Meet the Staff 

We recognize that poverty has no borders. Neither does excellence. So we are continually in search of the brightest, most talented individuals from around the globe. And we are proud to employ a dedicated and committed workforce that is diverse in gender, nationality, and ethnic background.

The institution’s diverse workforce brings a wide range of perspectives to bear on poverty reduction issues and emerging development challenges and is critical to the effectiveness of the Bank’s core operational and knowledge services. In its efforts to increase its responsiveness to clients and to better integrate global and country knowledge, the Bank has continued to adapt its human resource policies and practices to facilitate the global mobility of its staff. Eighty-eight percent of country directors/country managers and 39 percent of staff are based in our 129 country offices. The increased presence in the field helps the Bank better understand, work more closely with, and provide faster service to its partners in client countries.

As the Bank continues to focus on the world’s recovery from the financial crisis and on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is also evolving to meet the emerging challenges of conflict-affected states. The Bank has established its on-the-ground presence in 29 of the 33 fragile and conflict-affected states that are transitioning to sustainable peace and economic growth, and more than 11 percent of the Bank’s operational staff have experience living and working in these challenging environments.

An International Family

• Nationals of developing countries account for 62 percent of all staff and 42 percent of managerial positions. 

  Office of Diversity Programs Vision
  A Bank environment that values all human differences and mobilizes them as strategic business assets in service of poverty reduction. Purpose: To build and retain a globally representative and responsive World Bank Group workforce.

• Thirty senior managers include 10 developing-country nationals, 12 women, and 1 Sub-Saharan African nationals.
• Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean nationals account for 16 percent of all staff and 9 percent of management and senior technical positions.
• Women account for 51 percent of all staff and 37 percent of management and senior technical positions. Our goal is to achieve gender parity in management by the end of 2012. As part of our commitment to valuing and managing diversity, a policy of zero tolerance for racial discrimination was issued in May 1998. 

We believe a respectful work environment is essential. It not only is pleasant but also has positive effects on individual and organizational performance. When staff feel valued and respected, they tend to be more productive, feel more empowered, have more trust in senior managers, supervisors, and co-workers, and be more committed to the organization, its mission, and its goals. Therefore, we encourage diversity and are committed to providing a supportive environment for people with disabilities.  

The fiscal 2007–12 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy renewed the World Bank Group’s commitment to diversity, based on relevant indicators, and adopted a more fully developed inclusion focus that shifts emphasis from numbers to behavior changes. To this end, the strategy emphasizes four key themes: (1) leadership accountability, (2) more inclusive staffing processes, (3) learning to promote behavior change, and (4) metrics on staff at officer levels and higher (GF+) by gender, Part II (developing) country nationals, and for Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean (SSA/CR) nationals (used as a proxy for race). Charts below illustrate targets and progress to date.

Fiscal 2012 IBRD Diversity and Inclusion Indicators and Target

The World Bank Group’s Office of Diversity Program is the focal point for the organization’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. Its vision is a Bank Group culture that is inclusive, one that values differences and uses them as strategic business assets in carrying out its global mission of poverty alleviation.

The Office of Diversity is the center of expertise aimed at changing practices and attitudes so as to create an institutional culture that values all contributions equally. Its purpose is to build and retain a globally representative and responsive workforce.

The World Bank is also committed to creating a supportive environment for people with disabilities. Since 1999, work has been under way on actions to recruit and retain world-class staff with disabilities. The Bank has a Disabilities Accommodation Fund, designed as an easily accessible source of funding, to provide individuals with disabilities—whether staff, consultants, or guests doing business with the WBG—with access to reasonable accommodations that enable them to perform their jobs. In fiscal 2012, approximately $90,000 were disbursed toward disability accommodation.

Staff Salaries and Benefits 

Staff salaries and benefits are meant to be competitive and are based on data from comparable organizations in the private industrial and financial sectors.

Flexible Work Environment

The World Bank has a variety of policies that support our staff in seeking work-life balance. Flexible work arrangements are a means of enhancing our ability to deliver high-quality services to our clients, while attracting and retaining high-performing staff. Our policies are designed to support work: (a) from places other than the office (home-based work, telecommuting); (b) at times other than traditional office hours (alternative work schedules, flextime); and (c) in amounts less than full time (reduced work schedule, including part-time work, job sharing, and phased retirement). We have online materials (the Flexwork Toolkit) to increase awareness of available options and encourage staff and managers to carefully consider whether a particular arrangement is suitable for the circumstances.

Staff Compensation

The World Bank Group’s current compensation system for country offices was introduced in 2001. The job grading system covers all staff worldwide (except consultants and temporary staff, who are covered under a separate but parallel grading system). Keeping in mind the need to attract and retain a diverse world-class staff, the grading system aims to develop grading consistency across the organization as well as consistency in job posting, selection/recruitment, promotion, and career development.

In addition to health insurance coverage, staff receive between 26 and 30 days of paid annual leave,15 days of sick leave per year, paid leave for various specific circumstances, such as adoption and paternity/maternity leave. There are also services to support staff and their families, such as the Work-Life Services and the World Bank Family Network, which provides assistance to staff spouses and domestic partners.

The World Bank policy is that staff compensation 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, based on merit. 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, are subject to review each year, and are aligned with salary levels in the local labor market. Short-term consultants and short-term temporaries are paid on a daily/hourly rate and are not eligible for medical or life insurance.

Under a treaty concluded with the U.S. government when our headquarters was established, foreign nationals are exempt from federal, state, and Social Security/SE taxes on Bank Group income. U.S. citizens working for the Bank Group are required to pay federal, state, and Social Security/SE taxes on their salaries. To keep after-tax income in line for all staff members, our salary scale is on a net-of-tax basis; staff members who are liable for income taxes receive a tax allowance. All staff members also pay local property, sales, and other non-income taxes. These tax arrangements are similar to those of other international organizations.

For more information on annual salaries of executive management, see the fiscal 2012 Annual Report.

Staff Learning Program 

In fiscal 2012, 84 percent of total staff participated in at least one learning activity (compared with 83 percent in fiscal 2011 and 85 percent in fiscal 2010), excluding the mandatory online courses that all staff are required to complete—76 percent of staff based in country offices and 89 percent of staff based in Washington, DC. These individuals attended the equivalent of 44,458 days of training, averaging 4.3 days per staff member—1.2 days more of learning compared to fiscal 2011—with country office–based staff averaging 4.1 days and HQ-based staff averaging 4.4 days.

The IBRD delivered 1,378 learning activities, representing a total of 3,377 learning sessions and 63,555 days of learning the quality of learning activities remained virtually unchanged, with 89 percent of activities rated 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale (89 percent in fiscal 2011 and 90 percent in fiscal 2010).

In fiscal 2012, the Bank spent $79.2 million on staff learning, of which $37.1 million was used for development and delivery of learning activities, while $42 million covered staff time and travel to participate in learning events. While it is a 20 percent increase from fiscal 2011, fiscal 2012 spending is down 6 percent from fiscal 2010 expenditures.

The goal of the Staff Learning Strategy, endorsed by senior management in April 2010, is to enhance staff learning as a strategic lever toward the Bank’s mission to deliver development results. In fiscal 2012, the second year of implementation, the focus was on scaling up and outward (extending reach to country-based staff) the corporate core curriculum programs designed and launched in the previous fiscal year. These programs include onboarding for new staff, leadership programs for the managerial cadre and high-potential staff, and a blended learning program for task team leaders that combine a series of e-learning and face-to-face workshops. In addition, the organization focused on strengthening professional and technical learning in the Bank, especially in linking learning to competencies.

A constant challenge in an international institution such as the World Bank is to ensure that staff learning opportunities are available and accessible to the 40 percent of staff that are based in over 120 countries. In fiscal 2012, the World Bank continued to make efforts to provide learning in geographically neutral formats and accessible for decentralized staff, with 31 percent of training days delivered in location-neutral formats (such as e-learning and webinars) or in country offices. With IT support, access improvements of 30 percent for learning via the corporate Learning Management System were made for the country offices and e-learning design specifications were designed with the lowest bandwidth countries in which we operate in mind. Mobile learning pilots are also under way.

Addressing Staff Concerns 

The Conflict Resolution System (CRS) offers Bank staff support ranging from informal counseling to formal review of concerns to preserve fairness in the workplace and maintain a positive working environment for everyone. CRS services are available to all staff in addressing their workplace concerns, ranging from counseling to formal review of concerns to preserve fairness in the workplace.

 Respectful Workplace Advisors are volunteer peers in Bank work units in Washington and country offices who serve as an informal avenue of assistance to staff facing harassment, disrespectful behaviors, or other sources of stress at work.

Mediation Services consists of independent mediators that facilitate dialogue among those with a problem or conflict. The process is a voluntary one in which the parties involved reach an agreement that they shape together.

The World Bank’s Ombuds Services has two formal mandates: (1) to help staff and managers resolve workplace problems, and (2) to alert management to trends and issues that should be addressed to improve the working environment. The office also helps staff find ways to address concerns they are reluctant or uncertain how to raise through regular channels. It is a strictly confidential resource for staff who are not sure what to do or where to start.

 Peer Review Services provides an opportunity for staff members to have concerns reviewed by a panel made up of volunteer staff members reflecting their peers. Where appropriate, the panel makes a recommendation for corrective measures and other relief to resolve the matter. The recommendation is submitted to the staff member’s vice president, who takes a decision in consultation with the vice president of Human Resources.

The World Bank also has an independent judicial forum of last resort for the resolution of cases submitted by WBG staff members alleging non-observance of their contracts of employment or terms of appointment. The Administrative Tribunal is composed of seven judges, who are not Bank staff members and are appointed by the executive directors for fixed terms. The tribunal’s decisions are final and binding. 

Staff Representation

"We believe that our staff, with their knowledge and expertise, are the World Bank Group’s most important assets. Our work is to protect the welfare of those assets, without which we will not be able to deliver on our mission. We see a direct correlation between ensuring we remain an ‘employer of choice’ and our mission to reduce poverty.” —Staff Association

Founded in 1972, the World Bank Group Staff Association (SA) is a member-supported organization that works with Human Resources, senior management, line management, and the Board of Executive Directors to represent and protect the rights and interests of all staff. The SA is not a union, and it does not engage in collective bargaining. It does, however, serve a critical role by representing the rights of Bank Group staff, as provided in World Bank Group Staff Rule 10.01. More than 8,700 World Bank staff in Washington and around the globe are members of the SA, and some 80 country offices have established Country Office Staff Associations, or COSAs.

The SA has two full-time staff relations officers, who provide counseling services to all staff, regardless of status or affiliation. Over the past two years, their work has included the following:

• Assisting staff by providing advice and guidance on workplace concerns and possible solutions
• Ensuring that staff are fully conversant with the conflict resolution processes and facilitating referrals as appropriate
• Providing clarification to staff on Staff Rules and Policy Guidelines
• Providing support to units and groups of staff, including working together to formulate strategies on how best to address management on a range of issues, such as compensation, work-life balance, and so on
• Analyzing staff concerns and conveying them at the appropriate levels
• Partnering with Human Resources (HR), Conflict Resolution System managers, and Bank management to find win-win solutions for all involved in workplace conflict

The SA also employs a senior counsel to assist staff with the legal aspects of employment-related grievances.

This past year, the Staff Association worked to bridge the communications divide between the Bank Group senior management and staff. In December 2011, World Bank staff and retirees reacted with an outpouring of views and opinions when the Bank Group management announced that significant changes governing retiree Short Term Consultants and Temporaries would go into effect on July 1, 2012 (all retirees would be required to maintain a “cooling-off” period of 365 days after retirement before coming back to the institution on a short-term assignment).

The announcement was made without advance notice, after only initial consultations with the SA, and with limited exploration of alternatives. Concerns were also raised by staff who relied heavily on the seasoned skills of these consultants to meet increased demands from clients—especially given the fact that the flat budget environment leaves little room for hiring full-time staff. The SA believes it is critical that business needs drive decisions taken around the workforce architecture and the necessary staff and skills. The policy has gone into effect, but going forward, the SA is ready and committed to working closely with HR, staff, and senior management to ensure that the policies for the Bank of tomorrow draw on the views and needs of the staff of today.

Good Manager Awards

Each year, the Staff Association provides World Bank Group staff with the opportunity to define what makes a good manager, and to recognize good managers within their ranks, through the Good Manager Awards. There are a number of qualities the SA believes are shared among the people acknowledged by this honor since the awards were launched in 1996. These include competency/credibility in her/his field; accountability and integrity; trustworthiness and an open style of communication; mentorship and team leadership (including delegation of authority and empowerment); and innovation and flexibility.

In fiscal 2012, the SA honored four managers with the award: Simeon Ehui, Sector Manager in South Asia’s Agriculture & Rural Development Unit, based in Islamabad, Pakistan; Rohit Khanna, Program Manager in the Sustainable Development Network’s (SDN) Energy Sector Management Assistance Program; Daryl Lucas, Manager in HR’s Performance, Surveys, and Recognition Unit; and Jaehyang So, Manager of SDN’s Water and Sanitation Program.

Staff Health and Safety 

The mission of the Joint Bank /Fund Health Services Department (HSD) is to serve the staff and management of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund (IMF) by promoting good health and contributing to a healthy work environment. Full respect of medical ethics, including confidentiality, is the key value shared by HSD staff to achieve the department’s goals.

The HSD 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 employees travel throughout the world and the World Bank and IMF view proper and convenient health care as an important service.

Health Services provides various services to staff, including the following:

• On-site urgent clinical services and laboratory tests
• Travel health support and medical evacuation
• Vaccinations and allergy shots
• Counseling
• Occupational health services, including environmental assessments when health is affected, medical adjudication (return to work after illness, fitness for duty, disability management and accommodation), ergonomic evaluations, and emergency preparedness
• Health and wellness programs/services, such as a road safety program, 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, back health advice, and more

In fiscal 2012, the Occupational Health Unit- Health Services Department was awarded a VPU Team award for its program on Road Safety for WBG staff: Drivers’ Medical Clearance and Road Crash Monitoring. Launched in October 2010, the new road safety policy AMS 6.85, and the road safety program is designed to enhance the safety of our staff in Country Offices and on business travel abroad. The program focused on improving driver safety for staff in the field with the challenge and success to reaching 219 country offices, in a cost efficient way and with no additional resources. The award recognizes outstanding team achievements demonstrating development impact and results, innovation, client focus and responsiveness, and  leveraging of partnerships.