What does your well-being depend on at the end of the year?
When we met with you over the past few weeks, we could see some incredible differences in well-being between the different teams. Your evaluations seem to play a crucial role and your objectives. We will see these points in more detail below.
However, it soon became clear that managers were also mentioned as a source of well-being. Some of you said, "This is okay, we have a good manager." However, these remarks only concerned direct managers, the top management being perceived as, I quote, 'hostile'.
What is a “good” manager?
Let's see what GetAbstract says.
They communicate high expectations, are strategic in their approach.
They set clear objectives.
They promote a positive and respectful work environment.
They encourage teamwork and recognize efforts and achievements.
They are defending their employees.
They are competent, reasonable, effective and stable even in stressful situations.
They cultivate relationships between different departments without micromanaging.
...
Ultimately, good managers are the ones who build trust with their employees. They act as mentors, providing coaching, training and motivation. They are honest, fair, and acknowledge achievements, creating an environment of trust where employees feel satisfied, less threatened, and more innovative. This trust is essential for optimal productivity and performance.
And indeed, where the objectives are unclear, where trust is damaged, where the predictable disappears, where the work is not recognized, where communication is difficult, where you are withdrawn from autonomy, IT DOES NOT WORK!
And another thing that struck me was that there were teams that had what they considered to be “good managers” and lost him/her because Top management was not happy with him/her.
So, if you have a good manager you want to keep, read "The Good" behind the following link to provide your support: Managing Your Manager Free Summary by Gonzague Dufour.
If you have a manager who needs help to become the manager of your dreams, read: Managing Your Manager Free Summary by Gonzague Dufour.
And if you are a manager and want to know how to be better, surf: Best book summaries on Management.
Assessments: a source of stress?
The revisions are important and necessary.
Asking for and giving feedback is a core part of our culture and how any company operates. Feedback shouldn’t be limited to one or two conversations a year: opportunities to allow a worker to absorb the views and experiences of others, especially his boss, are - should be - almost daily.
However, if you regularly take the time to structure this process, you will be able to take your eyes off the wheel and take stock. Take stock of how you feel, how you are progressing in your work and within your team. Take stock of your efforts, your results and your achievements. Take stock of your progress, your ambitions and your career prospects. It is rare for an athlete to be coached on the direction of their career during a 100 meters or even a marathon.
And it is certainly logical and desirable to use this assessment to differentiate salary developments and favor current and future top earners.
But ...
What we too often regret is the stress associated with these conversations and their preparation.
Our company's employees experience a significantly higher level of stress than other enterprises' colleagues (an average of 3.6 on a scale of 5 for ING BE compared to 3 for the companies in the comparative panel. This is statistically significant).
Influence on stress
In our opinion, the rating system used at ING BE causes more harm than it justifies:
Stress score?
A score of 2 (2. Partially meets expectations) on the new 5-point scale is not a priori dramatic: it is logical that there are areas for improvement in certain situations (new position, new organization, temporary difficulties, etc.). It is also logical that it can affect possible bonuses and salary reviews, but be aware that it can also have harmful consequences if it is repeated and slides to a score of 1 (Does not meet expectations) or if a change in the company is announced. (And let's be honest, at ING BE, the chances of this happening are not zero). To find out more about the conditions for the company's development, consult the collective labor agreement of September 22, 2023 - Art. 2.2 - Commercial developments . It is therefore not surprising that receiving - or giving - a score of 1 or 2 can cause stress.
The stress of feedback?
It’s not a relaxing time for middle management either: giving constructive, useful and detailed feedback is a difficult art. Especially when you consider the number of tasks that managers sometimes have to perform in addition to their supervisory role. For example, department heads whose employees are seconded to teams other than their own must rely on feedback that is essentially indirect. Not to mention the geographical dispersion, which doesn’t make things easier either.
Calibration constraint?
So far: not easy, but an integral part of the organization of a company like ours. The additional layer that regularly proves to be very harmful is the Gaussian curve and calibration. No, it is not a real Gaussian curve because it is not symmetrical and does not apply to all teams. The fact remains that the calibration sessions are influenced by the "desire" (or even more) to respect the "ideal" distribution, by limiting the percentage of good scores and by assigning enough 1 & 2 grades. As a reminder, these calibration sessions bring together all the team leaders attached to the same N+1 and review the grades proposed by each team leader. The goal is to prevent some team leaders from being structurally too strict or too positive in their scores. This is a laudable goal that helps improve the consistency and quality of feedback. On the other hand, when this evaluation system "imposes" for the umpteenth consecutive year to put a certain percentage in mark 1 and/or 2, this (as well as the restructurings) always leads to a skimming of our teams sometimes already extremely meticulous.
Often, the manager finds himself in a situation where he really has to struggle to know who to give the famous score of 1 or 2. Thus, a team leader - who prioritizes the development of his employees and his team throughout the year - is sometimes forced to revise his opinion and change the score and tone of his evaluation, surprising the key stakeholders and causing all the excitement imaginable.
It is worth noting that this applies not only to the “stick” side, but also to the “carrot” side. Have you ever heard a manager say that they would have liked to give you or a colleague a 4 or 5 rating, given the contribution, but unfortunately the curve did not allow it? Not you, we do!
Stress while planning
Moreover, these calibration sessions have an indirect impact on the timing of the assessments: the self-assessments must be completed before 11/15. But the multi-phase calibration will not be ready until mid-December and managers must conduct the interviews (sometimes in large numbers) in a fairly short period of time, which also partly falls during a holiday period. Unless they take the risk of doing them before the end of the calibration period...
For or against?
The application of the Gaussian curve too often leads to negative consequences:
Forced division (creates unnecessary competition between team members)
Demotivation of employees
Negative impact on team dynamics
Risk of subjectivity
An obstacle to growth
Now more than ever is the time to design an evaluation system that does justice to individual performance and contributes to a culture of growth, cooperation and trust.
We therefore aim for assessments carried out conscientiously and respectfully, with common sense in the guidelines and a human touch on the ground.
Some tips for your assessments
During the interim evaluation, discuss the progress of your objectives with your manager and conclude new agreements if necessary.
Evaluate each criterion one by one.
Keeping track of your accomplishments throughout the year will make it easier to bounce back when talking to your manager. You were thanked for the services you provided? This is proof that you are doing your job well!
Get ready, well prepared for D-Day. List your accomplishments in relation to the objectives set for you.
If you do not agree with the rating given by your manager, you can appeal. Please read the appeal procedure document carefully before taking any action. At each stage of this procedure, the employee may be assisted by a union representative.
SMART goals = well-being.
What does chapter XIII of our Employment Regulations say about the duty to prevent psychosocial risks in the workplace?
Art. 45: ‘Every ING member of staff has the right to be treated with dignity. Any act of violence or harassment (...) is prohibited’.
And the article specifies what these risks are: ‘The likelihood that one or more worker(s) will suffer psychological damage, which may also be accompanied by physical damage, as a result of exposure to components of the work organisation (7), the content of the work, the working conditions (9), (...), on which the employer has an impact and which objectively involve a danger’.
These risks cover in particular (7) ‘work procedures, management tools, management style, general policies implemented in the company’. They also concern (9) ‘assessment procedures’.
EUROGIP (observatory on issues relating to the prevention of accidents at work) points out that ‘Belgian legislation on well-being at work requires operational objectives in the field of occupational health and safety (OHS) to be set out in the annual action plan’ and that the SMART formula applies perfectly. A formula that is also used in management and human resources.
Unfortunately, on the ground, particularly in sales, we are increasingly witnessing a bidding war for objectives whose limit seems to be the sky, as well as changes during the year and a period (12 months) that is not respected in practice. Returning to SMART objectives would put ING back on track with the regulations and, above all, would revive the dynamics, commitment and motivation of the workforce. This is what we are proposing.
Because, as the Federal Public Service for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue points out, ‘The policy of well-being at work..., this policy is well and truly compulsory for all companies’.
‘While wellbeing at work has been regulated for many years now, the health and safety of workers has never been as important as it is today! And yes ... Absenteeism, reduced motivation, resignations and a shortage of skilled workers are all negative consequences of partial and/or inadequate attention to employee well-being.' There's no secret about it: 'a worker who feels good is a worker who is committed and hard-working!'
Accessible banking services
The percentage of the Belgian population considered “digitally literate” varies depending on the source and the specific criteria used to measure digital skills. According to a report by the European Commission, around 40% of the Belgian population lacks digital skills. For Europe, this figure would even rise to 54%!
Febelfin organised an inspiration day on December 3rd to draw more attention to this issue. It turns out that there is still a lot of work to be done. People are mainly interested in banks, but the public sector and many other sectors are also digitising at a rapid pace. Many people seem to be missing this train now.
We often think of seniors, who we believe are incapable of keeping up, but also of migrants, the deaf, the blind, the poorly literate, the poorly educated, people under guardianship, etc., who do not find their place in the digital offering of financial institutions or public authorities. 17% of young people say: "everything is going too fast".
Today, thousands of people, often volunteers, already explain how a banking application works. How to easily check your account. And this number continues to increase day by day. There is therefore a clear shift in the transfer of knowledge from bank employees to digital assistants, who do not always have complete knowledge of the content.
ING, Belfius, Beobank and KBC explained what initiatives they have taken to help customers. Using mobile phones or electric bikes, via chat, to call-back initiatives and much more. It's like a pigsty; it's a real shamble. And therefore the customer is just as lost. The offer is not standard and varies greatly from bank to bank. However, each bank claims to adapt to changing customer behaviour. You almost have to go online to find out exactly what services your bank offers. But of course, you should have internet!
It used to be simple: you just went to your branch to do your banking.
Telephone accessibility of internal services also emerges as a point of attention. Myriam Osten from the Dutch Payments Association came to say that telephone numbers in the Netherlands are quickly becoming visible again in channels. Their research has shown that this often solves the customer's problem faster than the digital route. How simple can it be?
The government must also take responsibility. Taxing the number of counters obviously does not encourage people to keep them open longer or unnecessarily.
It is therefore necessary to continue to focus on adequate training and making services accessible and accessible to all.
Farewell to a flagship!
Overview and History
1. Construction and ancient history :
• The building, located in a large park in Etterbeek, was originally designed as a prestigious headquarters and training centre for Banque Bruxelles Lambert (BBL).
• The complex was built in the 1970s , a period of strong economic growth in Belgium, during which banks wanted to underline their power and status through architectural grandeur.
• The design of the Sint-Michielswarande site is the work of the architect Jacques Wybauw.
• The architectural style is a combination of modernism and functionalism, with clean lines, simple shapes and a strong use of glass and steel to promote light and transparency.
• The main building, often referred to as the “ING Castle”, combines a professional appearance with natural integration elements, allowing it to blend harmoniously into the surrounding park.
2. Use by BBL :
• The building opened in 1975 and served as the flagship venue for BBL.
• In addition to the head office, it housed important conferences, training courses and cultural events organized by the bank.
3. Acquisition by ING :
• In 1998 , BBL merged with the Dutch group ING, thus integrating the building into ING's international network.
• Under ING, the complex continued to play a central role as an important operational and representative site in Belgium.
• In the 2010s, ING began restructuring its Belgian operations, consolidating several offices into modern, more efficient buildings. This led to a reduction in the function of Sint-Michielswarande as a head office.
• Around 2015, ING decided to sell the site. This was part of a broader strategy to divest excess real estate and focus more on central offices in Brussels and elsewhere.
Goodbye SMW, Marnix here we come....
We wish you happy holidays and a sparkling 2025!
See you soon!
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