At NN Group, our purpose helps focus on the promotion of a sustainable and inclusive society in which everyone can participate. We have made a strategic commitment to contribute to the wellbeing of people in our communities. Through the Future Matters Programme, we help people build financial resilience.
It is only when all our colleagues truly understand the impact of financial distress that they can take effective action to relieve it. So we utilised our long cooperation with Nibud (National Institute for Family Finance Information) to help Nationale-Nederlanden colleagues make a positive change in our communities. More than 400 NN colleagues recently participated in a workshop or training that brought them closer to our customers.
First-hand experience
The workshop focused on raising our colleagues’ awareness of what it’s like to live with problematic debts. It aimed to help them understand the circumstances that people with financial problems live in, so that they can relate better to customers.
The workshop offered our colleagues insights into how they can help customers – and people in general – who are experiencing financial difficulties. ‘It was really intense to experience what life is like when you have debts, and the letters from debt collectors keep coming in while you’re just trying to keep your head above water,’ one participant said. ‘It helped me to feel the pressure our customers feel when they lose control of their finances.’
Impactful support
More than 20% of Dutch households have experienced a drop in income since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. So it’s likely that we all know someone who is experiencing financial stress. With a company as big as NN Group, we can really make a positive impact on society if our colleagues are able to help people with their money matters or can redirect them to support services.
That’s why we also offered our colleagues a specific training to help them understand and utilise opportunities for support. It offered tips and resources our colleagues can use to help. Nibud and insurer Aegon originally developed the training. However, they also made it possible for other banks and insurance companies, among which NN Group, to offer the training to their employees. It was an immediate and overwhelming success. More than 350 colleagues successfully registered for and completed the training.
Partnerships that matter
Thanks to NN’s cooperation with Nibud, our colleagues are even more prepared to help people when they face challenging financial circumstances. They also have the skills to improve our businesses and prevent our customers from having financial problems in the first place. Lastly, they are more aware than ever of opportunities to volunteer in a project from our Community Investment Programme, NN Future Matters.
