adv win14 16pp

Winter2014 ADVANCE magazine 1

Profitbeforetaxinthefirst9monthsgrewby26%,risingto£1,001million

WinnerforCurrentAccountSwitchers

Mortgagelendingforfirst9months£20.5billion

if your rating does not reflect your work...

APPEAL

Telephone: 01442 891 122www.advance-union.org

WELL DONEYouhelpedtomakeithappen!

W I N T E R 2 0 1 4

2 ADVANCE magazine winter 2014

PublishedbyAdvance,2ndFloor,16/17HighStreet,Tring,HertsHP235AH

telephone: 01442 891122fax: 01442 891133Email: [email protected]

Allarticles©advancemagazine2014ortheauthor.Thecontentsmaynotbereproducedwithoutpermission.Writers’viewsarenotnecessarilythoseofAdvance.

Editor:LindaRolph

Design&production:www.design-mill.co.uk

the Bell Curve 12The effects on current bonus payments

Branch mapping 13Update

Disciplinary hearings 14Concerns with the application of the Disciplinary policy

the Advance travel Club 15Saving you money wherever you want to go

linda’s team 20Contact details

9

6

ContEntSNEws 4Christmas opening hoursFinancial statementsConsistency sessionsThe Bank Workers Charity

why risk your job? 5

simple, personal and 6fair is for you as well!How to appeal against your year-end appraisal rating

south-west Division 8Introducing this Advance Team

flexible working 10Your right to request different working hours

Printedonrecycledpaper

8

10

Inthisissue...

12


WelcomeW

ell, what a busy year for all of us! Compared to other banks, I believe

that Santander is ahead of many of its competitors, not just financially but in many areas, such as:● Profit before tax in the first

nine months grew by 26%, rising to £1,001 million

● An increase of 900,000 123 World Customers (to 3.3 million) in the first nine months

● Winner for Current Account Switchers

● Mortgage lending for first nine months £20.5 billion (compared to £12.9 billion for first nine months of 2013)

● Customer service gets better and better,

● No negative headlines (unlike some banks),

● Commitment to continuation of branches.

Santander’s commitment to branches is great news both from a Job Security perspective and for customers. However, going forward all branches should be resourced sufficiently and allow individuals to grow and have autonomy in some work decisions. Advance want to see an understanding by all managers that individuals learn from mistakes and should not be punished for them unless there is no alternative. In addition, all managers should give praise to individuals for what they have achieved rather than just criticising them for what they haven’t done.

Training should be high on the priorities list: it is important that individuals are given the time to complete and fully understand their

training. We have had discussions with management regarding academies and the need for academies to reflect an individual’s situation such as maternity returners, part-time workers, or those with elder care responsibilities. Travelling long distance and staying away from home is not possible for everyone. We are in discussions with management on how this issue can be resolved.

The Risk framework is currently being reviewed and Advance is eager to discuss the outcomes. The FCA will still demand more from the banks regarding risk. However, the purpose should be to ensure that all necessary checks are undertaken and that the bank is fit for purpose.

2015 is fast approaching and, no doubt, change will not stop. New challenges will arise from the Bank and optimisation will continue. The challenges will not only be for the banks, there are many up and coming events such as: ● the General Election in May, ● the challenges for the EU and ● new technology continues

to affect us all.

However, one known factor is Advance’s commitment to continue improving your working lives. To that end, please complete our survey and return it to us by 9 January 2015.

Advance has identified the changes it would like to see for our members:● To replace complicated incentive

schemes with easy and simple schemes that everyone can understand. Perhaps, dare we say it, the Bank should review the possibility of having one scheme for all that is based on what Santander UK has achieved

and provide a fair reward for the part that you have played.

● The introduction of a new appraisal system that does not just put a tick in the box. Instead it should look at the full contribution that individuals have made and discuss and agree their development for their role and their career plans. We believe an appraisal is an opportunity to praise rather than just detail all that has not been achieved for which there may be many reasons. Many members tell us how disappointed they are that they have worked hard and helped the Bank to achieve it’s goals, only to receive a CP rating (Close to Performance). They feel let down by the Bank and their motivation hits rock bottom.

As you will be aware from other articles in the magazine, we are challenging the number of CP ratings that are given out to individuals.

Finally, you made Santander the success that it is in 2014. You deserve the recognition and reward for this.

Thank you for your support and loyalty. I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful 2015.

linda rolph, general secretary

Evening helpline ContactLindaeveryWednesday8.30–10pm07850 742340

HELP AT WORK


NEws

TheBankWorkersCharity(BWC)isabodythatoffersadvice,supportandassistancetoemployeesofbanksinrelationtonon-workrelatedissues.Ithelpsbothexistingandformerbankworkersandhasgivenassistancetothousandsofpeople.Asidefromadvice,informationandsupporttheBWCcan,onoccasion,evenprovidefinancialassistance.Thecharityhelpspeoplewithawiderangeofproblemssuchas:●Financialproblems,●Counsellingforpersonalrelationships,●Stress&depression,●Helpinaccessingwelfarebenefits,●Healthissues,●Childandeldercareissues,●Domesticabuse●Othernon-workrelatedproblems.

ItisimportanttonotethattheBWCoperatescompletelyindependentlyofbanksandtheadvicethatitgivesistotallyconfidential.

TheBWCoperatesaconfidentialfreehelpline(08000234447)whichtakescallsbetween8.00amand8.00pm.CallerswithsingleissuesarereferreddirectlytoaServiceProviderwhilstthosewithcomplexissuesarereferredtoaClientAdviserwhoundertakesanassessmentofthem.

PeoplecanalsoavailoftheBWCwebsitewhichfacilitateseasyaccessbyprovidinga‘livechat’facility.Youcanlogontotheirwebsiteusingbwcharity.org.uk.Theusernameis‘employeesupport’andthepasswordis‘heretohelp’.

TheorganisationsthatworkwiththeBWCincludethefollowingorganisationsshownbelow.if you have any queries regarding contacting the BWC, please contact Gerry Moloney on 07917 578 979. all calls are treated confidentially.

The Advance office will be closed from 2.00pm on Christmas Eve to 9.00am on Friday, 2 January. Linda Rolph will be taking calls from 27–31 December on 07850 742 340.

ChristmAs opENiNg hours

Advance’s full Financial Statements for 2013 are on the Advance website under ‘News Stories’. www.advance-union.org

fiNANCiAl stAtEmENts

AdvancewillbeattendingsomeConsistencysessionsthroughoutallbusinessareas.Unfortunately,wedonothaveenoughpeopletoattendallmeetings.

ThepurposeofthesemeetingsisforRMRstolistentoBranchManagersandBranchDirectorsinrelationtotherationaleforhowtheyratedtheirteamsatyear-endappraisals.People&Talentofferguidance.Advance’sroleistochallengeanycommentsorlackofevidencetojustifyalowrating(CPorIP).Thiscanbeevidencedbythecontent(orlackof)inDevelopmentLogs.BranchManagersmustbasetheirdecisionsonevidence–notontheirpersonalopinions.

IninstanceswherepeopleareratedatIPorCPattheirhalf-yearappraisals,Advancewouldexpecttoseeevidenceoftrainingandsupportinthesepeople’sDevelopmentLogs.Ifnosuchassistancehasbeengiven,theindividualshouldnotbemarkeddownbecausetheirmanagerfailedtogivetherequiredsupportnecessaryforthemtoimprovetheirperformance.

CoNsistENCy sEssioNsCoNsistENCy sEssioNsstop prEss

TheAdvancelotterywinnersforMay2014toOctober2014havebeenannouncedontheAdvancewebsiteintheMembers’Newssection.

Checktoseeifyouhavewonaprizebyloggingontoourwebsiteatwww.advance-union.org

thE Bank WoRkERS ChaRity


wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and a peaceful 2015

In many cases, there may have been no financial gain as a result of the breach of policy: however, these individuals have

to go through the stress of attending a Disciplinary hearing to explain their actions and often a Disciplinary sanction is applied and as breaching this policy is potentially gross misconduct and can lead to dismissal in some cases.

The key point in relation to the policy on transacting on your own account or that of friends or family is that you are not allowed to do this. You are permitted to view an account that you are named on but if you want to carry out a transaction, you must do this by being served by a colleague whilst standing on the customer’s side of the counter. If you are processing a transaction for a colleague, you must follow the correct procedure for ID&V regardless of the fact that you know them.

Similarly, if a member of your family or a friend wants to do a transaction on their account (other than by Internet banking), they must attend the branch in person and cannot be served by you. In the past, Advance have represented members who, again with no financial gain being involved, have brought Withdrawal slips home to be signed by a family member and have subsequently brought these pre-signed forms back into the branch to be used in completing a transaction on the family member’s account. Neither the related staff member nor any other member of staff is allowed to use a pre-signed Withdrawal slip (or any other type of pre-signed slip) to complete a

if you have any queries on this issue, please contact the Advance office on 01442 891122. All calls are treated confidentially.

transaction – the family member must visit the branch themselves to complete this transaction in person. In the vast majority of these cases, Santander has accepted that there was no dishonest motive for completing these transactions – often family members or friends are unable to visit branches because of the shift hours that they work or, owing to dependent care, they are unable to leave the home during branch opening hours. However, please do not breach this policy as often this leads to members being called to Disciplinary hearings with the attendant stress that this situation brings and the potential impact on your job with Santander.

For the purposes of this policy a ‘transaction’ is anything that is carried out on an account to update its status or balance. This includes opening and closing accounts, changing overdraft limits, setting up or cancelling mandates and reversing or refunding charges. If you are unsure of being allowed to complete a specific transaction, ask your line manager in the first instance.

As part of Santander’s overall

EveryyearmembersoftheAdvanceseniorteamarecalledtorepresentanumberofourmemberswhohavebreachedSantander’spolicyontransactingontheirownaccountorthatoffriendsorfamily.

why risk your job?policy, you are also not permitted to view any accounts that you are not named on without having a legitimate business decision for doing so. This includes viewing the accounts of relatives, friends, neighbours or anyone else. Viewing accounts that you are not named on is a breach of Data Protection and, as such, can lead to disciplinary action being taken against you which can lead to dismissal.

Critically, Santander has systems in place that will identify if an individual has breached any of these policies. Once identified, such individuals face disciplinary action.

As stated, in the vast majority of cases members who have breached the policy on transacting on the accounts of family or friends have done so with no financial motive. In some cases, their reasons appear to be self-evident to them. However, breaching this policy usually leads to disciplinary action. Loyalty to the company, length of service, working late and staff shortages are not accepted as justification for breaching this policy so please avoid putting yourself in this position.

Annual testing is completed by everyone and, as part of this testing, each person in Retail confirms that they know this policy.

You can find the Policy on wearesantander.co.uk under Your Support > People Policies > Viewing and Transacting on Own Accounts Policy.

Advance wants to see changes in Santander’s approach to this issue. To that end, we are currently in discussion with the company and will keep you informed of any changes to this policy.

‘if you ArE proCEssiNg A trANsACtioN for A CollEAguE, you must follow thE CorrECt proCEDurE’


It’s that time of year again! The appraisal process is now called the ‘Performance Excellence Process’ but, aside from that, the

underlying importance of this practice is the same. You should soon be meeting with your manager to discuss your year-end appraisal. It is very important that in deciding your year-end rating, you receive full recognition for all of the hard work that you have undertaken either individually or as part of a team throughout the year. This is particularly important, given the potential effect that your appraisal rating has on your bonus. For example, if your bonus is subject to the Bank’s performance an S1 individual who received an SP rating last year would have achieved a minimum 6% bonus whilst those graded at a CP rating (Close to Performance) received only a 1.5% minimum. Unfortunately, no trades union can negotiate on bonus payments. For those members in Retail branches up to 30% of your bonus will reflect your year-end rating.

You should already have had a meeting with your line manager when you were given your half-year appraisal rating, indicating areas where you had done well and, equally, areas where

you could enhance your performance. If you received a CP rating, what training or support has been given to you to ensure that your performance had improved to the standard of an SP rating? You should not be penalised at year-end if your manager failed to provide the required/training and support. If you are penalised, you should consider appealing.

Related to this point, one ongoing complaint that Advance hears from some individuals is the fact that they have not had a half-year appraisal, nor have been told what their half-year rating is. Half-year ratings are available for all employees to view on wearesantander.co.uk . Several years ago, Advance negotiated that our members had the right to appeal against their half-year rating. This was essential for those who did not agree with their rating. The point of a half-year appraisal is to either acknowledge the fact that a person has achieved their objectives or give them the opportunity to state mitigating reasons as to why they did not. If you have not been told of your development needs at a half-year review, how can you be expected to address them?

Before attending your year-end appraisal meeting make sure that you

are fully prepared by being able to give examples of all the work that you have undertaken. This should include being able to highlight any additional responsibilities that you have carried out. Your preparation should also include any mitigating reasons as to why you may not have achieved objectives. For example, if you have not met the objectives agreed, this does not mean that you have under-performed: there may be significant mitigating factors that may have led to you not meeting these objectives.

Managing performance should be managing for the individual to succeed, not a means of catching people out by emphasising where they may have fallen short. Both your manager and you should participate in discussing your performance for 2014. For most people constructive criticism is acceptable – no-one is perfect. However, in some cases it is the way that feedback is delivered that upsets people. For this reason, in all meetings dignity and fairness should be shown to the individual being reviewed.

aPPealIng agaInsT your year-end aPPraIsal raTIngIf you feel that the rating that you have been given at your end-of-year appraisal is unfair, you must appeal against it.

ApprAisAls

Theappraisalprocessisnowcalledthe‘PerformanceExcellenceProcess’.

simplE, pErsoNAl AND fAir is for you As wEll!



The Informal ProcessUnder the Informal Process you must discuss your reasons for appeal with your line manager. The outcome of this discussion should be documented on your Review Form and should be signed by both parties. Your Advance representative can give you telephone advice in preparing for this meeting. In many cases, issues are resolved at this informal stage.

Advance wants the Reward Team (who are responsible for the Appeals process) to remove the informal process and proceed straight to Stage 1. The reason for this is that on discussion with members as to why they have not appealed their rating if unhappy, it was felt that it was a waste of time. This was because they had already had this discussion with their manager regarding their rating and they would have to repeat the same discussion with the same manager.

We would like this change to be implemented for the year-end Appeals process, so please ensure that you read the policy prior to your meeting.

If the Informal Process does not resolve the matter, you should follow the Formal Process. There are 2 stages to the formal process:

sTage 1Complete a Ratings Appeal Form giving reasons as to why you feel that your end-of-year rating is unfair. You need to complete this form fully and give comprehensive reasons for appealing against your rating. You can ask your Advance representative for help and advice in completing this document. Because management will return incomplete forms, you must make sure that this form is fully completed. Your line manager then gives their written rationale as to why they gave the rating that they have. They will include copies of review forms, PDPs (which would highlight areas in which you have not achieved your objectives), feedback and Management Information. An independent manager (who is not within your reporting line and who has not attended the initial consistency meeting) is then appointed to decide if the rating was fair. As an exception, if this independent manager did attend

the consistency meeting, they can only be chosen if your case was not discussed during that meeting. Your line manager should advise you of who has been selected as the independent manager. You should forward your Ratings Appeal form, via your line manager, to the independent manager. Your line manager will also forward their rationale and evidence supporting their rating to both the independent manager and you. The independent manager should acknowledge receipt of all of this information. They must speak to both you and your line manager for any further clarification. These discussions are not formal meetings and therefore you do not have the right to be accompanied by an Advance representative to this meeting. The independent manager then makes their decision to either uphold your appeal or not. They must write to both you and your line manager, advising both of you of their decision and their reasons for making this decision. The first stage Appeal should be lodged within 14 calendar days of you being advised of your rating and the independent manager should have made and communicated (in writing) their decision within 14 calendar days of acknowledging receipt of all relevant information.

sTage 2If you are still unhappy you can proceed to Stage 2 of the Appeals process. You are entitled to be accompanied to this meeting by an Advance representative. You should lodge your Stage 2 appeal within 14 calendar days of receiving the outcome to your Stage 1 appeal. Stage 2 appeals should also be made in writing (but, as the Appeals Form would have already been completed, a letter will suffice). The letter should be comprehensive. You would then meet

with a different independent manager (who should be at least a S3 level manager or at least the same level as the first independent manager) within 2 weeks of lodging your second appeal. The second independent manager then makes their decision and communicates this to all parties in writing, again within 14 calendar days of this meeting.

All appeals should be made in writing and sent via your line manager to the relevant independent manager. At both stages, the independent manager is selected in discussion with the departmental senior management team.

Please remember that receiving a CP rating or an IP rating at an end-of-year appraisal will adversely affect any pay or bonuses that you are entitled to. It will also affect your Pay Progression and your ability to go for a promotion. Advance would like to see a better system that provides feedback, individual development needs and recognises people/teams’ performance: this is obviously a ‘must’ for anyone working in a big organisation.

However, under the system currently used many individuals become anxious and worried about their rating which, in turn, can lead to stress and depression. This is attributed to the fact that the rating given affects both pay and bonus for the following year. In many surveys that are undertaken regarding why people go to work, pay is one of the top three reasons alongside career progression and employee benefits. It is a fact that we all need money to survive. Whilst management are entitled to use a process to recognise an individual’s contribution to achieve the company’s objectives, we believe that the time has come to look at different alternatives to ratings. We are aware that other financial unions are of the same belief. Some major banks are currently looking at different alternatives and Advance will be watching this situation closely during 2015.

‘BEforE AttENDiNg your yEAr-END ApprAisAl mEEtiNg mAkE surE thAt you ArE fully prEpArED’

if you have any queries, please contact the Advance team on 01442 891122. All calls are confidential.

HELP AT WORK


tEAm

Headed by Adam Bishop (Divisional Managing Director) and Nigel Harwood (Divisional Operating

Director), the South-West division has 192 branches. We wanted to introduce the Advance team for this division to you.

daVId PrIceI’m49yearsold,marriedwithtwogrownupdaughters.Irun2businessesoutsideofSantander:IrunafarmandbreedcompetitionHorsesandalsohaveasmallportfolioofpropertiesthatIletout.

IhaveworkedforSantandersinceJune2001,doingvariousrolesfromCompositeFinancialAdviser,toMortgageAdviser,andBranchManager.IamnowaLocalBusinessManagerandhavebeenforthelast2years,

WhatIlikedoinginmyroleismeetingnewpeople,puttingthematease,andopeningtheiraccountsforthem.Iliketokeepthingsassimpleaspossibleandamalwaysonhandtoansweranyquestionsthatanewcustomerorbusinessmighthave.Ifthecustomercan’tcomein,Iarrangetogotothem.

Asaunionrep,themostimportantthingisthatweshouldalwaysbeavailabletogivehelpandadvice.Themostimportantpartofmyroleasanadviseristobeakeenlistener:youneedtobeabletolistentotheproblem,understanditandliaisewithallpartiestogettherightoutcome.

IfeelthatthemostimportantrolefortheunionasawholeistobethereforthemembersandtoensurethatthebusinessadherestotheiradageofbeingSimple,PersonalandFairindealingwiththeirstaff.

maTThew heaTherIngTonIhaveworkedforSantanderforjustover7yearsnowasaPersonalBanker.

IhaverecentlygotmarriedtomyhusbandColinandwewereoneofthefirstcouplestodosointheBournemouthareawhengaymarriagecamewiththesamerightsasthoseforstraightpeople.

Wecollectandrestoreantiqueclocksandhavearound120atthemoment.Thisincludes5grandfatherclocksintheloungeand6inthebedroom!

IjoinedtheunionnotlongafterIstartedwiththecompany.IliketoknowthereissomewhereIcangotowhenIneedhelpandadvice.IfindthehelpinvaluableandtheyreallyhelpedandsupportedmewhenIwasbeingbulliedatworknotlongafterIfirststarted.

IbecameaunionrepbecauseIwantedtomakethingsbetterforpeople.Iwantedtoimprovetheworkingenvironmentand,inparticular,thework/lifebalanceofmymembers.Ienjoyrecruiting

Ican’tstressenoughhowimportantitistobelongtoaunion.You’llneverregretit.

marIa snookMycurrentroleisSCMatBoscombeBranch,andIhaveworkedforSantanderfornearly26years.IammarriedtoPaulandhavetwoteenagechildren–RebeccaandMatthew.OutsideofworkIamayouthleaderatStJohnAmbulance–teachingcadetsfirstaidandlifeskills.

IbecameaUnionRepresentativewithAdvanceastheywereagreat

supporttomeinthepastwhenIneededhelpandguidance,andIwantedtogivesomethingback.Stafffacemanydifferentchallengesthroughout

theircareerandIfeelverystronglyaboutpeoplehavingasupportnetworkbehindthem–to

givethemguidanceandsupportatdifficulttimes.Thisoftenensuresthattheyhavedignityandrespectintheworkplace.Italsoensuresthattheyaretreatedwithfairness.IenjoybeingpartoftheAdvanceteamandhelpingpeople–oftenthismakesallthedifferencetotheirworkinglives.

Tom noelIamaBranchManagerforSantanderintheSouth-WestDivision.IliveinAbertillerywithmypartner,Dafydd,whomIammarryingnextMay–soatthemomentmuchofmysparetimeisweddingorganising!WelivewithourlittlebabyboyandBenji,aboxerdogwhois6yearsold.

Ihaven’tbeenaUnionRepresentativeforlongbutIconsidereditaveryimportanttaskformetogetinvolved.I’dsayrightatthestartthatmyreasonforjoiningtheUnionwasapositiveone:IquotefromSteveJobs(Deceased,formerCEOandCo-FounderofApple)whenhesaid,“Yourworkisgoingtofillalargepartofyourlife,andtheonlywaytobetrulysatisfiedistodowhatyoubelieveisgreatwork.Andtheonlywaytodogreatworkistolovewhatyoudo”.Tothatend,themostimportantpartofAdvance’sroleistoensurethatSantandervaluesitsstaffandgetsthemengaged.

Santanderasabrandreliesonitspeople.Advance,asastrongunion,canensurethatthecompanyvaluesitsstaffandtreatsthemwithfairnessanddignity.AsanAdvancerep,Iseemyroleinsupportingtheunioninachievingthisandgivingfeedback,wherenecessary,onwhenthingsneedtochange.

Introducing the Advance Team for the

South-West Division

winter 2014

supporttomeinthepastwhenIneededhelpandguidance,andIwantedtogivesomethingback.Stafffacemanydifferentchallengesthroughout

Maria Snook

marriedtomyhusband

ofthefirstcouplestodotheircareerandIfeelverystronglyaboutpeoplehavingasupportnetworkbehindthem–to

givethemguidanceandsupportat

Matthew Heatherington

theircareerandItheircareerandI

Tom Noel

David Price


IwouldencourageanyindividualinSantandertojoinAdvancebecauseitisyourvoice.

ItisabouthowyoucanengagewiththeBusinessincontinuingtoensurethatitsmostimportantasset,itspeople,arerecognisedforthevaluablecontributionthattheymake.

I’dconcludewithonefinalthought–goingbacktomySteveJobsquote.ThebusinessSteveleftbehindwhenhedied,Apple,isoneofthegreatestbusinesssuccessstoriesintheworld.Thisisduetothewayinwhichitsstaffaretreated.Thereisahugeamountofsupport,training,anddevelopment.Thebenefitspackageisoneofthebestoutthere.Theirturnoverofstaffisminimal,theirPeoplearereallyengagedandtheirmeetingtheirobjectivesandsome.Peoplejustloveworkingthere.

ruTh leggeIrecentlyturned50andhavebeenmarriedfor26years.Ihave2grownupdaughters,theeldestofwhichgotmarriedthisyearandtheyoungestisgettingmarriednextyear,solotsofplanninggoingonatpresent!WeallsupportArsenalFCandgoregularlytoTheEmirates,aswehavetwoseasontickets.

IbelieveitisimportanttohavethesupportofAdvancewithinSantander,topromotefairpractices,acrossallpartsofthecompany.StaffshouldjoinAdvancetoensurethatiftheyfeelthattheyhavenotbeentreatedfairly,thentheyhaveavoiceatwork.

AsaunionrepitisimportantthatIvoicetheconcernsthatindividualshaveandactasamediatortohelpresolveanyissues.

OneofthemostimportantrolesthatAdvanceundertakesistolistentoourmembersthroughsurveysthattheunioncarriesout.Thistrulyallowsourmembersvoicestobeheard.IalsofeelverystronglyaboutstaffbeingrewardedfairlyfortheworkthattheydoandthatensuringthatthishappensisacriticaldutythatAdvanceundertakes.

carolIne sTeVensIhaveworkedfortheCompanyforover20years.IamaSelectRelationshipManagerandIreallyenjoyhelpingcustomers.Iamfortunateinmyroletobeabletohelppeopleinmanyways.IliveinExeterwithmyhusband.

CurrentlyIamtheChairofAdvanceUnion’sNationalExecutiveCommittee.Ienjoybeingpartofagreatteamwhoworktirelesslytohelpsupportandgiveguidancetoourmembers.Iwantedtohelpmemberswhosometimesexperiencedifficultiesatwork.IbelievethateveryoneinSantandershouldbeamemberofAdvance.

So,ifyouknowacolleaguewhoisnotamemberthengetthemtojoin.Itissimple,youcannowjoinonlineusingtheAdvancewebsitewww.advance-union.org.

ashley rafferTyIhaveworkedforSantanderforjustunder6years.IhavedonetheCSArole,theSelectRelationshipManagerroleandeveryotherroleinbetweenthetwo.Ienjoysocialisingwithmyfriendsandcolleagues,beitgoingforadrinkafterworkorgoingtothecinema.Irecentlyjoinedagymandamtryingtogetfit.IalsoenjoytravellingandrecentlywenttoSouthAfricaaspartofajointSantander/NSPCCgrouptohelpbuildaschool.ItwasanexperiencethatIwillneverforget.

IbecameanAdvanceUnionrepbecauseIenjoythesatisfactionthatIgetfromhelpingotherswiththeirdifficulties.Ialsowantedtogainabetterunderstandingofhowtheunionhelpscolleagues.Oftenbeingthereforacolleaguewhoneedssupportcanmakeallthedifferenceinresolvinganissue.Everyoneisentitledtodignityandrespectatwork,irrespectiveoftheirpositioninthecompany.

WhyshouldsomeonejoinAdvance?Somepeoplesaythattheywillneverneedatradesunion.However,youneverknowwhomaybeyourmanagerinthefutureorwhatchangeswithinthecompanycouldaffectyou.Havinganexperiencedunionreponhandisessentialattimesofdifficulty.

roberT ferryIhavebeenmarriedfortwentyfouryearsandhavetwochildren.Iamafamilyorientatedperson;Ilovegoingonfamilyholidays,weekendsawayandmealsout.Iamacarand

motorbikeenthusiast,plusakeenmotorsportfan.Oneofmyfavouritewaystorelaxisstrippingdownaprojectcarandrebuildingit.

IamcurrentlyaPersonalBankerandanAreaRepresentativeforSouth-WestRegion.IhaveworkedwithinthefinancialservicesindustryforthepasttwentyeightyearsandhavebeenaUnionmemberthroughout.Ihaveseenmanychangestotheindustryduringthattime.IthinkitisimportantthatcolleaguesjoinAdvancebecauseatsomepointduringyourworkinglifeyoumayneedspecialistsupportandadvicefromotherswhounderstandyourworriesandconcernswithinyourprofession.

Ashley Rafferty

inmyroletobeabletohelp

inExeterwithmyhusband.

ofAdvanceUnion’sNational

enjoybeingpartofagreatteamwho

Caroline Stevens

Advance provides guidance and support from a dedicated office, advice via a confidential helpline from 8.30am–6pm, an evening helpline on wednesdays run by the general secretary (how many unions give you this level of access to the general secretary?!), and advice which is relevant to your particular role. Advance also has a highly experienced team who can negotiate and represent you.

Robert Ferry

Ruth Legge



flEXiBlE workiNg hElps

There have been recent legislative changes to the right to request Flexible Working. These changes, which

came in on 30 June this year, are:1. Anybody can now apply for

flexible working. prior to the change in legislation, the right to apply for flexible working only applied to parents of

children under the age of 17 (or 18 if the child was disabled).

2. No reason needs to be given for applying for flexible working.

However, we are pleased to say that the policy that Advance had previously negotiated with Santander was already implementing the new changes.

Advance and Santander agreed in

line with Employment Law that any employee who has worked for the company for 26 weeks can apply for Flexible Working. Flexible Working gives all staff the opportunity to apply for working patterns outside of standard working hours. If Flexible Working is granted, it gives people the opportunity to fit their work commitments around demands in their personal lives.

poliCiEs

Yourrighttorequest

flEXiBlE workiNg



Flexible Working includes: ● part-time working: people

work for a reduced number of hours per week or month.

● flexitime: individuals can request the times in any day when they start and finish work and take breaks.

● Compressed working: people work their contractual number of hours but within a shorter time-period (for example, working more than 7 hours per day).

● Annualised hours: an individual is contracted to work a set number of hour per year. how these hours are worked is agreed between the person and their manager.

● home working: individuals have the option of working from home.

● Job-sharing: where two people work part-time and share the responsibilities of a full-time job.

so, how do you requesT flexIble workIng?If you wish to apply for Flexible Working, firstly read the policy, then complete the ‘Employee Section’ of the application and give it to your direct line manager either in writing or by email. The manager must arrange a meeting with you within 28 days of receipt of the application and must give their decision in writing within 14 calendar days of the meeting. If the manager refuses your request, they must give a full business rationale that is based on one (or more) of a set number of reasons.

The only reasons for refusal are:● the burden of additional cost,● Detrimental effect on the ability

to meet customer demand,● inability to reorganise work

among existing staff,● inability to recruit

additional staff,

each week. This would help to reduce their costs at nurseries and child-minders by £30 – £40 per week. Nurseries and child-minders can only give the same day each week to ensure that day’s vacancy is offered to other parents. The benefit is for both the individual and the bank: for the business, it helps them to become the ‘Best Bank to Work For’ and keeps staff motivated. The individual has a happy day with Charlie or Mary and they save roughly over £160 per month.

Another benefit is that many people in the bank have elder care responsibilities: having a set day each week is great because the individual can carry out duties such as making appointments with the hospital or doctor or get shopping, instead of trying to fit all of their dependent care duties in, whilst not knowing what day they have free.

With the introduction of Financial Centres across the country, branches work as teams and are able to help each other. In Contact Centres there is now technology that allows phone calls to be diverted to different sites. Therefore, Advance believes that this change can be achieved in most workplaces, benefitting the individual and the bank.

The word ‘Family’ has changed since the twentieth century. As we are aware, the typical family being made up of 2 parents and 2 children, the mother being at home with the father being the bread-winner does not fit today’s world. Nans and Grand-dads mind grand-children to help their own children meet the costs of childcare and the change in working life.

We have put these points to management (both in Retail and Contact Centres) and await their reply. We will advise you of their response.

‘fit thEir work CommitmENts ArouND DEmANDs iN thEir pErsoNAl liVEs’

What do you think?let us know by emailing us at [email protected]. Alternatively, please contact the Advance office on 01442 891122.

● Detrimental impact on quality of service,

● Detrimental impact on performance of team,

● insufficiency of work during the proposed periods and

● planned structural changes.

If an employee’s application for Flexible Working is refused, they can appeal within a calendar fortnight of receipt of the original decision. On the back of this appeal, a meeting will be held and the outcome (and explanation) of the appeal must be given.

If you are a member of Advance you are entitled to representation at both your initial meeting and your appeal. This may be by your representative being present or attending by dial-in. Advance will be able to ask questions and offer alternatives.

The Advance Helpline team receive many calls on the way that Flexible Working is dealt with within the bank. From this feedback, we are concerned that often management have not given a rationale for refusing requests to members (who have not been represented by us at meetings). In addition, in some instances management have not completed the correct paperwork or adhered to timescales.

Whilst Santander keeps MI (statistics) of the numbers applying for flexible working, it is not always updated after appeals. During 2015, Advance will be discussing the need for all information to be on the system.

Advance believes that the whole issue of Flexible Working could be improved in helping the bank to become the Best Bank to Work For. One of our suggestions has been to offer people in Contact Centres and branches (who work on Saturdays) the same day off


APPRAISALS

Whilst Santander use the PEP policy to decide ratings, which, in turn,

decides your pay increase, Advance have been very clear about our total dissatisfaction with the use of the “Bell Curve”. “What is the Bell Curve?” I hear you ask. In layman’s terms (because this is what we are at Advance!) the Bell Curve (or, if you want to use the fancy mathematical term, the Normal Distribution curve) is a bell-shaped diagram which is supposed to reflect the range of performances throughout all staff in the company, showing roughly the expected numbers of staff which will be rated in each of the 5 appraisal ratings. (Incidentally, recent research has shown that the Bell Curve does not reflect how the real world operates!).

The Bell Curve is not used throughout the bank. However, it is used in areas where many individuals are doing the same job, such as in branches and contact centres. The response from different business areas vary, with some adhering to the use of it more stringently than others. We are concerned about practices in the business in which management try to squeeze all staff into the curve (forced ranking). People should be judged on their work as a whole rather than only on certain parts of it.

Advance has received confirmation from Santander that a forced distribution is not to be applied during consistency sessions. Advance will continue to monitor this to ensure that it is not being used at a local level within the business teams and work with Santander People and Talent to ensure that this does not occur. However, during early 2015 we will want senior management to send out a communication to all managers declaring the Bell Curve “redundant”

and not to be used from then onwards. We will let you know how we get on.

Advance was extremely disappointed to learn of the large numbers of CPs given at half-year appraisals, especially in Contact Centres and branches. How can this be, in light of the latest results announced by Santander?

● profit before tax in the first 9 months grew by 26%, rising to £1,001 million

● An increase of 900,000 123 world Customers (to 3.3 million) in the first 9 months

● winner for Current Account switchers

● mortgage lending for first 9 months £20.5 billion (compared to £12.9 billion for first 9 months of 2013)

AtestimonytohowhardyouhaveworkedwasgivenbyAnaBotin,whensherecentlyissuedacommunicationstating:“looking back over the last three years, everyone should feel very proud of the progress we have made towards becoming the best bank. santander has been transformed. that transformation is thanks to you – all your hard work, energy and commitment. working as a team, we are now fulfilling our purpose – to

help people and businesses prosper. we are winning more customers: every two minutes, someone switches their account to santander. And we are winning awards for our customer service.

my experience as CEo in the uk has taught me that, to make change happen, you need the best team. you are that team – and that’s why i know that you can look back with pride, and forward with confidence.

please accept my heartfelt thanks for everything you have done. keep up the great work!”

At the mid-year 2014 the number of CP ratings in each Retail Division was 19–20%, except for London & South-East division which had a staggering 28%! Contact centres were high also at 13.9% for RMC and 19.5% for TD. How can this be right, in light of the evidence of how well the company has done?

Everybody makes mistakes, including all management levels. Learning from them is the way forward. Off days? We all have them. We struggle into work when we are not feeling well, have problems with kids or have illness in the family? That’s life. Giving of yourself should not be a punishable offence.

Advance wants to see the proposed year-end ratings for 2014 as soon as possible and have left management in no doubt that there must be a vast improvement.

With regard to the rating that you receive, you can accept it or you can fight back. If you know that this was not your best year and the rating was justified, accept it and

the Bell Curve Theeffectsoncurrentbonuspayments


move on. However, if you can give examples of mitigating circumstances to show why your rating should be higher that a CP, then do so. If you do this but your rating is still not changed, then appeal against the rating that you have been given.

Advance strongly maintains that a CP rating is a low appraisal rating. When giving someone a CP rating, some Managers say, “You are nearly there. CP is not a bad rating”. If this is the case, why are bonuses so heavily penalised by receiving this rating? For those of you in the Retail branch network, up to 30% of your bonus will determined by the rating that you receive. Last year, the Bank’s Bonus structure led to people with was an SP rating receiving a bonus of 6% while those who were rated as being CP only got a bonus of 1.5%. Is that fair? We don’t believe it to be and neither do our members: we have advised Senior Management in the bank to reflect on this issue for 2015.

Being realistic, there will always be a certain number of people who fall into each rating category. Advance believes that penalising an individual twice is unfair. Your PEP is your performance for the year which may include issues such as not achieving a non-negotiated customer review or appointment. We believe that your bonus should be based on how well the bank has performed overall. Perhaps the time has come to have one bonus system that is simply based on how the bank has performed, with everyone receiving a bonus base on their pay – maybe the people on the lowest salary should get more – a radical thought, perhaps?

Advance maintains that people who are graded with a CP rating should not be penalised twice. Why penalise on the bonuses as well as pay? Whilst bonuses are not contractual, it is a hard fact of life that people who earn less than £25,000 really do need their bonus for planned expenditure such as helping

to pay for a holiday for the family, buy a new washing machine or keep bills down. These bonuses do not add up to billions and, as evidenced by the profits that Santander has made, it is money that the company can afford. So, before accepting that CP rating, think on it.

We will wait and see if our discussions have made any impact on bonuses. A brand is a brand. People make a brand by putting the customer first. The customer sees you as Santander. It is only fair that you are rewarded for all the work that you have done, as has been reflected in Ana Botin’s statement.

Everyone works hard to achieve the best outcome. Your PEP confirms your whole input and your bonus should reflect the part that you played in helping your team. Being penalised twice only serves to disengage people.

Like all trades unions, Advance cannot negotiate on bonuses however, we will not give up on pursing this issue.


At the time of writing this article, Advance is still in consultation with the bank with regard to the final part of the BM Mapping process. However, by the time you receive this magazine, the full impact of the Mapping process will be known and Advance will be helping members who are affected by the changes. What we are able to confirm at this point is that considering the massive changes within the branch network, there are less than 20 potential redundancies. This figure includes the branches that are closing due to Optimisation. All redundancies are sad. However, we will be working with our members to identify other roles in the bank or, if their decision is to leave the business we will be ensuring that this happens as smoothly as possible. Given the scale of these changes, the number of redundancies was small, compared to one of Santander’s competitors who will be in the process of making approximately

9,000 people redundant in 2015. All managers taking a new

role will have a period to become accustomed to their new role. Specifically, mapped BD3s and BMFCs will have a transition period.

We appreciate that this process has taken a considerable amount of time to complete. However, it was important to get the right outcome for as many people as possible and to ensure that members have the right to appeal.

Advance will continue to meet with management in the Retail branch network, including the continuation of quarterly meetings between Advance local reps, a member of Linda’s senior team and all Divisional Retail Directors to discuss business issues including any potential changes that BDs may wish to introduce. This could include any proposals for Saturday all-day working, changing any working hours and ensuring that people have the right to voluntarily

agree to any late-night working to call customers. Advance will also ensure that Financial Centres adhere to policies, involve their people in decision-making and are managed successfully in line with current agreements and policies. The introduction of the People Guide (which was delayed until the Mapping process was complete) should ensure that all managers use the guide before implementing change. Advance wants management to confirm the date that this Guide will be issued to all teams in the New Year. If this is delayed much further, we will put the up-to-date version on our website.

The original Toolkit that was previously agreed is currently on the Advance website – we will replace this with the new updated version.if you have any queries, please contact Linda Rolph (07850 742 340), Jim Leonard (07764 977 808) or debbie Croucher (07741 271 673).

BrANCh mAppiNgagree to any late-night working

upDAtE


One substantial concern that we have is that members are being called to fact-find meetings but are not

being made aware of the actual reason until well into the meeting. In many such cases, the meeting is positioned as a being a one-to-one with a note-taker present to observe. It initially proceeds as a normal one-to-one until the genuine reason (the allegation) is raised. In these cases, the allegation is not communicated to the individual, nor has it been documented. The colleague is completely unaware of the true reason as to why they are being questioned and, understandably, know very little about the process that they are being put through.

In terms of solutions, we believe the answer is already in the current Disciplinary policy. The policy includes reference to Letter 1 (investigation letter to employee). This step in the disciplinary process is only adhered to if the colleague is suspended, as the same detail is included in the suspension letter. However, by definition this would have to be after the fact-find.

The Disciplinary Guidelines 8.2 references this process, and implies that the letter should be the first stage of the investigation, except in circumstances in which the investigation may be compromised:

8.2 is an investigation of misconduct, serious misconduct or gross misconduct is not disciplinary action in itself

but may lead to disciplinary action. Where it will not impact on the investigation (and excluding any cases involving the Special Investigations Unit or Compliance), managers should inform employees that an investigation is underway using Letter 1: Investigation Letter to Employee.

While Advance is not proposing to attend every fact-find meeting, we want members to be fully aware of the reason why they are being questioned. In addition, Advance members must have the opportunity to consult an Advance officer prior to the fact-find meeting (the only exceptions to this include some Compliance and SIU cases). This can be achieved by changing the wording in Letter 1 and we are currently in urgent discussions with the Bank on this point.

The second highlighted item raises a number of concerns. On Invite letters there is a space for allegations to be entered: it appears that issuing managers are wilfully removing this section. Advance has a number of cases in which failure to include an allegation has resulted in an outcome of “No further action”. We are now starting to see a different trend. In cases where we refer to precedent cases, on advice from People & Talent the Chair informs the hearing that the decision will be made in isolation: that is to say, no precedent will be considered as mitigation, unless it strengthens the case against the member! Far more concerning,

there are cases where the Chair has stated (again, following advice) that the inclusion of an allegation on the invite letter is only included in the Disciplinary Guidelines and while the Guidelines highlight best practice, they are by no means compulsory. This is not the policy: Policies and Guidelines cannot be applied or disregarded as some Chairs believe – they must be applied in all cases. It is the view of Advance that failure to apply the Guidelines consistently renders the policies unfit for purpose. In the event of Chairs attempting to disregard policy, Advance will not proceed with the Disciplinary hearing. We have raised this matter with the Bank and urgent discussions will take place in January 2015 to resolve these issues.

It is disappointing that Stage 1 and Stage 2 Disciplinary cases are not monitored by the business. Because of this, none of the hearings at these stages can be examined, nor solutions sought. This, we believe, is not Simple, Personal or Fair.

Advance has put forward proposals relating to this issue. We are still waiting for a definite response.

Be aware that being called to such a hearing is not simply a case of a warning being on your file for 6 or 12 months – it can affect your bonuses, pay and promotion prospects.

DisCipliNE

Disciplinary

there are cases where the Chair has

yyhearings

AdvancehasrecentlymetwithseniormanagementtodiscussourconcernsinrelationtotheapplicationofseveralpartsoftheDisciplinarypolicy.

in 2015, Advance will press for a resolution to this issue that ensures that our members are treated in the same way as customers: simple, personal and fair.

Winter2014 ADVANCE magazine 15 Winter2014 ADVANCE magazine 15


general secretary LindaRolph 07850742340Deputy general secretary RoseO’Neill 07793307333Assistant general secretary JimLeonard 07764977808Assistant general secretary GerryMoloney 07917578979Advance Consultant LindaBartle 07595411956Advance Consultant RobertaBarbour 07764977807Advance Consultant KeithHoyland 07568096141Advance Consultant DebbieCroucher 07741271673

NECChair of NEC CarolineStevensVice-Chair of NEC SueGrundy

rEtAil DiVisioNArea 1 retail North TomWilcoxArea 2 retail North west & yorkshire NicolaO’SheaArea 3 retail Central AnnetteMcColganArea 4 retail london & south East MariaMalekiArea 5 retail south west AshleyRaffertyArea 6 Contact Centres & mortgages SineadPurseArea 7 technology & operations (t&o) NicolaJonesArea 8 geoban JoanneO’NeillArea 9 santander uk global Business VACANCYArea 10 Corporate & Commercial VACANCY

ArEA rEprEsENtAtiVEsArea 1 retail North SheilaSloan Whitehaven GeraldKelly BelfastArea 2 retail North west & yorkshire AnselnoGarcia Southport AmandaSpencer Bolton RossMcKenzie Southport DarrenSpeake Leeds EmmaDawson BoltonArea 3 retail Central MaryBell HemelHempstead MarkRichards MiltonKeynes AlanO’Sullivan Birmingham JasonBlake Watford Area 4 retail london & south East JennyBelgrave London LynnRobinson London AsifHussain London BeverleyWhyte London GregoryRoake KentArea 5 retail south west MatthewHeatherington Bournemouth RobertFerry Honiton RuthLegge Oxford TomNoel Abergavenny DavidPrice Llanelli MariaSnook BournemouthArea 6 Contact Centres and mortgages LeahBarrett Belfast HelenDutton Bradford AdelleRalston Glasgow TraceyStubbing Bradford JamesDrummond Glasgow GerryFreeman Newcastle CathyKelly Belfast FrankLuke NewcastleArea 7 technology and operations (t&o) ValBridges MiltonKeynes SandraGowling MiltonKeynes HelenMcGuane MiltonKeynesArea 8 geoban KarenBell Sheffield DamienBrown Sheffield ClaireCroxall MiltonKeynes HazelFreeman Newcastle MichelleSwaile Newcastle Area 9 santander uk global Business StewartHowley Manchester DorothyWilson IsleofMan Area 10 Corporate and Commercial AlisonUpton Bristol

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