We understand the way we operate and invest not only affects the financial outcomes of our members, but the environmental, social and economic conditions of their later years and those of future generations.

Enhancing the experience of members and employers

Our goal is to build enduring relationships with our members and employers by continually adding value. We measure member and employer satisfaction through regular surveys and reporting on a wide range of metrics. This year, our net promoter score results were very strong and our satisfaction survey showed that over 90% of members were ‘highly satisfied’ with our customer service.

Investing responsibly

While it’s our job to maximise investment returns for members over the long term, how we achieve our returns is also important. Our Responsible Investing Policy outlines how we manage environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks.

We:

• Require our investment managers to consider ESG factors when selecting and holding investments. This includes a requirement for them to identify and assess climate change risks and opportunities in their investment analysis
• Exercise our voting rights at company meetings and use our influence to support positive corporate behaviours and drive improved ESG practices
• Participate in collaborative initiatives, most notably as a member of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), which engages directly with Australian companies on ESG issues
• Are a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), which is a United Nations-supported initiative
• Invest in projects and businesses that contribute to the broader community. These include aged care, schools, healthcare, renewable energy and water-related investments
• We aim to exclude tobacco manufacturing companies from all our portfolios and are a signatory to the Tobacco Free Finance Pledge
• Monitor CareSuper’s investments on an ongoing basis.

Engaging and collaborating with industry-leading partners

We apply rigorous due diligence processes before appointing (or when reviewing) material outsourced providers and other business partners, in accordance with our Outsourcing Policy. As part of our due diligence process, we ask our partners to provide annual attestations to their relevant credentials. Each of our service providers gave the relevant attestations for 2017/18.

Educating and informing members

In line with our objective to help our members achieve their goals in life, we take seriously our responsibility to educate, inform and advise them on superannuation and related topics so that they can make better financial decisions and achieve their desired outcomes.  Education and information is available via several channels ranging from face to face engagement at workplaces or public seminars, website, direct mail and email communication.  General, limited, comprehensive and complex advice is also provided.

In 2017/18, 1385 members attended a total of 28 CareSuper events and there were 1638 meaningful interactions with the financial planning team.

Fostering an engaged, high-performance workplace

It’s important to provide a positive, supportive and collaborative workplace where employees are proud to work, motivated to achieve and have equal opportunity and fair treatment.

This year’s staff engagement survey showed strong engagement results in the top quartile of surveyed entities.

Some of our results included:

• 87% of staff strongly agreed they were proud to work at CareSuper
• 88% strongly agreed their work group has a strong customer service culture and that it works well to achieve common goals
• 88% strongly agreed that management acts with integrity.

Other results showed a commitment to performance, productivity and customer focus.

Attracting, retaining and developing skilled employees who embody our goals and values is also very important to us. Our staff turnover rate for the 2018 calendar year is currently sitting at 10%, compared with the industry average of 18%.

Comprising representatives from every team, the Good to Great working group was responsible for several initiatives this year, including recognition for staff who demonstrate our SPIRIT values and a new employee health & wellbeing benefit.

Operating sustainably

Our operational footprint is small, but we are always looking for ways to reduce our use of resources and minimise waste.

This year we continued to implement a range of sustainability measures, including:

• Our comprehensive recycling system
• Encouraging staff to use online communications and reporting systems
• Energy efficient workspaces and consideration of energy ratings when purchasing appliances
• Purchasing carbon offsets for travel.

Contributing to the wider community

We exist as part of a broader community and so do our members. So, while as a profit to members fund we don’t donate money to charities, we provide opportunities for personal donations to selected causes and for personal commitments to volunteering.

Community engagement continued in 2018 with our staff regularly donating blood and participating in community events such as the Mother’s Day Classic which we sponsor. Our staff contributed $465.80 towards our CEO’s impressive fundraising total of $22,587.

Several staff also contributed to the industry through membership of policy committees and participation in public forums.

Exhibiting the highest standards of governance

We respect human rights, oppose corruption, and wholeheartedly abide by both the letter and spirit of applicable laws, rules and regulations across our operations and investments.

In 2018, we adopted AIST’s new Governance Code. Adherence to the Code requires annual reporting and compliance review.

Being accountable

Trust and affinity can only be won by doing what we say we’ll do, and by continuously striving for improvements and superior results for members and employers. We make sure we’re accountable for our actions and performance by disclosing them on our website, financial statements, annual reports and product disclosure statements.