Organisational development
As Friends Life continues to evolve, we have seen significant changes in 2011 including the creation of our new in-house asset manager, Friends Life Investments, and a new business unit, UK Heritage. Other operational changes have included a number of new outsourcing projects, and consolidating into a smaller number of locations in the UK to achieve a more profitable and sustainable business.
Case study – Improving services and efficiency through outsourcing
Our new partnership with outsourcing specialist Diligenta will see us transfer much of our IT and in-house Customer Services functions to Diligenta. The 15-year contract involves transferring around 1,900 roles to Diligenta in the first quarter of 2012. All employees transferred as part of this agreement will continue working on site, and their terms and conditions of employment are protected under The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE), so their continuity of service and other rights are preserved. We informed and consulted with the employees affected by the project at the first available opportunity.
Our approach to managing change seeks to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies. In 2011, approximately 600 employees were made redundant. Our overriding concern during periods of change is to provide colleagues with as much certainty as we can, as soon as we can. We engage voluntarily with the union, Unite, and we provide ongoing support for our people affected by change.
Recognising that change can be difficult for the people affected, we provide independent outplacement support for our employees, helping them understand and identify options such as alternative employment, training, self-employment or even retirement. We also provide resource centres with information on local vacancies and PCs with internet access. We tailor additional support and engagement to different situations, including career and information events, face-to-face briefings, regular intranet communications and newsletters. We aim to equip employees affected by change with the skills and techniques necessary to achieve their future career aspirations.
We continue to operate a recognition agreement and an outsourcing charter with the union, Unite. These agreements create a framework for Friends Life and Unite to use when working together to deal with structural change.
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