Global recognition for SA bank

Speaking from New York, where the announcement was made at a gala event last night, Clive Tasker, CEO of Standard Bank Africa, said, “This important international award provides us with objective peer feedback and global recognition of the value and impact of its employee program, as well as of the community initiatives we fund and support.”

The bank has developed and implemented what is recognised to be one of the most comprehensive HIV/Aids workplace programs in Africa. Starting in the group's South African operations in 2001, its education, awareness and disease management program has now been rolled out to 16 countries in Africa.

“We have strategically integrated our HIV/AIDS management with our company's risk mitigation philosophy, which extends to overall health and wellness,” explains Sipho Ngidi, Executive Director Group Human Resources.

“Our workplace program enables us to look after our employees' wellness, increasing productivity and reducing costs incurred due to loss or lost time. It also facilitates our involvement - through awareness and education initiatives as well as sponsorship and investment - in the communities in which we operate.”

Previous winners in the same category include Chevron (2007) and Unilever (2008).

The bank's HIV/AIDS program involves an interactive framework of external and internal services, benefits and campaigns that are managed through the group's corporate health department.

The scope of the bank's program - across 16 countries and five timelines - is unique, as is its scale: reaching over 40 000 African employees, together with their immediate family members.

The bank currently spends R60 million a year on its wellness program (including HIV/AIDS initiatives). Some R25 million of this is allocated to African operations. In addition, 1% of after-tax income from the Group's South African operations is allocated to social investment activities in the country with one of the areas being a focus on health and welfare.

Key components of the program include the internal health and wellness program, the wellness champions who are staff volunteer peer educators, the external independent counselling and advisory services known as ICAS; medical aid and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). In addition, it comprises health risk assessments; alignment of HIV/Aids issues with company policies - in particular the life-threatening disease policy and the total and temporary incapacity (TTI) benefit; communication and education (internal and external); and strategic business alliances.

A major focus of the program is the community interaction that is largely driven by the 715 trained wellness champions who provide education and support (about HIV/AIDS and wellness) not only to their work colleagues but also to the banks' customers and the broader community - including schools, church groups and community organisations.

Speaking from New York, Carol O'Brien, Director, Global Business Coalition (GBC), Africa Office said, “It is critical that private sector involvement in the fight against HIV/Aids, TB and malaria be robust and impactful. The bank certainly has shown what it means to be seriously motivated and involved in stemming the impact of the HIV/Aids pandemic across their African operations. They have shown their resolve to address the issues among their own staff, and demonstrated how this begins to have positive spin-offs in the wider communities. We are proud that Standard Bank is a member of the GBC and a GBC award winner for 2008.”

Brad Mears of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS commended the bank for the award. “HIV/Aids is possibly the greatest developmental, social, medical and ethical challenge facing our future. The bank has shown that it is serious about its people and about working with communities and working with other business players in curbing the pandemic across Africa,” he said.

“The GBC Award for Business Excellence for the best HIV/AIDS Workplace Program underscores our commitment to being socially relevant in the environments in which we operate. It also highlights that when we provide a healthy, supportive and an enabling environment for our people, the positive impact reaches beyond the confines of the bank,” said Tasker.

Standard Bank and the Global Business Coalition

• In 2006, the bank joined the New York-based Global Business Coalition (GBC) on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
• The GBC is an alliance of over 220 companies dedicated to combating the HIV epidemic, as well as tuberculosis and malaria at local, national and international levels.
• The GBC functions as a forum for the sharing of information and experience on best-practice workplace programs, on new medical management approaches and HIV-related business strategies, and on how different nations and regions are addressing these challenges.
• Each year, the GBC hosts the Awards for Business Excellence, recognising for-profit companies' achievements (members and non-members can enter) in the workplace and in the community with regard to their HIV/AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis programs.

The workplace program's objectives

• The program's objectives are:
o To prevent the increase of HIV/AIDS among the bank's staff and their families
o To effectively and compassionately manage individuals who are already infected or affected by HIV/AIDS
o To ensure management complies with the group's policy on HIV, which is spelled out in the company's Life Threatening Diseases Policy.
• Since 2006 the HIV/AIDS program has been fully integrated into the company's broader health and wellness program, and its ‘HIV Champions' (voluntary peer educators) have been rebranded as ‘Wellness Champions'.
• There are two important aspects to the above integration:
o The first is the conscious de-stigmatisation of HIV/AIDS, by approaching its treatment and management strategies in the same manner as those of other life-threatening diseases or conditions. This ensures any employee with a life-threatening disease - whether it's HIV, cardiovascular disease, or cancer - is managed in a consistent and equitable manner.
o The second is the alignment of the bank's general health and wellness goals with those of HIV/AIDS prevention, management and treatment. From identifying potential high-risk behaviours (like drug abuse or sexual assault) to promoting healthy nutrition and exercise guidelines, the bank's existing wellness offerings offer essential support and advice for people who are already immune compromised.
• The HIV/Aids Workplace Program ensures that all staff:
o Are protected against stigmatisation and discrimination in the workplace
o Are not denied employment, transfer or promotional opportunities
o Have access to HIV/AIDS support services.
o Have the right to confidentiality.
o Are treated the same as other staff suffering from life-threatening diseases.

The bank and the communities in which it operates

• As part of the bank's Corporate Social Investment (CSI) program, the bank funds a number of organisations involved in regional HIV/Aids treatment and support programs (specifically targeted at vulnerable communities, as outlined above). These include City Mission in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality; the Durban Christian Centre Hope Centre Clinic; the Mfesane/Masiza HIV/AIDS Education & Support Program; the Salvation Army in Soweto; the Sparrow Ministries in Gauteng; and Gezubuso Projects in Pietermaritzburg.
• In the last financial year (ending December 31) alone, the bank contributed R4,4 million to health and welfare initiatives in South Africa.
• The bank's Employee Community Involvement (ECI) program encourages employees to participate in community programs in their own areas. ECI offers to match individual and group fundraising efforts, provided certain criteria are met.
• All of the Group's wellness champions are encouraged to take their knowledge into the community in which they live and work - this includes HIV/Aids awareness presentations at schools, churches and other community groups or associations.
• For the past four years, the bank has held awareness campaigns to coincide with the annual ‘16 Days of Activism' against gender violence.
• Two senior resources (a chartered accountant and a business banker) have been seconded to assist Child Welfare, South Africa.