As mergers and acquisitions roil banks' employee ranks, Bankers Trust Corp. is turning to the corporate intranet as a way to retain and develop its employees.
The network, BT Connect 98, gives employees access to career assessment tools and internal job postings. So far, about 900 postings have resulted in about 200 internal placements.
The global job postings program was begun in mid-1996. Bankers Trust has 175 jobs open at any one time, and openings are kept on-line for three months.
Hiring managers post job descriptions, and applicants e-mail cover notes and resumes directly to them. Employees can view the available jobs by title, location, and staff referral.
In January, Bankers Trust added three modules. The first gives information about the corporation and its executives, including biographies of the top 40 senior managers.
The second has a self-directed learning tool so that employees can assess specific jobs' requirements.
The third module includes training routines and executive education information. Users can register for courses on-line, then e-mail expense reports to their bosses.
The revamped version is available to about 15,000 Bankers Trust employees through Lotus Notes. Newly acquired employees, due to mergers with Natwest Markets in April and Alex. Brown & Sons last September, are to get access through the corporate intranet this month.
"People love it," said Mona Lau, managing director of globalization and diversity at Bankers Trust in New York. "This is one of the best projects we've done. It serves as a communication tool, gives feedback, and people feel the company cares."
"The new version has a Web look and more functionality," said Ms. Lau. "It is so automated that our costs are down on the administration side."
