The quest of excellence
One step further in favour of the environment and quality
After being awarded the ‘Certified’ SwissClimate CO2e1, Bronze Award, label in 2011, Banque Cantonale du Valais, thanks to its commitment to sustainable development, took one step further in 2012 when it was awarded the ‘Optimised’ SwissClimate CO2e, Silver Award, label. This achievement is wholly in keeping with BCVs’ business model, rooted deeply in the values of permanence and sustainability. The quest for excellence and quality is just as important, as exemplified by the Bank also bearing the hallmarks of the Valais Excellence label and certified as complying with ISO 9001 and 14001 standards. This makes BCVs one of the very few banks in Switzerland to have such an impressive collection of prestige awards acknowledging the quality of its management and its commitment to the environment.
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification
BCVs has been ISO9001- and ISO14001-certified since 2009. The ISO9001 international standard stipulates requirements for quality management systems. It is firmly established as the standard applicable worldwide for quality assurance with a view to increasing customer satisfaction in client-supplier business relationships. The notion covered by the term ‘quality management’ encompasses those efforts that a company makes to meet customers’ quality demands and comply with applicable regulatory provisions; all these processes and procedures must be measured against the yardstick of customer satisfaction and ongoing progress in a company’s performance in attaining its goals. The ISO14001 international standard lays down requirements for environmental management systems. This covers management tools and apparatus that enable a business to pinpoint and control the impact that its operations, products and services have on the environment. Moreover, it offers the possibility of implementing a systematic approach towards setting environmental goals, achieving these and demonstrating that they have been attained.
Valais Excellence hallmark
On top of its dual ISO 9001/14001 certification, BCVs has also been the proud bearer of the Valais Excellence hallmark since 2009. As the only bank in Valais boasting this award in recognition of its quality, BCVs shares 100% the vision and the values of sustainability and competence embodied in the Valais Excellence hallmark.
The Valais Excellence label was created as a mark of distinction for the most effective and citizen-geared Valais organisations and companies, paying considerable heed to their social and environment roles, and keenness in striving towards continually improving their products and services.
BCVs’ mission fits completely into the terms of reference for the Valais Excellence seal of quality. BCVs works tirelessly for the Canton of Valais, its economy and its people. Moreover, it shares those challenges and concerns of those living in Valais, offering them a range of custom-made banking services and products. Through this certification, BCVs is giving its backing to the vision of a modern and effective Valais. It also strengthens BCVs’ own neighbourhood ties with the hundred or so companies that also proudly display the Valais Excellence logo.
The official announcement that this quality label had been awarded to BCVs was made in February 2010.
For Yvan Aymon, Director of the Association Marque Valais and driving force behind the Valais Excellence scheme, BCVs’ arrival as a member of the club of Valais Excellence companies with its exacting entry standards is a powerful acknowledgement of the attractions of this hallmark of distinction, recognition for those companies working most energetically for people in the Canton.
According to Jean-Daniel Papilloud, the Chairman of Banque Cantonale du Valais’ Senior Management, these high-profile ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and Valais Excellence awards constitute due recognition and reward for the Bank’s commitment to improving its in-house processes and procedures. All the Bank’s stakeholders can be thanked for the value added from this strategy: customers, shareholders and employees.
BCVs certified with the SwissClimate CO2e label
Banque Cantonale du Valais was awarded the SQS-certified SwissClimate CO2e, Bronze Award, label in May 2011. This recognition, awarded by the Berne-based Swiss Climate SA and certified by the Swiss Association for Quality & Management Systems (SQS), bears testament to BCVs’ active climate policy.
To achieve this accolade, BCVs evaluated its carbon footprint and stipulated those measures geared towards reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The SQS-certified SwissClimateCO2 award is an extension of and complementary to the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates and the Valais Excellence hallmark awarded to BCVs in February 2010.
The SwissClimate CO2e label was awarded to BCVs on the basis of a comprehensive report on greenhouse gas emissions generated by its operations, compiled in compliance with the International Organization for Standardisation’s ISO 14064-1 standard. This specifies the basic criteria and requirements relating to the quantified evaluation and monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, and the reduction of these company-wide. SwissClimate CO2e is the first climate label issued in Switzerland under the aegis of an independent awarding body, the SQS.
BCVs emitted just over 1,200 tonnes of CO2e over the whole of 2010. Its emissions could be split into three categories: direct emissions primarily generated from heating; indirect emissions generated via its consumption of electricity; other indirect emissions related to staff’s commuting to and from work, travel for business purposes, use of paper, and post, shipments and deliveries dispatched.
The awarding of this label is founded on BCVs’ declaration of intent to commit itself to achieving ongoing and significant reductions in its emissions of greenhouse gases.
The SQS-certified SwissClimate CO2e label awarded to BCVs is renewable on an annual basis.
The ‘e’ suffix stands for ‘equivalent’ and indicates that all the greenhouse gases are converted into their equivalent in carbon dioxide (CO2)
BCVs: 1st bank in Switzerland certified as ‘Equal Salary’
Banque Cantonale du Valais ranks as the first bank in Switzerland, the first business in the Canton of Valais and one of the first two companies listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange to be awarded the ‘Equal Salary’ hallmark. This certification attests to the fact BCVs pursues a genuine policy of equal pay between women and men, with the award making this public for all to know.
The assessment process is broken down into two stages: a phase of statistical analysis of salary and wages data, followed by an on-site inspection.
First of all, the University of Geneva’s Observatoire Universitaire de l’Emploi (University Employment Observatory) conducted the statistical analysis of BCVs’ wages policy and all its pay and salary data. This initial phase made it possible to quantify the extent to which fair pay practices between men and women are implemented. Before being able to pass on to the second appraisal phase, any business must fulfil a specific ‘fair pay’ criterion whereby the pay gap between male and female members of the workforce is smaller than 5%. BCVs passed this test with flying colours as its salary gap stands at just 2.7%, paving the way for the Bank to complete the certification procedure. In the second phase, the Bank’s human resources policy, its procedures and its implementation in terms of job descriptions, target-setting and performance appraisals, as well as its recruitment, promotion and training practices were all examined with a fine-toothed comb, with this inspection forming the second phase of the certification procedure.
Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), entrusted with this auditing brief, circulated a questionnaire to a selected cohort of staff members chosen in such a way as to provide a representative cross-section of BCVs’ workforce. In tandem with this, a consultant personally interviewed the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Head of Human Resources, a line manager and two groups of four to five members of staff. The purpose behind all of this is to corroborate the business’s commitment to an ‘equal-pay’ policy and how this is implemented in the various processes related to human resources.
In the end, the findings of the audit for BCVs affirmed that its HR policies and implementation procedures fulfilled the requisite criteria and standards. At the end of this assessment process, BCVs was awarded the ‘Equal Salary’ hallmark which is valid for three years and renewable upon request. During that 3-year period, the Bank will have to undergo two inspection spot-checks to verify it is working on the recommendations for improvement as stipulated by the initial audit.
Banque Cantonale du Valais has pinpointed areas where improvements can be made. A formal annual review of the HR targets is now arranged with the Senior Management team. Job descriptions are now as individualised as they can be made so tasks specific to the employee are stipulated, tasks that do not necessarily involve fellow employees employed in the same post or job. On top of the ‘to-be-improved’ list, in-house communication measures, especially between line managers and employees, and increased support for female workers to encourage them to apply for managerial posts or jobs with greater responsibility are being put in place.
The ‘Equal Salary’ award proves that, in terms of pay, the Bank is an equal-opportunity employer, and one constantly striving to make the situation even better. BCVs can do more to enhance its reputation as a modern and ethical employer with both its employees and its outside business partners.
