advance autumn magazine 2012

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

M A G A Z I N EA U T U M N 2 0 1 2

Y O U R V O I C E A T W O R K

OptimisationHOW THE BANK IS CHANGING

Rep Chat MEET YOUR

REPRESENTATIVES

APPRAISALSTAND OUT AT YOUR

AND HOW TO APPEAL YOUR RATING

2 ADVANCE magazine Autumn 2012

Xxxxx 9Xxxxx 9Xxxxx 9

Published by Advance, 2nd Floor, 16/17 High Street,Tring, Herts HP23 5AH

Telephone: 01442 891122Fax: 01442 891133Email: [email protected]

All articles © advance magazine2012 or the author. The contentsmay not be reproduced withoutpermission. Writers’ views are not necessarily those of Advance.

Editor: Linda Rolph

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

In this issue...

4

9

12CONTENTSNEWS 4Let us entertain you.Summer Recruitment Campaign.Cartoon – Sandy’s world.Value for money.

LOTTERY WINNERS 5BE PREPARED 6How to prepare and stand out at your appraisal meeting.

SSSSSSH! (Fingers Crossed) 8The latest policies on transfers and career progression.

PAY PROGRESSION 8A VIEW FROM BILL GATES 9His eleven rules for life.

OPTIMISATION 10The changes to the bank that have been implemented in 2012.

TUC CONFERENCE 12News from the Trades UnionCongress in Brighton.

REP CHAT 13We talk to Joann O’Neill about her role with Advance.

NEC Committee 14Meet the Advance NEC Committee.

LINDA’S TEAM BACKContact details for the NEC andArea Representatives at Advance.

6

8

Printed on FSC accreditedrecycled paper.

Evening helpline Contact Linda every Wednesday 8.30 – 10pm 07850 742340

Autumn 2012 ADVANCE magazine 3

Welcomey now you should havereceived Advance’s StressSurvey (If not, contact theAdvance office on 01442

891122 where a duplicate copy can be sent to you). I hope that you willcomplete the survey and return it by 1 December as your responses willhelp my team and I to raise andaddress the issues that are causing youstress at work. Stress is a sign of thetimes that we are living in today. Thedemands on people’s lives with havingto pack so much work into hectic

schedules whilst also having to copewith tight financial budgets andbalance family needs has led toincreased stress on all of our lives.Advance can help alleviate thispressure by tackling the causes of stressin the workplace. With your responsesto our survey, we can discuss thesecauses of stress. Advance believes thatthe current stress guidelines do not gofar enough. Advance will ensure anurgent review will take place once wehave the results of the survey. We needa policy that helps colleagues who aresuffering from stress. We need changesto be made where necessary. Mostimportantly, we need all leaders to be trained in recognising stress and

helping their team members.Currently, Dave Moore, Head ofHealth, Safety and Wellbeing, ispiloting a programme, entitled“Positive about mental healthtraining”. We are looking forward todiscussing the outcome of this pilot.Rose O’Neill went on one of thecourses and felt that if this was rolledout to all leaders, this would start tohelp managers to recognise stress inthe workplace. Your response to thequestions in our survey will help us toraise your concerns at the highest level

within the bank. Throughout the year, Santander

has won several prestigious awardsincluding the Best National BranchNetwork 2012 (according to YourMoney) and Euromoney’s 2 awards –specifically the Best Bank Award andthe Best Bank in the World Award.Whilst Santander has been given theseaccolades, YOU also are the peoplewho have earned these awards, fromMarketing staff who provide theseproducts and promote them to branch teams who sell them directlyto customers. All leaders play animportant part in motivating andpraising their teams. The success of the company also depends on

Telephone teams, MTU and Riskteams, back office teams and HeadOffice staff all doing their bit. Youhave all led to Santander achievingtheir awards. So, give yourself a pat onthe back or a big round of applause(and Advance are giving you 3cheers). Advance will soon benegotiating pay for 2013. Despite the doom and gloom in the country,Santander UK is a robust FinancialServices provider who, thanks to you,is out-performing their competitors.Once again, your role in the 1-2-3world has been pivotal to Santander’ssuccess and Advance will be ensuringthat the critical role that you haveplayed is at the core of our discussionsat the “Pay talks” in January 2013.2013 is just around the corner.

The New Year can sometimes be a bitdaunting. Advance’s main objective isto continue to improve your workinglife and remain your voice at work.Finally, I want to take this

opportunity to thank you for theloyalty and support which you havegiven to my team (as listed on theback of this magazine) and Ithroughout 2012. We all wish youand yours a Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous 2013.

Linda Rolph, General Secretary

“ADVANCE CAN HELP ALLEVIATE THISPRESSURE BY TACKLING THE CAUSES OF STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE”

B

Christmas closing hours The Advance office will be closed from 2.00pm on

Monday, 24 December and will re-open at 9.00am on

Wednesday, 2 January 2013 at 9.00am. Linda Rolph

(General Secretary) will be taking urgent calls between

27 – 31 December. Advance wishes you and yours a

merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.


NEWS

LET USENTERTAIN

YOU ...The Advance website is currentlybeing redesigned to include moreinformation for our members. Thesite includes details of Membershipservices (which includes details ofdiscounts that are available tomembers on a range of productsand services). Minutes of BusinessArea meetings will be on ourwebsite. We are developing aFrequently Asked Questions sectionwhich gives details of commonquestions that Advance membersask. You will also find PDF copies ofback issues of our magazine (goingup to the Summer 2012 edition).You will be able to downloadAdvance application forms. It is also our intention to have

unique features on issues thatconcern Geoban members solelyand Santander members only.

So, what does this mean?It is our intention to have uniquelinks highlighting issues thatconcern Geoban members onlyand, equally, issues that concernSantander members only.Therefore, subjects that are of particular interest to you(depending on whether you arepart of Geoban or the bank) willbe on the Geoban part of thewebsite or the Santander part.

We are developing both areas as separate parts of the Advancewebsite. Our intention is tointroduce our plans either in late 2012 or early 2013. We willkeep you updated. If you have any questions or

wish to see a particular itemincluded on our website, pleasecontact Keith Hoyland on 07568 096 141 or on email at [email protected].

SUMMERRECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN We are pleased to report that the Advance Summerrecruitment campaign was very successful with lots of Marks & Spencer vouchers being given to memberswho recruited their friends and colleagues to Advance.

Watch out for our next campaign, scheduled to takeplace in early 2013. Special prizes are up for grabs ifyou recruit new members.

Sandy’s world

The new RegionalManager has come upwith some good ideas,

don’t you think?

First bank on Mars – look at all the new

customers!Also, no recession!

As we’ll ever be!

Hooray, nocompetition!

Well, they’re certainly different!

They will be great if they work!

Everybody ready?

WIN up to £1,000 every month

Advance have not increased our subscriptions forsome years and, at a monthly subscription of £6.70(or £2.50 for members under 21), we offer one ofthe best value for money services in the TradesUnion sector. For £6.70, our members get:

• Access to a dedicated helpline team that operatesfrom the Advance office at Tring from Monday –Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm. You can talk to anymember of the team regarding any work issue or information that you may need. All calls areconfidential.

• Access to Linda Rolph (the General Secretary)through an evening helpline service that operatesevery Wednesday, 8.00pm – 10.00pm.

• Access to the Advance website which includeslinks to useful information. Most of thisinformation is only available to members,including details of benefits that you can use to offset your monthly subscriptions.

• A regular magazine which gives valuableinformation on plans and priorities for all parts of Santander’s business and how this affects you.

• Accredited representation at any hearings (for example, Disciplinary, Grievance, SicknessAbsence or Job Security) that you may be requiredto attend.

• The opportunity to win up to £1,000 with amaximum of 10 chances each month on theAdvance lottery. Each chance to win costs only £1.

• The opportunity to voice your opinions byparticipating in our surveys.

As a member of Advance you are a member of anindependent trade union that is affiliated to theTrades Union Congress (TUC) which has over 4million members. We play an active part in the TUC.

YOU CAN JOIN ADVANCE BY:• Completing an Advance application form andreturning it to us FREE of charge to: Advance,FREEPOST (SCE7517), Tring, HP23 5BR.

• Visiting the Advance website at www.advance-union.org

• Visiting the “HR at Santander” portal on theSantander intranet.

At this present time we do not anticipateincreasing our subscriptions in the near future.However, we may need to review this subjectduring 2013.


Value for money

LOTTERY WINNERSAPRIL 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 26071 Retail, South-East2nd Prize £500 32324 Not specified2nd Prize £500 31256 Branch Mortgage Div3rd Prize £100 32679 Retail, South-West3rd Prize £100 32772 Sheffield3rd Prize £100 31766 Mort Ops, Sheffield3rd Prize £100 13872 Retail, NorthMAY 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 28410 Retail, South-West2nd Prize £500 32798 Retail, South-West2nd Prize £500 27662 Compliance, MK2nd Prize £500 23186 Retail, South-EastJUNE 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 29107 Geoban – Nelson St2nd Prize £500 18238 Retail, Central & East2nd Prize £500 32640 Not specified2nd Prize £500 22673 Ex-Abbey staffJULY 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 26745 Manufacturing, MK2nd Prize £500 32015 Retail, Midlands & East2nd Prize £500 29899 Belfast, Mays Meadow2nd Prize £500 7836 Retail, Wales & WestAUGUST 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 32978 Retail, North2nd Prize £500 6872 Retired2nd Prize £500 27741 C & R Banking, MK2nd Prize £500 31580 Retail, Midlands & EastSEPTEMBER 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 20572 Retail SW & Wales2nd Prize £500 7275 Retail Midlands & East2nd Prize £500 15938 Retired2nd Prize £500 28824 Mort Ops Sheffield3rd Prize £100 30244 Retail SW & Wales 3rd Prize £100 6872 Retired3rd Prize £100 19455 Retail South-EastOCTOBER 2012Position Lottery Number Retail/Head Office

1st Prize £1,000 17733 Retail South-East2nd Prize £500 22585 MK Card Development2nd Prize £500 31952 Retail North-West3rd Prize £100 21584 Retail South-East3rd Prize £100 12630 Brch Mort Div Glasgow3rd Prize £100 3855 Retired3rd Prize £100 32500 Retail ME


y now you should be preparingfor your end-of-year appraisalmeeting (which normally takesplace between October and

early December). You should also havehad a half-year appraisal meeting withyour line manager in which you wouldhave been informed of your half-yearrating. Both your half-year appraisal andyour end-of-year appraisal are veryimportant in that they should ensurethat you receive full credit for all of the hard work that you have donethroughout the year. Advance hasnegotiated a half-year appraisal appealsprocess. With this process in place, wehave ensured that it would be difficultfor managers not to have a half-yearappraisal meeting as individuals areaware of their right to appeal. Thereforeit is essential that you challenge anyfeedback given that you do not agreewith at either meeting.At a recent Retail meeting Advance

requested figures for the number ofindividuals nationally who appealedagainst their half-year rating.Unfortunately, HR leaders did nothave this information. Advance was disappointed that data on such an important issue has not beenmonitored nationally by the company.We have requested that this situationbe rectified as we believe that it isimportant to know half-year appealfigures for each division so that leaderscan see if improvements are beingmade to the overall satisfaction of itsemployees. We will let you know theirdecision regarding our request. One ongoing complaint that Advance

gets from our members is the fact thatmany of them have not had a half-yearappraisal, nor even been told what their half-year rating is. In such cases,members were unaware of their half-year

B(be it for a half-year appraisal or anend-of-year appraisal) make sure thatyou are fully prepared, giving examplesof all the work that you haveundertaken. This should include anyadditional responsibilities that you havecarried out. Your preparation shouldalso include any mitigating reasons asto why you may not have achievedobjectives. For example, if you have not met the objectives set, this does notmean that you have under-performed:there may be significant mitigatingfactors that may have led to you notmeeting your agreed objectives. Appraisals are an essential part of

Santander’s commitment to you as anemployee. Managing staff performanceshould be managing for the individual tosucceed – not fail. As such, the meetingthat you have with your manager shouldbe handled by them in a positive way. If they do have to give you negativefeedback this should be carried out in aconstructive way, where you understandboth the need for an improvement inthat part of your work and, importantly,how your manager is going to assist youin improving your performance.

It is important to remember thatyou must have had a face-to-facemeeting to discuss both your half-year appraisal review and yourend-of-year appraisal rating. Half-year appraisal meetings must havetaken place by the end of June andend-of-year appraisal meet inDecember.

APPRAISALS

BE PREPAREDHow to prepare and stand out in your appraisal, and if necessary appeal against your appraisal rating.

‘ENSURE THAT YOURECEIVE FULL CREDITFOR ALL OF YOURHARD WORK’

rating and, because they were not givenany feedback relating to areas of theirwork that required improvement, theysubsequently received a poor end-of-yearrating. If you were given a poor half-yearappraisal rating, your line managerwould have had an obligation tohighlight areas of your performance thatneeded improvement and to give yousufficient training, support, coachingand development to enable you to raiseyour performance to an SP level, at least. In attending an appraisal meeting



CP RatingsWith regards to the range of half-yearoutcomes that were given to employees,Advance were disappointed with thelarge number of CP ratings that werereceived especially in the branchnetwork. Santander have won numerousawards, such as the Best NationalBranch Network 2012 (according toYour Money) and Euromoney’s 2 awards– specifically the Best Bank Award andthe Best Bank in the World Award: webelieve that it is unfair for the companyto penalise you, the people who havedone the work that has achieved theseawards, by only giving you a CP rating.Advance believes that YOU, the peoplewho won these awards for Santander,should receive the rightful recognitionthat you deserve for all of the hard workthat you have done. Please remember that a CP rating can

affect your Pay Progression, especially ifit is given at the end-of-year appraisal.By being informed of your appraisal

rating you then have the opportunityto appeal against it if you do not agreewith it. Finally, Advance representatives

regularly attend consistency sessions inmany parts of the business to ensurefairness in the way that appraisal gradesare decided upon. Although the finalappraisal rating should be decided in the meeting that you attend with yourline manager, ratings are discussed atconsistency sessions which managersattend so that a consistent approach isused in deciding how staff are awardedspecific appraisal ratings across thebusiness. Advance attends many of thesesessions to ensure fairness in decidingthese ratings.

Advance are here to listento you, to help you withany questions that youhave and to give yousupport. If you have anyqueries, please contactthe Advance office on01442 891122.

Advance has negotiated anAppraisal Appeals process thatapplies for both half-year appraisalratings and end-of-year appraisalratings. The process is identical forboth ratings and works as follows.

If you feel that your appraisal hasbeen conducted unfairly you havethe right to appeal against it.

Firstly, follow the Informal Processby discussing your reasons forappeal with your line manager. Theoutcome of this discussion shouldbe documented on your ReviewForm and should be signed by bothparties. Your Advance representativecan help you to prepare for thismeeting. In many cases, issues areresolved at this informal stage.

If the informal process does notresolve the matter, you shouldfollow the formal process. There are 2 stages to the formal process:

Stage 1Complete an Appeal Form givingreasons as to why you feel that your rating is unfair. You need tocomplete the form fully and givecomprehensive reasons forappealing against your rating. Youcan ask your Advance representativefor help and advice in completingthis document. Becausemanagement will returnincomplete forms, you must make sure that this form is fullycompleted. Your line manager thengives their written rationale as towhy they gave the rating that theyhave. They will include copies ofreview forms, PDPs (which wouldhighlight areas in which you havenot achieved your objectives),feedback and ManagementInformation. An independentmanager (who is not within yourreporting line and who has notattended the initial consistencymeeting) is then appointed todecide if the rating was fair. Youshould forward your Ratings Appealform to the independent manager.Your line manager will also forwardtheir rationale and evidence

supporting their rating to both the independent manager and you.The independent manager shouldacknowledge receipt of all of thisinformation. They must speak toboth you and your line manager forany further clarification. Thesediscussions are not formal meetingsand therefore you do not have theright to be accompanied by anAdvance representative to thismeeting. The independent managerthen makes their decision. Theymust write to both you and yourline manager, advising both of youof their decision and their reasonsfor making this decision. The firststage Appeal should be lodgedwithin 14 calendar days of youbeing advised of your rating and theindependent manager should havemade and communicated (inwriting) their decision within 14calendar days of acknowledgingreceipt of all relevant information.

Stage 2If you are still unhappy you canproceed to Stage 2 of the Appealsprocess. You are entitled to beaccompanied to this meeting by anAdvance representative. You shouldlodge your Stage 2 appeal within 14 calendar days of receiving theoutcome to your Stage 1 appeal.Second stage appeals should also bemade in writing (but, as the AppealsForm would have already beencompleted, a letter will suffice). Theletter should be comprehensive. Youwould then meet with a differentindependent manager (who shouldbe at least a Band C/4 level manageror at least the same level as the firstindependent manager) within twoweeks of lodging your secondappeal. The second independentmanager then makes their decisionand communicates this to allparties in writing, again within 14calendar days of this meeting.

All appeals should be made inwriting and sent to the relevantindependent manager.

APPEALING AGAINST AN APPRAISAL RATING


NEWS

NOTHINGTO BE ASHAMED OF

Making transfers easierFor some time, Advance has wanted toagree a better process to help memberswho wish to transfer from one workinglocation to another (usually transferringto a different branch). At present,individuals have to go onto theSantander Intranet to find out whichvacancies are available and where toapply. This process can be very time-consuming and can take weeks. This can create problems for memberswishing to transfer promptly as thereason for this transfer can be verypersonal. For example, in the currenttough economic climate memberssometimes need to transfer quickly dueto their partners’ work relocating whichleads to employment in other towns.Divorce, the need to get help withchildcare or elder care and, sadly,domestic violence are other reasons forthe need to be able to relocate promptly.

Ssssssh!(fingers crossed)

took a long time to arrange feedbackfor these individuals. Other membershave commented that, in applying fora role, they have had to list all of thejobs that they have done in differentroles within the bank. Many of you donot believe that it is easy to move up orto obtain promotion and the interview(which includes role-plays, etc) is oftenunnecessary as they already work with customers. Discussions regarding a clearer career

path are currently being rolled out inmany business areas and the bank’sresponse to Advance is that they wantpeople to have a clear career path and be able to know what they have to doto obtain the role they want. This is atopic of discussions at many of ourmeetings and Advance will be askingall business leaders what they are doingto develop their people. However, wehave made it very clear to the bank’sleaders that we want to see a betterexperience for colleagues when theyapply for a promotion and, whereverpossible, bear in mind that role-playsare not always the best way to judgesomeone’s experience and competence.We believe that internal candidatesshould be offered the position or atleast a trial in the new role. We will let you know how talks progress.

Therefore we spoke to leaders inRetail about a clearer and simplerTransfer process. In fact, Rose O’Neill(Advance’s Deputy General Secretary)has drafted a Transfer Form which wehave submitted to the business. At ournext monthly meeting we want todevelop this draft and, ideally, have the form ready for use from January2013. We will keep you updated onthis matter.

Career ProgressionAdvance has also focussed on feedbackthat our members given when applyingfor a promotion or, indeed, another role within the bank. We have beendiscussing this issue with theRecruitment leaders. We have receivedfeedback from many members statingthat they believe that they have beentreated less favourably than externalcandidates, despite their good workrecord. For example, there have beeninstances of PBAs (who have alwaysbeen competent and who have receivedan SP rating) applying for a Select rolebut have been turned down becausethey failed a role-play; we have also had cases of PBAs wanting to go intoBusiness Banking but who have beenturned down due to an unsatisfactorytelephone interview – in such cases, it

PAY PROGRESSIONYou may recall that in 2011Advance negotiated a PayProgression framework for RetailDistribution only. We are now in a position to advise you thatpayment will be made in March2013, backdated to December2012. The final details arecurrently being agreed with

the business. Full details andhow it works will be available on the Advance website duringNovember and we will reproducethe information in the nextedition of the Advance magazine.This Pay Progression will

benefit a considerable amountof members in the Retail

Distribution. It is Advance’sobjective to get Pay Progressionto other areas of the bank assoon as possible. We will keepyou updated. In the meantime,keep checking the Advancewebsite during November for fulldetails of how Pay Progression inRetail Distribution will work.

STOP PRESS


Got any questions? Contact the Advance helpline 01442 891 122

Bill Gates once gave aspeech at a High Schoolabout 11 things they didnot teach at school.

He talked about how feel-good,politically correct teachingcreated a generation of kids with no concept of reality andhow this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

THESE ARE HIS RULES:Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The worldwill expect you to accomplishsomething BEFORE you feel goodabout yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make$60,000 per year as soon as youleave High School. You won’t be aVice-President with a car-phoneuntil you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher istough, wait until you get a boss!

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Yourgrandparents had a different wordfor burger-flipping: they called it“Opportunity”.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not yourparents’ fault, so don’t whine aboutyour mistakes – learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, yourparents weren’t as boring as theyare now. They got that way bypaying your bills, cleaning yourclothes and listening to you talkabout how cool you thought youwere. So, before you save the rainforest from the parasites of yourparents’ generation, try delousingthe closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may havedone away with winners andlosers but life HAS NOT. In someschools, they have abolishedfailing grades and they’ll giveyou as MANY TIMES as you wantto get the right answer. Thisdoesn’t bear the slightestresemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided intosemesters. You don’t get summersoff and very few employers areinterested in helping you to findyourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life.In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds – chancesare you’ll end up working for one!

In a written summation of thisadvice, it finished with thecomment, “If you agree, pass it on. If you can read this – thank a teacher!”.

Bill GatesA VIEW FROM

What are your top 10 tips forlife? Send your entry to theAdvance office – there is a £20prize for the winning entry. Wewill publish the winning entryin the next edition of Advancemagazine (but will withholdyour name if you ask us to!).

10 ADVANCE magazine Summer 201210 ADVANCE magazine Autumn 2012

CHANGE

Following a review of Retail Distribution, Santander UK has beenimplementing changes throughout 2012 to ensure that the companyachieves its goal of becoming a more customer-focused bank.

s you are probably aware,Advance has been indiscussion with SeniorManagement in Retail

regarding Branch NetworkOptimisation, and we provided full details in our last magazine.

Branch Network OptimisationSantander will close 96 overlappingbranches between October and the firstfortnight of December in towns wherethere are two or more full servicebranches in close proximity and where other branches in the town havethe capacity to serve the additionalcustomers. The extra staff will help to achieve this. During the first half of this year

55 branches were impacted byoptimisation and Advance ensured thatone of our representatives attendedeach announcement. All CSAs andPBAs were transferred to localbranches in their town. Advance haveensured that all of the existing termsand conditions of relocatingindividuals would be kept after theirmove with no change to workingpatterns or hours. Advance ensuredthat individuals relocating would haveexisting branch commitments wouldbe kept. A total of 114 individualswere affected by the consolidation in the first half of the year and themajority have found alternativepositions. The remainder are either onsecondment, maternity leave or onlong-term sickness absence. Advancehas continued to work closely with theSenior HR Team to seek permanent

alternative roles for those displaced. For our members impacted by the

closures which will take place betweenOctober and December, once againAdvance had a representative on handon the day of the briefings to answerany questions and discuss any issuesthat our members had. Advance and the leaders of Retail

want to retain as many people aspossible who have been impacted bythese latest proposals. Advance hasensured that during the consultationperiod all impacted Branch Managers,Service & Control Managers andControl Managers were entitled toconfidential one-to-one meetings withtheir Regional Manager to discuss theimplications of the changes for eachindividual. During this period individuals had

the opportunity to discuss a range ofoptions with their Regional Manager.Advance requested that affectedindividuals could use a PreferenceForm as a basis for this confidentialdiscussion in which all feedback wouldbe recorded. These options includedremaining in their substantive role in a different branch or applying forsuitable alternative vacancies includingthe new Select Relationship Managerrole, Local Business Manager roles inBusiness Banking or vacancies inUniversity-based branches. Advanceensured that individuals also had theopportunity to move to a part-timerole, job-sharing or consider asecondment at a different level with no detriment to their terms andconditions of employment. Advance

were also available throughout theprocess with members of our seniorteam available to advise members and get responses from the bank. Advance’s main objective is to

retain as many people as possible. Werecognise that, in some circumstances,individuals may not be in a position to consider a suitable alternative role,for example, where geographicalconstraints have an impact onmobility. As a result we have agreedthat voluntary redundancy will beincluded in the options during theone-to-one meeting. Our existingagreement with the Bank also allows(in exceptional circumstances) for a colleague in the same role who is not impacted by these changes toundertake a “redundancy swop” with a colleague who may potentially bemade redundant. This happened on several occasions.

A

Optimisation

‘114 INDIVIDUALSWERE AFFECTED BYTHE CONSOLIDATIONIN THE FIRST HALF OFTHE YEAR AND THEMAJORITY HAVEFOUND ALTERNATIVEPOSITIONS’


Following completion of the“preferencing” process RegionalManagers sent all individual forms inconfidence to the Central HR Team.Advance and management meet on a fortnightly basis to discuss everyindividual impacted to ensure thatopportunities are being considered and that the agreed process is beingfollowed. In addition, your RegionalManager will continue to keep youupdated as the process continues. Youcan contact Advance at any time forconfidential advice. Specifically, if youhave any questions, please contactLinda Rolph on 07850 742 340 or one of her senior team in confidence(specifically Rose O’Neill on 07793307 333, Gerry Moloney on 07917578 979, Jim Leonard on 07764 977808 or Roberta Barbour on 07764 977807). Meetings will continue until allaffected individuals have been placedor, in exceptional cases, are put at riskof redundancy.

Retail Leadership Re-structureOn 12 July, Charlotte Hogg (Head ofRetail Distribution & Intermediaries)announced changes to the structure ofthe Retail Banking Division and thekey roles that lead and support theBranch Network. This led to a movefrom 6 to 4 Divisions and a reductionin regions from 74 to 53 and thecreation of 2 new senior leadershipjobs, the Divisional Managing Directorand the Divisional Operating Director. Bancassurance and Mortgages were

also restructured to align to the newbusiness model. All “supporting”business areas will be changed in linewith new Divisional and Regionalboundaries. The new structure wasimplemented at the beginning ofOctober. Advance has worked closely with the

Bank to ensure that selection processesare in line with our agreements which,


Advance knows that it is always difficult when majorchanges take place. It is hard for both individuals at risk and their teams. It has been a period of uncertainty anddisappointment for some and we empathise with all of ourmembers who had to undergo this process, especially in thecurrent economic climate. We are the voice of our membersat work and we always will be. As such, our objective is to ensure a fair and transparent process for all.

in turn, are designed to be fair andtransparent. We have also ensured that any individuals who feel that theywere unfairly selected have had theopportunity to appeal as part of theJob Security Agreement. There havebeen no appeals lodged with Advance,however there is still time for people to decide. Members of the Advance Senior

Team and Area Representatives will bemeeting each new Divisional leadershipteam before the year-end to discussplans and ideas for their respectivedivisions. Advance will be requestingthat new Regional Managers are fullytrained on all policies and proceduresthat have been negotiated with theunion (especially the updatedResourcing Toolkit). We will be asking that all new Branch Managersunderstand all of these policies. We will be advising you of your DivisionalManaging Director’s plans for 2013 and Advance’s views on these plans. This process is ongoing. However,

Advance have been helping membersin all of the affected roles listed hereinwith their own personal issues andhave resolved many such issues.

THE FOLLOWING ROLES WEREALSO IMPACTED, SEEING AREDUCTION IN NUMBERS:

• Divisional Manager Mortgages

• Divisional Development Manager

• Regional Manager Mortgages

• Regional Manager Bancassurance

• Divisional Quality ManagerMortgages

• Divisional Quality ManagerBancassurance

• Senior & Financial AdvisorSupervisor Bancassurance

• Regional Coordinators –Mortgages & Bancassurance

• Divisional Coordinators – BranchNetwork

• Regional Coordinators – BranchNetwork

‘ADVANCE HAVEBEEN HELPINGMEMBERS IN ALL OFTHE AFFECTED ROLESAND HAVE RESOLVEDMANY ISSUES’

CONFERENCE

inda Rolph (GeneralSecretary) and GerryMoloney (Assistant GeneralSecretary) represented

Advance at the TUC conference.Brendan Barber (General Secretary,TUC) opened the conference withan enlightened presentation on therole of trade unions in Britain today.Brendan opened with a reference tothe Olympic and Paralympic gamesand cited the principles of co-operation between the TUC and theOlympic bodies which led to training,equality, diversity and trade unionrights being embedded in these games.Brendan went on to praise DannyBoyle, the organiser of the opening ofthe games, for his portrayal of historicalmarkers such as the role of the TradeUnions, the NHS, the Jarrow marchers,the Windrush voyagers and thesuffragettes in shaping the modern face of Britain.Brendan then focussed on the

challenges facing the country today. In contrast to the spirit of theParalympics, he cited the government’sclosure of 54 Remploy factories withthe loss of hundreds of jobs. He alsocalled for a new banking infrastructurewith a state investment bank, regionalbanks and a financial transactions taxto fund national regeneration. Onecentral tenet of his presentation was hisbelief that the government policy ofausterity was not helping to encourageeconomic growth. Quoting AlbertEinstein’s statement that “Insanity isdoing the same thing over and overagain and expecting different results”Brendan stated that of the 173 austeritypackages carried out worldwide since1973, the IMF reported that every oneof these led to recession rather thangrowth. He went on to cite the fact that economic beliefs that failed in the 1930s and the 1980s were being

applied again by the currentgovernment. With regard to youthunemployment, Brendan gave anominous warning, “With more thanone in five under-25s without work, it’stime to stop talking about the risk of alost generation; They’re with us now”.He argued for alternative policies whichwould generate youth employmentinstead of stifling it.

Brendan called for support for theFuture that Works demonstration(which took place on 20 October)which he hoped would encourage analternative approach to the austeritymeasures that are currently beingimplemented.

Brendan gave a further presentationentitled The Great Wages Grab, citingthe fact that the falling share ofeconomic output going to the wages of ordinary workers has meant thataverage earners are £7,000 worse offper annum. The average full-timeworker is now paid £26,000 but if ithad grown in line with economicgrowth, that figure would be £33,000.He went on to say that the wagessqueeze was a fundamental cause of the crash. Having a lower disposableincome, many people cut back onspending which led to lower demandfor goods and services which, in turn,reduced growth. Having a reducedincome also led to greater borrowing by people, many of whom could notafford this. Brendan voiced hisconcerns that the current government’seconomic policies were leading to a“race to the bottom”: he stated thatclosing the wages gap and seeking analternative to austerity was the best way to reverse this trend.One positive development reported

was that, after his tenure of 37successful years in the TUC, Brendan’ssuccessor to the role of GeneralSecretary of the TUC was FrancisO’Grady, the first woman to beappointed to this post. On Tuesday, 11 September, Francis addressed theCongress and thanked them fornominating her to become GeneralSecretary. She also thanked Brendan forhis help and support and promised thatshe would continue to ensure that theTUC remained a pivotal force helpingmillions of workers throughout the UK.

TUC CONFERENCE


L

‘THE GOVERNMENTPOLICY OF AUSTERITYWAS NOT HELPINGTO ENCOURAGEECONOMIC GROWTH’

The Trades Union Congress Conference tookplace in Brighton between 9–12 September.

ABOVE: BRENDAN BARBERLEFT: FRANCES O’GRADY, THE INCOMINGGENERAL SECRETARY OF THE TUC

What is your name?Joann O’Neill

What is your job title? Collections Advisor

What is your role in Advance?I am the NEC/AreaRepresentative for the Head Office sites.

What are the most commonissues that your Advancemembers face?As I cover all head office sitesmy members face a wide rangeof issues. The most commonones are PerformanceManagement and SicknessAbsence.

What websites do you usewhen not at work? I’m not proud to admit it but I am on Facebook and Twitter.I’m a bit of social networkbutterfly.

What most do you like aboutyour role with in Advance? Being a rep has given me the ability to not only helpmembers but also influencehow the business introducechanges. This, in turn, has apositive impact for mymembers.

How do you relax?I read a lot of books, I struggle to put a good book down. I alsohave a passion for drawing,mostly tattoo designs (somehave even been used!). Mydrawings are currently walkingaround somewhere, not that myart would ever live on me. Forthose smart ones out there whoclock who my mother is, she stillbelieves she created perfection.

Why do you believe that staffshould join Advance?I believe that in this stressfuleconomic climate that we live in,we need all the help we can get.Advance provides this. Advanceis the voice of the workforce.

If you had one work-relatedwish what would it be?If I could have one wish itwould be better pay for all ourstaff but, if I could have twowishes, the second would bebetter acknowledgement forour unsung hero’s in thebranches, the frontline.

What newspaper do you read?It was the Daily Mail, howeverdue to recent events I havechosen to read the news fromthe Internet. I get a more varied view on current affairsthat way.

‘IN THIS STRESSFULECONOMIC CLIMATETHAT WE LIVE IN, WENEED ALL THE HELPWE CAN GET’


Got any work issues? Contact the Advance helpline 01442 891 122

She said, “We are still the biggestorganisation in civil society, our tens ofthousands of elected representatives –people like you – are the Big Society.Our values represent everything that isbest in our society: decency, democracy,fairness. These are my values – ourvalues, trade union values”.Informative presentations were also

given by Bernadette Segol (GeneralSecretary, European Trade UnionConfederation), Lesley Mercer (theincoming TUC President) and PaulKenny (the outgoing TUC President.They focused on the challenges thatfaced Britain today. Bernadette said,“The result of austerity policies,deregulation and privatisations is alltoo clear: rocketing unemployment,economic stagnation, rising inequality,the emergence of a new class of‘precarious’ workers and, ultimately,social despair”. She went on to say “We are caught in the austerity trap.Budget cuts deepen the recession; therecession worsens deficits; this promptsgovernments to redouble austeritymeasures, attacking social protectionsystems, wages labour law andfundamental rights. We must break out of this vicious circle”. In looking atan alternative, Bernadette emphasisedthe importance of social democracy,sustainable economic governance and social justice.During the conference, the TUC

passed multiple motions andcomposites on issues such as TUPE andcollective redundancies, working hours,holiday entitlements, health & safety,equality, parental leave, part-time work,fixed-term contracts, agency work,information and consultation. All ofthese issues are essential to creating aworking culture based on fairness,equality and dignity for all. Being a member of a trade union

proves that people working togethercan achive change.

‘WORKING CULTUREBASED ON FAIRNESS,EQUALITY ANDDIGNITY FOR ALL’

REP CHAT

Joann O’Neill


MEET THE TEAM

Caroline Stevens Caroline is the NEC representative forthe South-West division and is based inExeter branch. Caroline joined Abbey(as the company was called) in 1982 andbecame part of Advance (then calledANSA) shortly after. She has been amember of the NEC since 1996. As aPersonal Banking Adviser, Caroline isbranch-based and, with her extensiveexperience in the branch network, isoften called upon to give advice tomembers with Retail-based issues.Speaking about her role, Caroline said,“I believe in fairness for all and try toensure that all concerns and views areput over to senior management in apositive and constructive way”.

Annette McColganBased in Bishop’s Stortford branch as a Personal Banking Adviser, Annette isthe NEC Representative for London &South-East. With 27 years experience inthe branch network, Annette is one ofour most knowledgeable representatives.Annette has been with the union for 20 years and has been an NECrepresentative for 3 years. Speaking“Everybody should be treated fairly,irrespective of what part of the businessthey work in. People and profit go handin hand and fair treatment for all is goodfor all”.

Advance’s National Executive Committee (NEC) isthe governing and policy-making body of the union.

NEC Committee

Annette McColgan

Caroline Stevens

he NEC determines the policy of Advance,attends sub-committeemeetings (with Linda

Rolph and Rose O’Neill) thatare representative of thebusiness and elects Trustees.As such, this body meets fourtimes per year.

With the changes that aretaking place in the BranchNetwork, Advance will bealigning the Retail areas of ourNational Executive Committee(NEC) to the new 4 divisions(formerly there were 6). Withinthe Mortgage/ Bancassurancedivision, members will be partof the Retail division that they geographically work in.Intermediaries will be part of the North division.

Elections for senior posts are currently taking place and information on this issueis on the Advance website.Some elections for NECpositions will take place afterChristmas and, once again,these will be advertised on the Advance website.

We wish to take thisopportunity to introduce our current NEC team.

T


Susan GrundyAs Sue is based in the in the Altrinchambranch, she has been seconded into therole of NEC representative for theNorth division. As a Customer ServiceAdviser, Sue brings a valuable insightinto the challenges that our members inbranches have to face on a day-to-daybasis. With 10 years’ experience in thebranch network, Sue is passionate aboutour members being treated with dignityand respect at work. Sue’s sentiments are reflected in her statement, “All staffare entitled to work in a positiveenvironment that encourages them togrow and develop. This gives them arewarding experience at work whilst also being beneficial to the business”.

Joann O’NeillAs the NEC representative for HeadOffice sites, Joann deals with a widerange of issues affecting members acrossall departments. Joann has been in theunion for 10 years and, in her currentrole, has been an NEC representative for

just over 1 year. In her previous role asNEC representative for under-25’s,Joann dealt with many issues affectingthis group and, has a wide breadth ofexperience in the company as a whole.Focusing on her role within Advance’sNEC, Joann says “I believe that in thisstressful economic climate that we livein, we need all the help that we can get.As our members’ voice at work, Advanceprovides this”. You can read a more in-depthdiscussion with Joann in our ‘Rep Chat’ article on page 13.

Linda BartleLinda has been a member of Advancefor 12 years and has been an NECrepresentative for 6 years. As Geoban’sNEC representative, Linda representsAdvance’s Geoban members throughoutthe different sites. As a distinct companyfrom Santander, Geoban faces its ownchallenges and Linda is eager to ensurethat the members that she representsreceive full recognition for theircontribution to the business. This isreflected in her statement, “Most peoplesee Geoban as the “back office” of thebusiness – I see them as the “Backbone”of the organisation. Their support isessential for the success of the business”.Linda recognises that the demands thatGeoban members face from the publicare different to that which branch staffface but are no less important. As such,she sums up the most importantcontribution that she can make as theirNEC representative to be “to ensure thatall of our members are treated withfairness and respect”.

Cathy KellyCathy is the NEC representative forContact Sites. Cathy has extensiveexperience in Trade Unions, having beeninvolved in one when she was employedin the licensed trade (being in theNational Association of Licensed HouseManagers). She has been an NECRepresentative in Advance for 8 yearsand has been a member of the union for13 years. Having worked extensively inTraining, Cathy is aware of the issuesthat our members face when starting in a new role within the company. Inaddition, her years working in TelephoneDistribution have given her an insightinto the pressures that staff in ContactCentres face when dealing with thepublic over the phone. Speaking abouther role, Cathy says, “The pressures thatour members face from the public can beenormous. As their NEC representative,an essential part of my role is to ensurethat they receive every assistancenecessary from Santander to help them to do their jobs.”

These are our currentNEC representatives who work tirelessly andunpaid to improve yourworking conditions. They are also your voiceat work.Linda Bartle

Susan Grundy

Joann O’Neill

Cathy Kelly


General Secretary Linda Rolph 07850 742 340Deputy General Secretary Rose O’Neill 07793 307 333Assistant General Secretary Jim Leonard 07764 977 808Assistant General Secretary Gerry Moloney 07917 578 979Senior Caseworker Linda Bartle 07528 015 388Senior Caseworker – Northern Ireland & Scotland Roberta Barbour 07764 977 807Senior Caseworker Keith Hoyland 07568 096 141

For the remainder of 2012 Advance’s representative structure will remain as outlined below. This will be revised after theAdvance elections at the end of 2012 to reflect the new representative structure. Newly elected representatives will take upduties in January.

NECLondon & SE VacantSouth-West Caroline Stevens ExeterCentral Annette McColgan Bishop’s StortfordNorth Sue Grundy (acting) AltrinchamHead Office sites Joann O’Neill Milton KeynesGeoban Linda BartleContact Sites Cathy Kelly BelfastGlobal Business Vacant

AREA REPRESENTATIVESLondon & SE Debbie Croucher Palmers GreenLondon & SE Maria Maleki South KensingtonLondon & SE Beverley Whyte Victoria (95)London & SE Peter Durrant Brighton (0005)London & SE Lynn Robinson Wembley PRLondon & SE Jenny Belgrave Crouch EndSouth-West Amanda Joyce Cox GloucesterSouth-West Ashley Rafferty EastleighSouth-West Mandy Copley YeovilSouth-West Sarah Warsame Cardiff Queen StSouth-West Ruth Legg Oxford CityCentral Diane Victor WalkdenCentral Lynda Joyce Middleton SouthportCentral Jason Brant AberdareCentral Alan O’Sullivan BirminghamNorth Tom Wilcox KendleNorth Sheila Sloan WhitehavenNorth Carl Lawrence WillerbyNorth Bakth Adnan Fahmee Bradford Darley StNorth Janet McDonald OrmskirkHead Office Sites Val Bridges Operational RiskHead Office Sites Sandra Gowling Complaints CMKHead Office Sites Jane Fretwell C & R SheffieldHead Office Sites June Rossiter Complaints CMKHead Office Sites Claire Croxall C & R Banking CMKHead Office Sites Karen Bell C & R SheffieldHead Office Sites Nicola Jones Complaints CMKGeoban Frank Luke NewcastleGeoban Hazel Freeman NewcastleGeoban Gerry Freeman NewcastleGeoban Christine Gale LeedsGeoban Michelle Swaile NewcastleContact Sites Sinead Moss BelfastContact Sites Adelle Ralston Glasgow TDContact Sites Timothy Taylor Belfast TDContact Sites Brian McCrystal Multi-Channel, BelfastContact Sites Naela Khan Glasgow TDSantander UK Global Business Dot Wilson Offshore – Isle of ManUniversities Martin Fisher Leicester

Due to the day-to-day work commitments of our local representatives, they are often unable to answer members telephonecalls. If you wish to talk to any of the above people, please contact the Advance office who, in the first instance may be able to help you or will be able to contact the Representative more easily.

LINDA’S TEAM

advance autumn magazine 2012

Documents