Investing in Our People

Workplace culture 

In early December Managing Director Roddy Sparks addressed Old Mutual's disappointing performance in the Deloitte & Touche "Best Company to Work For" survey and a subsequent internal climate survey was conducted during the year. In both staff members catagorically stated their unhappiness with regard to several issues, including management style and performance.

In the Deloitte & Touche survey, Old Mutual was ranked 103rd out of 106 respondents.

In his address the Managing Director declared that during 2005 the improvement of staff morale would occupy a particular management focus. He committed management to ongoing discussions emanating from the survey, and committed management to applying consensus decisions in their own areas.

The December event, and the detailed plans to deal with employee morale in business segments and business units are evidence of executive management's commitment to staff welfare and to addressing the ongoing challenges of creating and maintaining a high performance corporate culture. Moreover, the event was a tangible demonstration of Old Mutual's values in action: integrity, accountability, respect and pushing beyond boundaries.

The human capital development model

A team located within the Old Mutual Business School has developed this model in 2004, for full implementation in 2005 to provide workplace practices and disciplines that ensure our people develop to their full potential so that they are best able to contribute to the business, and to each other. Now, the full range of specialist functions is located in the the Business School where the guiding philosophy is that these functions have at their centre each member of Old Mutual
South Africa.