Employee surveys

Employee engagement is central to workforce retention and performance. An annual employee survey is used to assess the UBS corporate culture, engagement and the incorporation of its core values into daily business activities. While surveys are customized for each business group, a core set of questions and themes are the same in order to provide a comprehensive view of employee responses across UBS.

47,468 employees took the survey in May 2007, and overall, 80% were satisfied with UBS as a place to work. This compared to an industry benchmark of 73%. Additionally, 83% agreed they were highly motivated to contribute to the success of the firm beyond what is expected. 76% of employees said that diverse perspectives were valued in their team, while 79% felt encouraged to come up with new ways to do things.

Each business group, and the individual businesses within them, take the results seriously. Clear processes exist to review and manage results. For example, following feedback that more dialogue on career development was desirable, Global Wealth Management & Business Banking invited employees and managers to hold development discussions in mid 2007, supported by the PMM process, so as to agree on individual career development activities.