RBS 2009 Annual Report Download - page 212

RBS Group Annual Report and Accounts 2009210
Report of the directors continued
Diversity and inclusion
The Group renewed its commitment to the principles of diversity and
inclusion during 2009. The Group recognises that the diversity of its
workforce is a considerable asset to the business and believes that an
inclusive environment will enable all employees to develop to their full
potential and enable RBS to attract and retain the best talent.
The Group already has a range of policies and processes that extend
through the employee life-cycle including recruitment, flexible working
and support for ill-health and disability-related absence. Diversity
performance is monitored and reviewed at Group and divisional
executive level. This commitment extends beyond the Group as part of
the community support and supplier relationships.
Safety, health and wellbeing
The Group recognises that performance in safety, health and wellbeing
adds value to employees and to the Group’s businesses globally.
Industry leading expertise, innovative tools, products and services and
a practical approach to implementation are combined to ensure
improved performance continues to be delivered.
During 2009, the Group continued to focus on compliance, governance
and managing risk across all jurisdictions. Enhanced mechanisms were
implemented to support the health and wellbeing of employees,
particularly given the impact of the economic environment.
Pre-employment screening
The Group has a comprehensive pre-employment screening process to
guard against possible infiltration and employee-related fraud for all
direct and non-direct staff engaged on Group business.
Code of conduct
The Code of conduct applies to all employees globally and to all those
engaged by the Group, but who are not employees, such as contractors
and those engaged through external agencies.
The Code exists to promote honest and ethical conduct, including the
handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal
and professional relationships. The Group recognises that personal
conduct, business integrity and the Group's security are crucial, and the
Code serves to inform employees of the Group's expectations of their
behaviour and practices.
Corporate sustainability
Sustainability sits at the heart of how the Group is being re-shaped and
RBS maintains a strong commitment to meeting high standards of
environmental, social and ethical responsibility.
Corporate sustainability issues are governed by the Group Corporate
Sustainability Committee (GCSC), which was established in 2009. The
GCSC is supported by the executive-led Environment Working Group
which has representatives from across the Group and reports to the
GCSC. The Environment Working Group monitors environmental risk,
commercial opportunities, operational impacts and communications and
engagement.
The Microfinance Advisory Board comprises senior members from a
range of stakeholder groups and provides independent oversight and
support for the Microfinance and Supporting Enterprise programmes
across the Group’s international business.
Throughout the development of ’MoneySense’, RBS has continuously
sought independent counsel. This has now been formalised through the
formation of the MoneySense Advisory Board which draws on the skills
of independent, impartial experts, to provide strategic input to the
MoneySense programme.
Further details of the Group’s Corporate Sustainability policies are
available on www.rbs.com/sustainability and in the annual Corporate
Sustainability Report.
BBA draft disclosure code
In October 2009, the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) published a
draft code for Financial Reporting Disclosure. The draft code sets out
five disclosure principles together with supporting guidance. The
principles are that the Group and other major UK banks will provide
high quality, meaningful and decision-useful disclosures; review and
enhance their financial instrument disclosures for key areas of interest to
market participants; assess the applicability and relevance of good
practice recommendations to their disclosures acknowledging the
importance of such guidance; seek to enhance the comparability of
financial statement disclosures across the UK banking sector and
clearly differentiate in their annual reports between information that is
audited and information that is unaudited.
The Group and other major UK banks have voluntarily adopted the draft
code in their 2009 financial statements. The Group’s 2009 financial
statements have therefore been prepared in compliance with the draft
code’s principles.