Our approach to staff
Central to the ProCredit group’s business model is a deeply thought-through approach to our human resources. In cooperation with all of the ProCredit banks, group-wide standards have been established for the entire range of HR-related activities, from recruitment to training to remuneration. Ethical banking can only be successful if we have employees who identify with our values and goals, and actively pursue them. Our values are based on the principles set forth in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To formalise the ProCredit group’s commitment to observing and respecting these principles, our Management Board signed the ProCredit Group Statement on Human Rights. The statement complements our Code of Conduct, which explicitly documents our values and the resulting principles that govern our behaviour in the ProCredit group. These values and principles set the standards for staff selection and training and include mutual respect, personal responsibility and long-term commitment to the institution.
Our mission statement sets the operational framework for all banks in the ProCredit group.
Staff recruitment and the ProCredit Onboarding Programme
Our approach to recruitment illustrates our commitment to a certain way of doing business. All potential new recruits are required to go through a selection process, from an online application to an individual interview. Those who successfully complete the recruitment process will be offered an employment contract and will start with the introductory ProCredit Onboarding Programme. This training process covers all aspects of our approach to banking as a development-oriented commercial group of banks. It consists of theoretical and practical international training that is conducted in English online, at our regional training centre in Serbia, and in the banks of the group. The programme requires working in teams, facing challenges similar to those encountered in our daily work, exploring concepts and taking responsibility for the way in which the new employees can contribute to ProCredit and to building a fairer financial sector.
The aim of this programme is to attract and select individuals who share our enthusiasm for working with clients in a transparent, professional and friendly manner.
Training and ProCredit Academy
Throughout the ProCredit group, we make significant investments to ensure that staff acquire the skills needed to achieve a high level of performance while maintaining their strong sense of identification with our objectives and corporate culture. Top managers are frequently involved in these training activities. More details about this approach are presented in our annual reporting.
Following the ProCredit Onboarding Programme, existing staff benefit from advanced training courses. We have invested especially in developing the customer service and communication skills of our Business Client Advisers and Branch Managers as well as of our Private Individuals Advisers. As English is the lingua franca of the group, there is a strong focus on English training. In the ethics course, participants participate in intense discussions about values and ethical dilemmas.
In order to ensure targeted management training, the group operates a two-tier academy system in Germany, and has developed its own curricula for it. Alongside the teaching of fundamental banking principles and courses on communication and leadership skills, there are courses on philosophy, anthropology and history. The Academy curriculum also includes training on contemporary environmental challenges and management.
For the prospective senior managers and specialists from the many different countries in which the ProCredit group operates, the Academy is an important platform for intensifying their awareness of the corporate values and preparing them for their role as multipliers of the group’s common principles. It is also the backbone of a strong, cohesive and closely-knit network of highly competent colleagues who are fully engaged in the development of the group.
Remuneration
The group salary structure is communicated and explained to all employees. Our staff naturally expect a fair salary, but they also benefit from a work environment that adheres to core values, including respect and professionalism as mandated by our Code of Conduct. At ProCredit, the gap between the lowest and highest salary grades is narrower than usual. The salaries are also dependent – among other factors – on the successful completion of certain training programmes.
Details on the compensation paid to the Management of ProCredit Holding are provided in our Remuneration Report.
Read more here about our approach towards inclusive finance.