OUR STAFF
GRI INT 1, INT3, LA3, LA6, LA8, LA10, LA11, HR5 Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, and Respect The World Bank is committed to diversity. We hire women and men from all over the world, and we make reasonable arrangements in the workplace to meet the needs of persons with disabilities. The Office of Diversity is the focal point for the organization’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. Using a holistic and cross-cutting approach, the office focuses on several specific aspects of diversity:   | Planning and Accountability: Each working unit has developed Diversity Compacts, defining actions to improve recruitment, career development, and the work environment, and has set unit targets for gender, race, and nationality. |
| Organization: We have Vice Presidential Unit Diversity Coordinators, who act as an interface between the Office of Diversity and the management team, and Respectful Work Advisors, who provide peer-level resources for staff who experience harassment, discrimination, or other negative workplace behaviors. |
| Awareness-raising: A Celebration of Diversity every March includes celebrations of International Women’s Day (March 8), the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21), and sessions on specific aspects of diversity and inclusion topics. |
| Awareness-raising: A Celebration of Diversity every March includes celebrations of International Women’s Day (March 8), the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21), and sessions on specific aspects of diversity and inclusion topics. | |  | Rewards and Recognition: Since 2003 we have given Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Awards to staff and managers who model behaviors to create an inclusive environment. | |  | Research, Analysis, and Monitoring: We commission research to create a base of knowledge (on gender differences in performance evaluations, for example, or barriers to inclusion); we issue quarterly reports on diversity statistics to managers. | | Training on Working with Respect: Training is provided to work teams in the Washington and country offices. |
The World Bank Group has set quantitative goals for diversity. Progress is assessed and reported quarterly. A new diversity and inclusion strategy is being developed to specifically promote nationality diversity and a clearer corporate accountability framework. Diversity Goals For IBRD Staff, Fiscal 2002 Through Fiscal 200^ | Indicator | Reference Population | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | Target | | Developing Country Nationaliity | Professional and managerial | 48% | 48% | 49% | 50% | 50% | 49% | | Female | Profesional level | 40% | 40% | 40% | 41% | 41% | 45% | | Managerial level | 24% | 24% | 25% | 27% | 27% | 30% |
There are many facets to a supportive and diverse workplace – from accessible buildings to effective recruitment and career development. To bring together everyone involved, the Bank Group created a Disabilities Working Group (DWG) in 1999. The DWG identifies issues and priorities and works to make the organization a better place for people with disabilities. The Bank Group: |  | Takes a proactive approach to recruit people with disabilities |
| Provides accommodations for people to function effectivelyin the workplace |
| Removes barriers to access in our offices worldwide |
| Improves accessibility to information technology | | Â | Raises awareness among staff to dispel myths and removeinvisible barriers. |
The GSD Corporate Procurement and GSD Business Units are also committed to increasing diversity and the participation of business enterprises owned by minorities, women, and disabled individuals in our corporate procurement. We contract directly and work with our prime contractors to help them expand their subcontracting of Bank Group-related business to these firms.
Employee Satisfaction
The World Bank has a strong policy of work-life balance. World Bank employees are expected to work 40 hours per week unless an alternative schedule is specified at the time of hiring or there are other special circumstances. To make the work week more convenient, we have a telecommuting program and flexible work-schedule options. The job-sharing program, where two staff members work less than full-time and share responsibility for one position, also provides flexible employment. Bank staff receive between 26 and 30 days of paid annual leave and 15 days of sick leave per year as well as paid leave for various specific circumstances such as adoption and paternity/maternity leave. The World Bank policy is that staff remuneration is linked to performance through annual evaluations conducted in consultation with managers and peers and is based on work program objectives, which are established at the beginning of each year. Work Program objectives include explicit indicators linking staff contributions to the World Bank’s strategic objectives for sustainable development. Raises are awarded following this review, with both cost-of-living and merit components. Merit raises are within clear and limited ranges, however. Staff salaries, which are determined net of taxes for all staff, are taxable for all U.S. residents. Salary ranges are based on market reference points for each grade and are subject to review each year. Training and learning are priorities for World Bank employees, and it is our policy to assess training and development needs of employees and to offer courses to update and improve staff skills. We offer continual individual, managerial, and team learning in more than 50 categories.
Staff Association
The Staff Association was created in 1971 to promote and safeguard the rights, interests, and welfare of staff. It represents all staff in the World Bank Group, including our country offices. Although the group represents all staff to management, becoming a dues-paying member of the Staff Association is voluntary. Membership fluctuates, but in 2005 between 55 and 60 percent of staff at headquarters were members. Eighty country offices also have established chapters, of which about 35 are active.
Health and Safety
The World Bank has its own Health Services Department, which provides certain medical services to staff and consultants in the workplace to maintain health and prevent illness while traveling and in the office. The department promotes good health for staff and their families by offering compassionate, cost-effective, state-of-the-art educational programs and services locally and globally. Many of our employees travel throughout the world and the World Bank views proper and convenient health care as an important service. Health Services provides resources such as: |  | On-site clinical services and laboratory tests | |  | Travel health support and medical evacuation |
| Vaccinations and allergy shots |
| Counseling |
| Environmental assessments when health is affected | | Â | Return-to-work advice after illness| | | Â | Fitness center | | Health and wellness programs/services such as: weight management and nutrition counseling, First Aid and CPR training, blood drives, meditation classes, strength training programs, lactation rooms for nursing mothers, lecture series, breast cancer support group, ergonomic evaluations, back health advice, and more |
In addition, the Bank and the International Monetary Fund have a Health and Safety Working Group that acts as an advisory group to the Director of the Joint Bank/Fund Health Services Department with the aim of providing recommendations to address health and safety issues. The group includes occupational health specialists, environmental consultants, and representatives from the General Services, security, fire, legal, procurement, human resources, and other departments from both organizations. In the past two years, management and staff have been particularly concerned with the avian flu and HIV/AIDS as they relate to themselves and their families.
Avian Flu
The current outbreaks of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which began in Southeast Asia in 2003, are the largest and most severe avian influenza outbreaks on record. The avian flu represents a potentially serious risk for the Bank Group. Currently, human cases of the H5N1 virus remain rare, and no one can predict with any certainty if the virus will mutate and become able to move easily from humans to humans. If it does, the result could be a pandemic, and large numbers of our staff could be vulnerable. For this reason, we have developed plans to protect Bank staff in both country offices and headquarters and to ensure, to the extent possible, the business continuity of the organization. Further information about our work with our development partners and clients to combat the spread of avian flu is provided in Part 1 of this review.
HIV/AIDS in the Workplace
HIV/AIDS is a serious health problem, but it is also a development problem that threatens human welfare, productivity, social cohesion, and even national security. The World Bank is working with all regions in the developing world to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS, to promote multisectoral approaches, and to expand the basic care and treatment of those already affected by the disease. The World Bank also works actively to educate staff, and most country offices have strong programs in place to address HIV/AIDs in the workplace. The World Bank Health Services Department has an HIV/AIDS Response Team that is able to address any HIV/AIDS-related concerns and that offers confidential advice on medical or insurance issues, evacuation, referrals, psychological support, and help in securing antiretroviral drugs. Each year, a World AIDS Day Activities Competition is held to promote a heightened awareness of HIV/AIDS and disease prevention among staff and family members. |     Staff Feedback |
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