Stanbic IBTC Bank engages clients on employee productivity

Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, a member of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, has hosted the Human Resources Managers of the companies to a breakfast seminar with the theme “Increasing employee productivity through engagement”, with the keynote lecture delivered by principal partner, Philips Consulting, Foluso Philips.

At the workshop organised at The Renaissance Hotel in Ikeja G.R.A. Lagos last week, the bank said beyond providing banking services and fulfilling brand promise, it is committed to helping its customers move forward in pursuit of their goals. Tagged – ‘Workplace Banking Seminar’ the workshop provided an opportunity for the bank to bring customers together as key stakeholders to add value to their business operational processes.

The ‘Workplace Banking Seminar’ comes on the heels of the bank’s hugely successful employee engagement sessions it started in 2015, which it holds in respective clients’ offices with a view to equipping them with vital financial management knowledge aimed at impacting employee financial literacy as well as improving on overall financial well-being for employees and essentially drive their business efficiency, productivity, profitability, bottom-line, continuity, growth and sustainability.

In her opening remarks, Head, Personal Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms. Nkolika Okoli, said the bank is constantly trying to add value which goes beyond providing banking services to its customers. By “looking at the whole spectrum of customer experience, value based banking, doing banking differently from the usual”, Okoli stated that Stanbic IBTC Bank views its relationship with its customers as a partnership which is why customers should experience such benefits that change old perception where banks are seen as just custodians of their funds.

In his presentation titled – ‘Increasing Employee Productivity through Engagement’, keynote speaker and facilitator of the seminar, Principal Partner, Phillips Consulting Limited, Mr. Foluso Phillips, highlighted how organisations can improve productivity of their employees by driving engagement, commitment and motivation. Mr. Phillips went on to identify some key drivers of engagement to include; career opportunity, organisation reputation, pay package, brand alignment, innovation, recognition/reward and people and human resources practise. To drive productivity, he listed some key elements organisations must adopt as hiring selectively, line manager leadership skills, mentoring, competitive salary, comfortable work environment productivity in the Workplace and culture, flexi-work, and open communication.

Others include supportive management, encouraging a healthy work-life balance, creating a sense of community, professional development, recognition and reward and benefits and perks.

A major highlight of the event was the question and answer session which was very interactive and engaging. Major talking points included creating an engaged workforce by fusing learning and talent management, using technology to leapfrog, ensuring inclusion and participation in activities and initiatives and using meritocracy as a yardstick for appraisal. The seminar drew participants from multinationals, small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.

Head, Workplace Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mrs. Olajumoke Bello, in her closing remarks, assured participants that even though this was the maiden edition of the Workplace Banking Seminar, the bank hopes to host many more useful sessions like this to impact the businesses of its customers.

Stanbic IBTC Bank is a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, a member of Standard Bank Group, a full service financial services group with a clear focus on three main business pillars – Corporate and Investment Banking, Personal and Business Banking and Wealth Management. Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets and earnings. It is rooted in Africa with strategic representation in 20 countries on the African continent. Standard Bank has been in operation for over 154 years and is focused on building first-class, on-the-ground financial services organisations in chosen countries in Africa and connecting other selected emerging markets to Africa and to each other, applying sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, globally.

By Niyi Jacobs