level of correlation between the opinion employees have of their company and revenue growth, productivity and customer satisfaction. In this way, various initiatives aimed at fostering employee engagement are being rolled out in order to develop, motivate and retain high-quality people so that business performance will improve, benefiting both the Group's clients and shareholders.