Competence development
The development of the competencies and professional skills of all employees is a fundamental part of Sampo Group’s corporate culture.
Sampo Group prioritises competence and professional development of employees, both to ensure employee engagement and to have the right skills in the organisation. Providing employees with opportunities for learning and an understanding of customers’ needs are prerequisite for continued competitiveness.
Approach
At Sampo Group, the group level guidance document regarding competence development is the Sampo Group Code of Conduct, which is reviewed annually and approved by the Board of Directors of Sampo plc. Together with supplementary company-specific policies, the Code of Conduct outlines how Sampo Group supports and promotes the professional development of its employees and develops leadership practices.
Sampo Group has a comprehensive learning offering available to all employees, starting from onboarding processes. Sampo Group offers mandatory training (e.g. the training requirements of the Insurance Distribution Directive), voluntary training (e.g. digital skills, language studies), and training in collaboration with external suppliers. The type of training programmes used depends on the part of the organisation in which the employee is working. Some trainings are mandatory for all employees (e.g. Code of Conduct training, compliance training, information security and data privacy training), and others are part of annual training cycles. Participation and completion of the mandatory training is monitored.
Over the years, Sampo Group has seen a growth of community-driven competence development opportunities. Employees have engaged in specialist academies, where they create their own learning paths according to their interests and professional competence needs. In some countries, Sampo Group also provides on-the-job training, as well as graduate and internship programmes, some through third-party relationships, to build the pipeline of its future talent. These are increasingly being utilised across the business alongside apprenticeship programmes to bolster capability and develop future leaders.
At Sampo Group, leadership development is offered, encouraged, and provided in a variety of ways. As leaders join the company, or are promoted, the company ensures there is a leadership induction covering foundation skills such as performance management and an introduction to coaching. This creates consistent principles, tools, and frameworks, enabling leaders to lead and manage their teams effectively. In addition, several other management trainings are offered depending on the role and the Group company in question. These can include extensive leadership programmes or briefings on specific topics, for example. Training for the members of the boards of directors is organised when necessary.
Sampo Group encourages leaders and employees to use the competence development tools and supporting materials available on the company intranets and learning platforms. Sampo Group fosters competence development by offering paid and unpaid study leave. The form of the leave depends on the purpose, the length of the leave, and national regulations.
Goals and ambitions
Sampo Group's aim is that employees’ skills and working methods are in line with the company’s goals and provide a competitive advantage.
Company-level information
Governance
If’s Policy on Professional Requirements for Insurance Distribution aims to ensure that employees involved in insurance distribution meet certain professional requirements relevant for their role. The related Competence and Training Business Instruction sets out the requirements for said training. HR is responsible for ensuring legal compliance, while leaders are responsible for creating the right conditions to meet the requirements. To ensure compliance, the Insurance Distribution Education Committee regularly reviews the professional competence and training process.
If’s digital learning platform, Workday Learning, supplies all employees with corporate training and general learning paths, as well as targeted competence development in various fields. Initiatives at corporate level focus on developing culture, providing compliance training, and fulfilling specific competence needs. If assesses the quality of corporate training through, for instance, surveys, comments, and ratings after each training, and the information provides valuable input into the design and development of training materials.
With an increasing need to strengthen customer-centred competence development relating to, for instance, sales techniques, customer communication and legal knowledge, If has dedicated People Development units across the business areas. While these decentralised full-time resources work closely with the business, the global People Development and Culture Specialist has responsibility for driving common Learning and Development initiatives across If.
If encourages leaders and employees to use the competence development tools and supporting materials available on the intranet, to enable a structured dialogue concerning development goals and improvement areas, as well as job satisfaction on an individual level. The general employee perception is also captured through the HeartBeat survey questions ’My job enables me to learn and develop new skills’, ’In my work I am always challenged to grow’ and ’I see development opportunities within If’.
Educational programmes
If has a company-wide Coming Together onboarding process for all employees. The onboarding also includes summer workers and offers seminars in English to ensure non-native-speaking employees are given the opportunity to participate. If has a mandatory One Responsible If learning programme. The programme is part of all new employees’ onboarding and an annual activity for all existing employees. It covers If’s policies on ethics, social media, sustainability, information security, personal data, conflicts of interest, and AML and CTF.
Approximately one third of If’s employees are subject to the training requirements of the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD). In addition to the IDD training, the business areas run their own customised certification processes. With this, If ensures that the management and the insurance distributors fulfil the professional competence and professional training requirements defined for their respective roles.
Over the years, If has seen organic growth of community driven competence development opportunities. Employees have engaged in specialist academies, where they create their own learning paths according to their interests and professional competence needs. One of the most recent additions to the If Academy is the Application Programming Interface Academy. Examples of more established academies include the Analytics Academy, which provides competence development within data management and analytics skills, and the Analytics Coaching group, which offers problem-solving and support in analysing data using different analytics tools. The Finance Academy is a training programme available to any employee who is interested in understanding If’s key financials, value creation in insurance, and risk management.
If also fosters competence development by offering paid and unpaid study leave. The form of the leave depends on the purpose, the length of the leave, and national regulations.
Leadership development
If has a New Leader in If programme for all new leaders. The new leaders are invited to participate in the programme, which complements all other leadership training within If. The programme consists of several modules and seminars, with the aim of training new leaders in leadership practices, culture, compliance, legal requirements, and HR processes.
Strategic workforce planning
If performs a succession planning process for boards, top management, and other key positions annually. Short-term succession planning aims to ensure business continuity from a risk management perspective, while long-term succession planning aims to ensure that If has able successors when key positions are available. The updated succession plan is reported to the If and Sampo plc boards. It is also used by If’s top management in discussions related to key management positions and the talent pool.
If offers employees the potential to grow both vertically and horizontally. This is done by posting job openings internally prior to any external advertisement, thereby securing growth opportunities for existing employees. Furthermore, If promotes job shadowing and mentoring to increase awareness of potential growth opportunities at If.
Performance appraisals
If promotes regular feedback and development dialogue between employees and leaders, to follow up on the current situation and the ambitions going forward, and to formalise the agreed commitments in individual development plans. Workday Learning enables detailed reporting and analytics and lets leaders at If follow up on the competence development activities of their employees.
Governance
Topdanmark offers several training programmes depending on the part of the organisation in which the employee is working. Some trainings are mandatory for all employees. In addition, the company offers voluntary training and training in collaboration with external suppliers, both of which are also aimed at all employees.
At Topdanmark, all insurance-related training and certification is administered centrally by HR in collaboration with the Danish Insurance Academy (Forsikrings Akademiet, FOAK). Each employee has an individual training plan in FOAK’s learning management system, which is used by FOAK, the employee, their coach (e.g. an experienced colleague or manager), and their leader for following up and documenting training, exams, and certificates.
Job descriptions and skill requirements are standard parts of Topdanmark’s recruitment process. All open positions are posted on Topdanmark’s internal jobsite, and the company has an active job bank.
Educational programmes
Topdanmark has an annual cycle of mandatory training that all employees must complete, including Code of Conduct, data privacy, and IT security. The HR Development unit monitors the participation and completion of the mandatory training. Topdanmark also offers all employees the chance to improve their digital skills through voluntary e-learning programmes. This is to support the hybrid working model in which the company applies a 60/40 work week with 40 per cent work from home.
Leadership development
Topdanmark organises specific training for leaders. Examples include Introduction to Management offered to all new leaders, and the Introduction to leadership pipeline offered to all leaders. Training for the members of the Board of Directors is organised when necessary.
Strategic workforce planning
As a part of Topdanmark’s annual organisational review, the members of the company’s management team assess the state of their business areas. Part of the organisational review is identifying a talent pipeline (e.g. future leaders, senior managers, and individuals to fill business-critical roles) and finding ways to support the development of the individuals identified as having the greatest potential. This work is conducted in collaboration with HR. The organisational overview also enables Topdanmark to identify any workforce skill gaps. The leadership pipeline works hand in hand with the personal development dialogue used for individual career planning. Together, they help Topdanmark and the employee in question to formalise the skill requirements that are necessary to progress to more senior roles.
In addition to the annual organisational review, Topdanmark evaluates the need for skills in the organisation on an ongoing basis through dialogue with the individual departments, the management, and the group executive management.
People analytics
Topdanmark uses people analytics for employee performance tracking in sales and claims, for strategic workforce management in customer service, and for product development. People analytics is also used to identify workforce skills gaps, so that requirements and skills match, for example.
People analytics is linked to workforce planning through forecasting. Topdanmark tracks changes and movement in its workforce to forecast the expected need for candidates in its business and to plan actions to address those needs. Topdanmark also uses people analytics to identify and manage the reasons for employee turnover.
Certification
Topdanmark spends a significant part of the company’s training budget on certification, and it supports degree programmes on a case-by-case basis when this complements a needed and mutually agreed on development path of an individual. Topdanmark works closely with the Danish Insurance Academy on insurance skills training and certification, and with partnering business schools, for example, in relation to the apprentice programme.
Individual career paths
At least once a year, all Topdanmark employees must participate in a personal development dialogue with their direct leader regarding their development in their role. The output of the dialogue is an individualised development plan stating focus areas, skills that need development, and agreed activities. Career counselling is also part of the development dialogue. This enables employees to adapt their skill sets to their career paths.
Governance
Hastings’ competence development strategy is supported by internal policies and is overseen by Hastings Group’s HR Director. The company has a comprehensive learning catalogue available to all employees.
Educational programmes
Hastings offers its employees a suite of mandatory and regulatory training. The curriculum consists of a series of modules deployed to all new starters and to existing employees on an annual recurring basis. Depending on role, the average learning time for the curriculum is two hours, and it comprises the following topics: customers in vulnerable circumstances, complaint handling, financial crime, protecting customers’ and colleagues’ data, DEI, health and safety, training and competence, IDD, and senior managers and the certification regime.
Over 1,000 Hastings employees are required to complete and evidence 15 hours of continuous professional development as part of the IDD. The progress is tracked and reported through Hastings’ in-house learning management system, YourCareer.
Hastings also provides graduate, placement, and internship programmes, some through third-party relationships, to build the pipeline of its future talent. These are increasingly being utilised across the business alongside apprenticeship programmes to bolster capability and develop future leaders.
Hastings is a member of Women in Data and has a project group that focuses on developing, designing, and delivering activities designed to support women who are currently working in or have ambitions to work in data. Activities fall under three strands: early careers, career development, and raising awareness.
Leadership development
At Hastings, leadership development is offered, encouraged, and provided in a variety of ways. As leaders join Hastings, or are promoted, the company ensures there is a Leadership Induction covering foundation skills such as performance management and an introduction to coaching.
Hastings’ senior managers are required to undertake the same mandatory training modules as all employees in relation to Hastings’ regulatory and legal compliance obligations. Senior executive managers and Board members receive regular briefings on specific topics to enable them to develop sufficient knowledge and understanding of matters that potentially present a significant risk to Hastings, such as cyber and information security and data privacy. Briefings also cover matters such as diversity and inclusion, climate change, and sustainable business practices.
Operational leaders at Hastings continue to be developed and accredited through a dedicated, internal leadership programme. The programme is embedded into everyday leadership practice. This creates consistent principles, tools, and frameworks, enabling leaders to coach and manage their teams effectively.
Certification
In support of employees’ professional development, Hastings provides all employees with the opportunity to apply for an apprenticeship programme aligned to their job role. This allows employees to gain professional qualifications up to Bachelor’s and Master’s level. Hastings also works with leaders across the business to identify employees who may benefit from upskilling or professional development through an apprenticeship. These apprenticeships are inclusive, enabling employees of any background, age, or job role to benefit from professional development. Funding for externally certified training is available for all employees, subject to agreement from their leader and a review of qualifying criteria by the Learning and Development team.
Individual career paths
Hastings provides performance and development frameworks to support leaders and employees in having regular conversations regarding their training and development needs, which are recorded in employees’ personal development plans. The company also provides training pathways for employees with similar development needs, to complement the development of defined skill requirements within the relevant career paths.
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