Employee Well-being Programme 

The programme was implemented in 2000 to counter the enormous work and domestic pressures placed on staff. It is a collaborative effort between the organisation's internal health services such as Old Mutual Healthcare, Incapacity Management Services (IMS), the Occupational Health and Safety department and the Gym @ Old Mutual.

During 2004 an Old Mutual Health Strategy Forum, made up of members of the collaboration, was set up to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of the interventions so that a fundamental switch from curative to preventive actions is possible. The latest information suggests that the strategy is proving a success: in the last 12 months the number of Proactive Incapacity Management (PIM) referrals - those that depend on counselling to deal with stress/psychiatric-related conditions - has doubled. In the same period, related disability claims have significantly reduced.

Measurement and reporting provides feedback to the Employee Wellbeing practice located within the human resource department and to business units so that they are able to plot trends, synergies and strategic overlaps in dealing with staff morale and performance issues.

A benchmark exercise conducted in 2004 indicates that family, marital and financial problems are most common among staff - this bears a high correlation to studies of general society. In response, Old Mutual is designing interventions that deal with each.

Utilisation remains highest in the age group 30 - 40, generally the middle management group. The challenge in 2005 is to provide more support to this layer within the organisation, mostly via training and role coaching.

Employee Wellbeing usage in 2004 was 12.3%.

For more on the Old Mutual Employee Wellbeing Programme, including its schematic representation, read the Corporate Citizenship Report 2003, page 56, or browse the report online at http://www.oldmutual.com

Training and development at Old Mutual Business School (OMBUS)

(The statistics provided in the tables below are for the period 1 October 2003 to end September 2004.)

The Old Mutual Business School (OMBUS) offers a variety of short but targeted training courses for all staff aimed at both improving their technical skills and accelerating their personal and managerial development. The following table and statistics illustrate the leading role that OMBUS occupies in the development of the organisation.

In the period under consideration more than 10 912 staff, out of a total permanent staff complement of 12 792 underwent some form of training. Of that number 5 974 were black staff. The following table shows that all grades of staff (grade 1 = executive management) have had some training:

Staff Training Profile at Old Mutual Business School
Grade	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Rest
Numbers trained	19	104	14	447	504	1 096	891	684	566	847	713	782	2 312	1 933

The courses offered at OMBUS are in part determined by a competency framework, which is used in the recruitment and psychometric assessment processes of the organisation. But they are also driven by the changing requirements of the South African markets, and by company requirements. However, the School does not limit itself to short courses. It offers a variety of postgraduate qualifications, mostly in collaboration with the University of Cape Town, but also with other accredited organisations. The highly regarded Postgraduate Diploma in Management will replace the Advanced Certificate in Leadership in 2005. The popular project management qualification through Cranefield College and the University of Stellenbosch is also on offer.

In terms of another Financial Sector Charter requirement, Old Mutual's first intake of 11 learners (all disabled), was followed by the full 2004 complement of 75. The company will have taken on 4.5% of our total staff complement by 2008. In April 2005 another 200 learners will start their period of training.

Old Mutual has surpassed the requirements of the Financial Sector Charter of 1.5% of payroll to be spent on training of black staff in each of the last four years (see Developing scarce skills).