Team Member Engagement
Talent Development and Engagement
We actively promote an environment that fosters honest, good-faith communication about matters related to our business activities. We regularly conduct company-wide team member surveys to assess and measure engagement, identify what is working, and where opportunities exist for improvement.
Training and Development
We provide multiple programs, processes, and tools to aid in the growth and development of team members and leaders. We created internal programs to support the development and retention of our team members, including internal development programs designed to train our leaders.
In 2021, over 875 courses were offered to team members on such topics as leadership, compliance and professional development and an average of approximately 20 hours of training per employee was completed. In addition, over 600 front-line leaders participated in our new leadership development program, Ignite, which included unconscious bias training and content. Development of our senior leaders likewise continues to be a priority. Over 300 senior leaders participated in unconscious bias training. A new leadership program for our senior leaders, Catalyst, focused on business strategy and executive leadership readiness, which we launched in the first quarter of 2022.
In support of our learning and development for our team members, Synovus offers a tuition assistance program for team members seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees and other continuing educational programs. Synovus also supports our team members’ involvement in external development programs, such as specialty banking schools and other technical training. Along with tuition reimbursement, we offer 100% tuition coverage for specialty banking school participation.
Performance Enablement and Retention
Our approach to performance enablement is year-round, with clear goals and priorities aligned behind business objectives and strategies. Team members and their managers mutually agree on performance and developmental goals, which are supported by development conversations held regularly throughout the year, and which factor into formal mid-year and year-end performance evaluations.
Internal promotions are prioritized, with 42% of new positions filled by existing team members. Approximately 15% of our work force received a promotion in 2021, consisting of 66% women and 31% ethnically diverse.
Team Member Engagement
Our most recent engagement score was 84%, representing top quartile scoring compared to financial services benchmark, which is an average based on 446 organizations representing more than 15.3 million employees in a wide range of industries and from over 80 countries.
At the division and department levels, a cross-functional action team defines top areas of focus companywide based on survey results. The team develops recommended solutions and helps ensure company accountability and resource availability for follow-up actions. The team also ensures clear tracking, measurement, and progress reporting to leadership and the full team.
The results from the 2021 survey show we’re in a healthy range regarding perceptions across all survey categories. The most favorable items included remote work, with a favorability score of 96%; ethics, with a favorability score of 86%; and manager relationships, with a favorability score of 86%. The data also revealed team members continue to place a high value on the relationships they have with each other, their managers, and clients.
Previous survey results helped establish specific initiatives to improve the career experience at Synovus, including identifying growth opportunities, delivering career development training, making training more accessible, improving onboarding, and creating a sense of value among team members. By listening to our team members and acting on their feedback, we saw top quartile engagement scores in our latest survey process.
Following our 2021 survey, we formed a Voice of the Team Member action team, a cross-functional team that developed a range of actions and solutions that have been put into place to address the top areas of opportunity—empowerment, growth and development, communication, reward and recognition, and resources and support.