NBK is always committed to advancing gender equality within the bank and views it as a key element of our talent development and management. We have successfully organized two workshops, among other interventions, under the themes of “Women’s Leadership Development” & “Inclusion at NBK- Moving Beyond Gender Diversity” during 2020 and 2021, and are currently working on the development of a new holistic program the advances women into leadership positions.
How important is it to define and implement corporate values in an organization? How does NBK include values in the entire employee proposition?
Corporate values are the foundation of any organizational culture. They are fundamental in helping us gain a clear view of the kind of talent we need to attract, engage, and retain in order to foster the evolution and growth of our organization.
At NBK, we promote the emotional, rational, and motivational engagement of our employees around a set of principles called I AM NBK which are derived from NBK’s core values. These values ensure that everyone working at NBK is consistent with his or her message as well as follow NBK’s organizational values which stand at the forefront of everything we do.
Our NBK EVP is summarized under three main pillars:
- Our Success Story: you are part of an incredibly powerful brand and legacy. Together we continue our journey of success.
- Professional Excellence: you work with outstanding professionals, who uphold high standards and encourage you to achieve ambitious goals.
- Accelerated Learning: You continuously learn in a culture that drives personal growth and truly values long-term careers.
Our findings indicate that remote working, flexibility in timings, and shorter working days will play a significant role even if the offices open up fully. What are your thoughts on it?
Given the circumstances faced globally, a shift in working situations was essential for business continuity. We have successfully adapted our working hours & work situations based on the guidelines, putting our employees’ health & safety first and are dictated within our return to work guides post-pandemic.
However, now that everything is slowly but surely returning to a better state, and taking into consideration the size of the bank & all of its functions, it is essential for us to come back at full capacity, ensuring everyone remains safe.
During last year, we were able to achieve many objectives that make us feel proud to be part of the NBK Family. We were able to introduce the Employee Wellbeing Program designed to create a safe space that brought in specialists from all fields to help staff cope and achieve a proper work-life balance. ”.
That being said, more than twelve campaigns were launched in the Employee Well-Being Program, which helped restore their morale & confidence through their physical and mental health.
We also applied a flexible system for working hours and supported working remotely to ensure our employees are safe and connected to each other. Additionally, we offered our working parents the opportunity to be involved in their children’s education and development knowing the pressure of online learning and all the challenges that came with it.
Our employees’ collective efforts and ability to pull through the pandemic have proved that NBK can truly withstand anything.
At NBK, we have many health & safety guidelines that are communicated often to ensure that all employees follow them, and were comfortable returning to their jobs and contributing positively to the bank.
Through our bi-weekly health assessment surveys, staff awareness about the Bank’s safety measures was recorded 97% with 91% confidence about the health & safety measures at NBK, through our “Return to Work Guidelines.
NBK is one of the leading organizations in Kuwait, which constantly talks about ESG and contributes towards building a better world. What are the few steps you are planning to educate your employees and customers around ESG further?
On an environmental front, NBK has a partnership with Omniya to remove plastic bottles from the waste stream and ensure they are recycled, both on a corporate level and around schools in Kuwait. In addition, we have helped save space in landfills and prevent GHG emissions and water consumption.
On another sustainability dimension, we are committed to our social strategy and in being a responsible corporate citizen. With the COVID-19 outbreak, social media has helped us engage with our employees on one end, and with our customers & the community on another. We have helped raise awareness and educate others about all the healthcare guidelines.
On another note, NBK is always committed to advancing gender equality within the bank and views it as a key element of our talent development and management. We have successfully organized two workshops, among other interventions, under the themes of “Women’s Leadership Development” & “Inclusion at NBK- Moving Beyond Gender Diversity” during 2020 and 2021, and are currently working on the development of a new holistic program the advances women into leadership positions.
As mentioned, one of our key pillars is Accelerated Learning, whether it be for our employees, strategic partners or even the community. As part of our commitment to ongoing development, we want to unlock potential and accelerate learning, by opening up new possibilities for our customers and community.
As such, we have continuously hosted and sponsored several programs ranging from internal academies and induction programs for new recruits to summer internships and strategic partnerships with external vendors (Tamakan, Azraq, summer internships) whereby we probed the participants to learn in many different ways that in a culture that drives personal growth. During those programs, participants go through intensive soft and technical skills courses followed by an on-the-job rotation.
Additionally, we are committed to the betterment of our community and in the past have offered development programs for different sectors; healthcare, oil, ministries. In 2021, training sessions on "Service Excellence and Dealing with the Public” were offered for the Ministry Of Interior – Ports Security affairs sector, training 75participants at NBK Head Quarters.
A good employee experience, in turn, brings the best customer experience. What are the measures NBK takes to ensure the best employee experience within the organization?
Built and evolved over a long period, our corporate values are set to boost our employees’ morale. At NBK, we promote the emotional, rational, and motivational engagement of our employees around a set of principles through our I AM NBK program that recognizes and awards employees through the demonstration of these principles and having Success Stories that become a guide to what we expect our employees to exhibit and believe in.
Moreover, back in 2018, we held a bank-wide Employee Experience Survey called "Your Voice Matters" where employees had the chance to tell us what it's like to work at NBK. This year, we relaunched this initiative across all NBK locations in Kuwait and internationally.
The results of the survey helped us identify the areas that need to be improved, and benchmark us against other leading companies in our field, and the previous results we achieved. As such, we aim to continue to demonstrate our commitment to make NBK an even greater place to work, where the best people want to join, stay and thrive.
During the last round, the overall results were very positive, and we have reached an overall Sustainable Engagement score of 82%, which is 3% higher than the Global Financial Services and 6% higher than the GCC Regional Benchmark. We have just closed the survey this year and we are excited to see the results against the action planning efforts that took place over the past couple of years whereby we have been working individually with Business Heads and NBK Management to implement and achieve unique actions designed especially per groups and divisions.
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