GPTW institute certifies FCMB ‘a great place to work’

Independent analysts at Great Place to Work Institute, a global research firm, has certified First City Monument Bank (FCMB) as a great place to work.

The research firm, which produces the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list and other top employer rankings, presented the certificate to FCMB at an event on February 27, 2018 in Lagos, recognising the bank for its commitment to Human Capital development.

Great Place to Work surveys were sent to a random cross-section of FCMB employees, and 84% agreed that the Bank is a great workplace, with the majority saying they take pride in working for the organization.

Upon receiving the recognition in delight, Adam Nuru, the managing director/chief executive, FCMB, said that “Our employees are at the heart of FCMB’s mission. Creating an enabling environment where employees can pursue their career goals and thrive while providing the best customer experience to our customers, and supporting the communities where we operate, have remained key priorities for us.”

On her part, Felicia Obozuwa, the Senior Vice President, and Divisional Head, Corporate Services, FCMB, stated that “We want our employees to love working here, so we try to create the type of work environment that positively impacts our employees’ personal and professional lives.

“When looking for a company to work for, we have found that it is not all about salary anymore. People want to know that their work is valued, the opportunities for upward mobility, the training made available to learn new skills, they want to know that you have a strong supportive culture, their work will be challenging, and they will work with supervisors that motivate and inspire them. These are the areas we have focused our attention on over the years,” she added.

In recognition of the bank’s employees’ dedication and smartness to work, Obozuwa said: “we support our people by creating an inclusive, respectful, high-performance culture, bringing the different perspective to bear, and making everyone feel valued.”

GPTW institute is a Global research firm that assesses companies, based on a trust index survey (employees’ opinion about the workplace) and culture audit (management policies and practices), with the overall objective to promote excellence in the workplace. The Institute operates in 50 countries, including Nigeria.

The certification of FCMB as a Great Place To Work follows an assessment exercise and an independent survey carried out by the Institute last year. The independent analysts looked in-depth at the Bank’s operation and found key strength in many areas. The survey showed that majority of FCMB’s employees took pride in their work and valued its supportive atmosphere, rewards, and challenges associated with being part of the organisation. Among other parameters employees of FCMB rated the Bank highly in, including work-life balance, training and development, and celebration of good work.

The employee survey responses revealed how well the Bank balances the needs of its diverse workforce, such as career management through a self-service career portal, mentoring programmes, talent development programmes, professional development opportunities, good medical support, employee health week providing nutrition advice, free health checks at branches etc, telephone counselling services for personal issues, and policies/benefits to reduce the financial burden on expectant and nursing mothers, newly married employees, bereaved employees, and children education grants for long serving employees.

The Certificate, according to Michael Tosin Oni, a Director at GPTW, was instituted to promote human capital development.

Oni stated that “FCMB has distinguished itself by creating a great place to work for employees, measured through our analysis of the results of our Trust Index survey and Culture Audit questionnaire. Through the Trust Index, employees anonymously assess their workplace, including the honesty and quality of communication by managers, a degree of support for employees personal and professional lives and the authenticity of relationships with colleagues.”

While expressing appreciation for the recognition, Felicia Obozuwa stressed that “getting this certification for 2017/2018 is a step in our journey to build a great workplace culture that attracts and retains talent. Our goal is to make FCMB a truly Great Place to Work for every single employee that puts in their best here.”