REPUBLIC BANK has reached out to its hundreds of employees as management seeks to ensure they are fully engaged and on board with the company’s philosophy and plans.
With notices appearing in all sections of the media indicating that Republic Bank was closing early last Thursday, customers speculated about the reasons it was doing so at a very busy time of the month.
It has now been revealed that the bank was taking the time to ensure that the majority of its more than 500 employees were fully aware of their roles in taking the bank forward.
According to managing director and chief executive office Ian De Souza, if the bank is to ensure its longevity and success well into the future, staff must be fully engaged and aware of their importance to the process.
“We are taking the time to ensure that each and every employee of Republic Bank understands how important they are. If they are engaged, if they understand that ultimately our customers are the employer, then our vision of being the financial institution of choice in Barbados is all the more attainable,” he said.
The staff forum, held at the Hilton Barbados, was the result of a consultative process led by Deloitte in 2014, during which staff at all levels of the bank identified the key areas requiring attention in order for the bank to realise its strategic objectives.
But this initiative is not peculiar to Barbados, as detailed by Republic Bank Limited executive director Derwin Howell, who outlined the overarching strategy being pursued by Republic Bank Group.
“While what we are doing here . . . is about what Republic Barbados is working on, know that it is all part of a regional strategy with you at its centre. We cannot achieve any objective without staff buy-in and commitment,” he emphasised.
Key to the way forward are three strategic pillars – customer centricity, cultural revitalisation and process and technological improvement.
“To better serve the Barbados market, we must have total staff engagement to deliver what our customers are demanding. Knowing the things that our customers want, we have decided to focus on staff as they are key to meeting those demands,” said De Souza.
“For me this is an historic day in the development of the bank. It marks the launch of a very significant initiative that is focused not just on operational efficiency, but, most importantly, on our customers and our staff.”
He added that Republic Bank was deeply committed to the process and intended to follow through on all the tasks and initiatives that were identified to get the bank to a higher level of performance.
Iinitiatives highlighted included identifying and nurturing the development of high-potential employees, improved internal communications, staff centred activity and improved customer service delivered by cutting-edge technology and fully engaged staff. (SC)
