Customer focus

These results are further evidence that we are a genuinely customer-orientated business and we are making good progress as we deliver our strategy. I am very encouraged by the fact that our people value the training and development they receive as employees of the Group and this is having a positive impact on our customers. We can also be proud of the commitment and talent of our line managers and the investment they make to coach and develop their teams.

Restoring pride

It’s clear we have more work to do to build trust in our leadership and confidence in the direction and future of our organisation. We are committed to this, so that we will all start to feel greater pride in the Group and the positive impact we are having on customers and the communities in which we operate.

We’re already listening

Already this year we have made a number of changes and decisions that were in the best interests of our colleagues and customers.

Changes to our long service policy and the announcement of a new Sharesave scheme have been welcomed by colleagues. We stand by our commitment to PPI compensation because it’s the right thing to do, and through the Funding For Lending programme we were the first bank to draw one billion pounds to support our customers and help Britain prosper.

These are just a few milestones on our journey toward building confidence and trust. More will follow throughout 2013 - many of which will be as a result of your feedback.

2013 - challenges and opportunities

We have made great progress this year in the face of many challenges and 2013 will continue to test us. Banks have a long way to go to rebuild trust and confidence and it will take time to put right the mistakes of the past.

But we will enter 2013 in much better shape. We have a clear strategy in place with solid momentum and we are delivering strong underlying performance. 

I am confident that, by delivering our strategy to be a simple, customer-focused UK retail and commercial bank, we will have a bright and prosperous future.

Thank you for sharing your views and for your commitment to building a better bank together.

I was very pleased that a number of important scores relating to colleague engagement increased.  Confidence in the future of Lloyds Banking Group increased by x%, trust in the leadership is up x% and feeling that there is a promising future within the Group rose by x%. That resulted in an Employee Engagement Index (EEI) of xx% for WAFI, which is the same as last year and slightly better than Group averages. But whilst I am encouraged by the upward trend in some of these scores, I recognise that we have much more to do to improve engagement further if we want to be best in class within the Group or – more importantly – when compared with external companies. 

Another measure is the Performance Excellence Index (PEI) – which shows how strongly you feel we are focusing on delivering for our customers.  We maintained our score at xx% on this measure, which is above average for other UK companies.  A key factor influencing this was your rating of how quickly we correct customer problems, which was up x%.  Also worth a mention is how far ahead we are of UK companies on how we use customer feedback to improve our processes (+x%) and on training colleagues to keep up with customer demands (+x%).  All of that tells me that you think we have a strong focus on customers across WAFI. 

The final index – the Line Manager Index (LMI) saw a slight fall to xx%.  Again, underlying factors such as how much colleagues feel they are treated with respect by managers, recognition for a job well done and getting feedback on performance, far outperform scores staff give at other UK companies on average. 

There are scores that fell since the last full survey; in particular how we treat new starters.  Having the right technology and tools in place for instance – something we should take for granted – saw a fall of x% to xx%.  Support from Line Managers in the first few months fell by x% to xx%. 

So there are things we need to focus on, but these results tell me that we have the right strategy, a real customer-focus that our colleagues feel is working, and strong teams in place to deliver our objectives going forward. 

There are two other scores that I’d like to draw your attention to.  Firstly, overall satisfaction with Lloyds Banking Group within WAFI saw an increase of x% this time around.  This is a modest improvement – but encouraging nevertheless.  And, probably the most important score – your belief that action will be taken as a result of your feedback went up x%.  

This survey is a really important temperature gauge for the WAFI Executive team and I promise that action will be taken as a result of your feedback.  As well as the responses to individual questions, we will be looking through the comments you made.  In all xx% - more than x,000 of you - took the time to tell us something additional and we’ll be reviewing these comments just as closely as your scores. I will be communicating what our WAFI action plan will be in early December. 

Thank you once again for your responses.  Your manager will share your local reports with you over the next week or so.