The Bank’s focus on public issues is integrated in our ongoing planning work. This ensures that ethics, the environment and important social issues are on the agenda throughout. Through the Bank’s gift fund we have for many years returned funds to the region we are a part of. This has been done through grants to talented individuals in the arts and sports, support for local associations and organisations, well-being measures at neighbourhood level and contributions to business development in Trøndelag and Nordvestlandet.
An active interplay between research, development, education and the business sector is important for the region’s development. Each year SpareBank 1 SMN devotes substantial resources to stimulating innovation and to bringing together industry, business and knowledge institutions. The collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research (SINTEF), both in Trondheim, along with iKuben in Molde and Aalesund University College, is key to this effort.
Solid banking creates a foundation for responsible social development. As a basis for our work, we have sought a balance between the financial, social and environmental aspects of the three-part bottom line. Under each theme we have defined key areas on which we maintain a special focus, and goals and initiatives have been developed for each area.
Parent company figures
2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | ||
Strategy/ financial |
Group strategy | Established | Updated | Continued | Continued | Continued |
Develop CSR strategy | N/A | Established | Continued | Continued | Continued | |
Pre-tax profit (NOKm) | 1,045 | 778 | 1,147 | 1,282 | 1,279 | |
Total assets (NOKm) | 71,503 | 84,670 | 84,541 | 97,992 | 101,455 | |
Return on equity | 18.90 % | 11.90 % | 16.20 % | 14.60 % | 12.80 % | |
Core capital ratio | 8.40 % | 8.10 % | 10.40 % | 10.90 % | 10.43 % | |
No. of ECCs issued (m) | 53.98 | 57.9 | 69.43 | 94.9 | 94.9 | |
Quoted price 31.12 | 72.25 | 22.85 | 49.02 | 54.00 | 39.30 | |
Market capitalisation (NOKm) 31.12 | 3,900 | 1,750 | 3,749 | 5,124 | 3,731 | |
Direct return | 8.29 % | 5.10 % | 4.60 % | 5.6 % | 5.1 % | |
No. of owners | 9,111 | 9,123 | 9,500 | 9,654 | 9,532 | |
Knowledge of bank’s ethical rules at least 90 % | 96 % | 96 % | 96 % | 96 % | 96 % | |
Society/ social conditions | No. of FTP equivalents | 746 | 775 | 805 | 793 | 794 |
Sickness absence | 3.57 % | 3.84 % | 4.22 % | 4.00 % | 4.00 % | |
Women’s share of workforce | 48.50 % | 51.50 % | 51.50 % | 51 % | 52 % | |
Women’s share of senior positions | 22 % | 26 % | 28 % | 28 % | 27 % | |
Average age | 44.5 years | 45 years | 45 years | 46 years | 45.5 years | |
Employee satisfaction | 75 | 75 | 75 | I/T | 715 * | |
Agreement on inclusive employment | Established | Continued | Continued | Continued | Continued | |
Strategy on life phase policy | Established | Continued | Further developed | Further developed | Continued | |
Managerial development programme | Established | Continued | Continued | Continued | Continued | |
No. of offices | 58 | 56 | 56 | 54 | 54 | |
No. of customers | 191,000 | 192,000 | 194,000 | 194,500 | 196,500 | |
Share of internet banking customers | 52 % | 54 % | 57 % | 73 % | 81 % | |
Share of electronic bill payments | 90 % | 91 % | 92 % | 99 % | 99 % | |
Share allocated to culture | 12 % | 22 % | 24 % | 22 % | 24 % | |
Share allocated to sports | 12 % | 16 % | 20 % | 23 % | 23 % | |
Share allocated to humanitarian work | 5 % | 6 % | 4 % | 6 % | 6 % | |
Share allocated to business development | 66 % | 56 % | 52 % | 43 % | 38 % | |
Environment | Purchase of paper ** | 40.4 tonnes | 46,5 tonnes | 35.9 tonnes | 39.1 tonnes | 35.7 tonnes |
Energy consumption *** | N/A | 6,193,000 kWh | 6,580,000 kWh | 7,004,400 kWh | 6,900,500 kWh | |
No. of flights **** | 4,324 | 3,984 | 3,585 | 3,816 | 3,910 | |
E-waste return scheme ***** | 6.10 tonnes | 5.30 tonnes | 2.90 tonnes | 3.43 tonnes | 3.40 tonnes | |
Waste sorting at source | Established | Continued | Continued | Continued | Continued | |
Printer and toner return scheme | Established | Continued | Continued | Continued | Continued | |
No. of videoconferencing rooms | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | |
Strategy/action plan for energy and the environment at the new head office | Established | Continued | Continued | Continued | Continued | |
No. of offices certified under the ‘Environmental Lighthouse’ scheme | N/A | N/A | 1 | 1 | 2 |
* New system for organisational analysis as from 2011 |
** Reduction of approx. 3.4 tonnes from 2010 to 2011 essentially due to switch to secure print and increased electronic communication |
*** Reduction in 2011 due to a full year of operation in the new head office (a low-energy building) |
**** Change due to increased travel related to customer activities in general and the enlargement of the bank’s catchment area in particular |
***** Volume due to procurement of new computers in 2010 and disposal at end-2010 and start-2011 |
The Group consistently implements measures designed to reduce consumption of electricity, paper and other resources and to ensure that limits are imposed on resource-demanding travel. Handling of e-waste and purchase of environment-friendly solutions also receives much attention. The Bank strives throughout to ensure the right procurement of technological equipment. To this end, energy and environmental requirements are included as specific assessment criteria.
All technological equipment is handled as special waste, and is thereby subject to environmentally correct disposal. In 2011 3.40 tonnes of technological waste were returned compared with 3.43 tonnes in 2000. Increased use of electronic communication and the introduction of new print solutions have reduced paper consumption from 39.1 tonnes in 2010 to 35.7 tonnes in 2011.
Growing use of technological solutions imposes greater demands on safety and personal protection. The following measures are being put in place to ensure a focus on, and competence in, safety.
SpareBank 1 SMN made 3,910 business trips in 2011 compared with 3,816 in 2010. Increased customer activity and the Bank’s involvement in committees and projects under the auspices of the SpareBank 1 Alliance are key factors behind the high travel frequency. Steps taken to reduce the number of air trips include greater use of video conferencing, telephone conferencing and digital tools to support teamworking and knowledge sharing.
Very low energy consumption at the new Head Office
SpareBank 1 SMN relocated to its new head office in Trondheim in autumn 2010. Our energy consumption target was an ambitious 85 kWh per square metre for the new office premises part of the building. The target was met by a good margin in the very first year of operation. Measurements show energy consumption below 60 kWh per square metre, which is far below the limit of 150 kWh per square metre set by the authorities. No other office building in Norway comes close to this figure. Compared with the 150 kWh per square metre consumed by the old bank building, the operating expense economies are substantial. The causes of the low energy consumption are numerous and complex, but the main individual factors are:
Environmental lighthouse
SpareBank 1 SMN has opted for certification under ‘Environmental Lighthouse’, a national certification scheme catering to the private and public sectors. At end-2011 the Trondheim Head Office and the office in Ålesund had achieved certification. This meant that offices in which about 450 staff work on a daily basis were now certified in the following areas: work environment, procurements/materials use, energy, transport, waste, emissions and aesthetics. In 2012 the offices in Stjørdal, Levanger, Steinkjer and Namsos will achieve certification and work will start on certification of Molde and Verdal.
The Group’s business activities are dependent on the confidence of customers, public authorities and the wider society. Staff at SpareBank 1 SMN must be recognised for their high ethical standards. To this end each of us, in any context where we are identified with SpareBank 1 SMN, must display a conduct that is perceived to be confidence inspiring, honest and trustworthy and in compliance with the norms, rules and statutes by which the society is governed.
SpareBank 1 SMN intends to provide factual, correct information in an honest, trustworthy and open manner about the Bank’s business and services.
SpareBank 1 SMN has set up the following formalised and recurring review of the Bank’s ethical guidelines vis-à-vis the Group’s employees; this, in sum, constitutes the formal framework tool for the practical conduct of all staff of the Bank.
SpareBank 1 SMN intends to be an attractive and inclusive employer for staff in all age groups and life phases. The Bank sets the stage for all staff to experience a good balance between work, home and leisure. We also encourage staff to maintain good health by promoting physical activity. This is based on the belief that staff members whose needs are catered for put in a better performance in the best interest of themselves and the enterprise.
SpareBank 1 SMN has relatively low sickness absence, and we believe this is to some extent ascribable to staff who are motivated by challenging and stimulating work at the same time as many stay in shape through various types of activities.
We currently have a good gender and age balance. The Bank is working to raise the proportion of women in senior positions. Currently 27 per cent of senior positions are held by women (28 per cent in 2010).
The Group has established a robust framework in the trade union area:
The Group has established a project known as ‘Better Shape’ to promote good health, increased motivation and well-being. The project is a targeted drive aimed at motivating staff to raise their level of physical activity.
The SpareBank 1 SMN Fund bases its work on the precept that the Bank’s gifts should be non-profit, i.e. all financial support should be for the common good and benefit as many as possible. The Fund emphasises that all awards should contribute to building, supporting and developing the region. The Bank’s gifts to non-profit causes therefore make demands in the sense that the recipient also has to contribute to ensuring that the cause attains its goal. In order to create new assets and make the region an attractive place to live, the Fund employs two primary methods in its work:
We therefore impose the same ethical and environmental demands on our partners as on ourselves before, during and after implementation of projects and initiatives. In processes, and in the case of awards of some size, written agreements are established to ensure that our social requirements are complied with.
Business development:
Culture/sports: