Enabling Colleagues to Thrive

In 2023, we refreshed our values to better align with our updated strategy and embedded our values across the Group. In doing this, we engaged with more than 400 colleagues to understand what our values meant to them, how they were informing their behaviours and actions, and what values were needed to guide us in the future.

The values are an important part of our culture. Annually, we measure culture embeddedness through Openview, our all colleague engagement survey to understand our colleagues’ experience. In 2023, our Culture Embedding Index was 80%, a 4 point increase on the previous year, and 5 points above the Global Financial Services benchmark clearly demonstrating our success in integrating our refreshed values into the organisation. We also experienced an uplift in our Engagement Index to 73%, a 5 point increase on the previous year, with colleague enjoyment, advocacy of Bank of Ireland as a place to work, and pride all increasing.

When we live these values, we make Bank of Ireland an exceptional organisation. Our people agenda further embeds our values internally focuses on three priorities;

• Building a future ready workforce
• Creating a differentiated colleague experience and workplace
• Simplifying our ways of working

• Building a future ready workforce

  We recognise the importance of fostering a future-ready workforce through continuous learning, ongoing career development and workplace inclusivity. Developing growth skills and capabilities is an essential part of our people strategy.

  In doing this, we have a three tier learning strategy which supports our colleagues core and future skills, at both foundation level and advanced.

  • Core banking skills – ensuring colleagues have the necessary skills to serve our customers brilliantly and sustainably.
  • Future skills foundation – providing all colleagues access to future skills development and upskilling to close identified future skills gaps.
  • Future skills advanced – offering opportunities to acquire future skills role-based industry certifications. This is prioritised for roles with the highest anticipated demand, creating a talent pool for future skills roles. We also include upskilling opportunities to develop high end technical skills for those transitioning to or already in future skills roles.

  Our commitment to learning and skills development extends to sharing expertise with the wider communities in which we operate. Via our Bank of Ireland Careers Academy, we continue to help people across Ireland to enhance their skills and be better placed to find their way into the world of work.

  Through building a future ready workforce we are promoting employability across society and ensuring our colleagues have the skills they need for today and for tomorrow.

  Additionally, in 2023, we launched our refreshed three year I&D strategy and made strong progress against gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability diversity. This progress is evident through our ‘Investors in Diversity’ Gold Employer and ‘Investing in Ethnicity’ accreditations.

• Creating a differentiated colleague experience and workplace

  We continue on our journey to be an employer of choice through leading edge colleague supports, flexibility and an enhanced reward proposition, enabling all colleagues to thrive.

  We create a healthy and safe company where people choose to work, through our commitments to building an inclusive workplace which reflects the society and customers we serve, where everyone is capable of reaching their full potential.

  We continue to embed best in class colleague wellbeing (across mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing) with progressive offerings, alongside our commitments to inclusion and diversity.

  We care for our colleagues through economic and life challenges, offer colleague centric policies, innovative solutions and flexible benefit packages.

• Simplifying our ways of working

  Making work simpler, more effective and flexible is core to our strategy.

  Our hybrid work model recognises that one size does not fit all enabling teams and leaders to interpret hybrid working for their unique needs and purposes.

  Our aim is to reduce colleague toil and make it easier to get work done.

  Colleague positivity on our processes and efficient ways of working continues to increase, underpinned by the Group transformation journey.

Relevant Sustainable Development Goals