Global recognition for Standard Bank's HIV/Aids programme

9 June 2008

In this article:

1. The GBC award
2. The Standard Bank Workplace Programme
3. Standard Bank and the Global Business Coalition
4. Standard Bank and the communities in which it operates

The GBC Award

Standard Bank Group has been awarded the Global Business Coalition's (GBC) Award for Business Excellence for its HIV/Aids Workplace Programme in 2008.

The award effectively recognises the best workplace HIV/Aids programme in the world.

Speaking from New York, where the announcement was made at a Gala event on 9 June, Clive Tasker, Chief Executive of Standard Bank Africa, said: "This important international award provides the Standard Bank Group with objective peer feedback and global recognition of the value and impact of its employee programme, as well as of the community initiatives Standard Bank funds and supports."

Standard Bank Group has developed and implemented one of the most comprehensive HIV/Aids workplace programmes in Africa. Starting in the group's South African operations in 2001, its education, awareness and disease management programme has now been rolled out to 15 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," added Tasker.

Sipho Ngidi, Executive Director, Group Human Resources, said: "Our workplace programme 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).

Standard Bank's HIV/Aids programme involves an interactive framework of external and internal services, benefits and campaigns which are managed through the Group's corporate health department.

The scope of the bank's programme - across 16 countries and five time zones - is unique, as is its scale: reaching over 38 000 staff, together with their immediate family members.

Standard Bank currently spends R60 million a year on its wellness programme (including HIV/Aids initiatives). Some R25 million of this is allocated to African operations. In addition, one percent of after-tax income from the Group's South African operations is allocated to that country's social investment activities.

Key components of the programme include the internal health and wellness programme; the wellness champions which are staff volunteer peer educators; the external independent counselling and advisory services known as ICAS; medical aid; voluntary counselling and testing; 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.

Importantly, a major focus area of the programme is the greater community in which Standard Bank operates. This interaction 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. In this way, the Bank not only becomes socially relevant, but also invests in the wellbeing of its customer base.

Speaking from New York, Carol o'Brien, Director, Global Business Coalition, Africa Office, said: "It is critical that private sector involvement in the fight against HIV/Aids, TB and Malaria be robust and impactful. Standard 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 larger 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 Standard Bank for the award. "HIV/Aids is possibly the greatest developmental, social, medical and ethical challenge facing our future. Standard 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 Programme 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.

On 5 June 2008 Standard Bank Group was awarded the prestigious 2008 AfriCom.Net Annual Award for Excellence in HIV and Aids Communication in Africa. Read more about this.

Standard Bank and the Global Business Coalition

• In 2006, Standard 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 programmes, 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 programmes.

The Standard Bank Workplace Programme

• The programme's objectives are:
• To prevent the increase of HIV/Aids among Standard Bank staff and their families
• To effectively and compassionately manage individuals who are already infected or affected by HIV/Aids
• To ensure management complies with the Standard Bank Group's policy on HIV, which is spelled out in the company's Life Threatening Diseases Policy.
• Since 2006 the HIV/Aids programme has been fully integrated into the company's broader health and wellness programme, and its "HIV Champions" (voluntary peer educators) have been rebranded as 'Wellness Champions'.
• There are two important aspects to the above integration:
• 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.
• 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 Programme ensures that all staff:
• Are protected against stigmatisation and discrimination in the workplace
• Are not denied employment, transfer or promotional opportunities
• Have access to HIV/Aids support services.
• Have the right to confidentiality.
• Are treated the same as other staff suffering from life-threatening diseases.

Standard Bank and the communities in which it operates

• As part of Standard Bank's corporate social investment programme, the bank funds six organisations involved in regional HIV/Aids treatment and support programmes (specifically targeted at vulnerable communities, as outlined above). These are: City Mission in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality; the Durban Christian Centre Hope Centre Clinic; the Mfesane/Masiza HIV/Aids Education & Support Programme; the Salvation Army in Soweto; the Sparrow Ministries in Gauteng; and Gezubuso Projects in Pietermaritzburg.
• The bank's employee community involvement (ECI) programme encourages employees to participate in community programmes in their own areas. ECI offers to match individual and group fundraising efforts, provided certain criteria are met.
• All of Standard Bank'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.
• Since 2004, Standard Bank has held awareness campaigns to coincide with South Africa's 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.