OCBC isn’t just the longest established Singapore bank, it is also one of the most family-centric banks in town.

The bank believes that the family is the single most important social unit, be it for their customers or employees. With dual-income families being a norm in Singapore, OCBC sees the maintenance of work-life balance and strengthening familial relationships as vital to the well-being of its employees.

Its flexible working arrangements and family-bonding initiatives led to the company being recognised at Focus on the Family Singapore’s Partnership Dinner this year, where it received the Family Champions Award (Corporate).

Some of the ways that OCBC prioritises its employees’ needs on the family front include:

• Amending its flexible benefits framework this year, allowing employees to use their flex dollars to obtain medical cover for their parents.
• Organising [email protected], an annual event where children get to visit the bank’s branch and main office, allowing them a better understanding of the job and work environment of their parents.
• Establishing Employee Resource Groups, a support network for targeted groups of employees, such as parents with teens, or single-parents. OCBC partners with Focus on the Family to impart its employees with the skills and knowledge to strengthen the family bond and build parent-child connections.
• Supporting key Focus on the Family initiatives, such as Race to Praise and That’s My Mum.

OCBC Bank encourage other corporations to not only consider the adoption of family-oriented practices within the company, but also to extend such positive values to its products, customers, partners and community. For example, its staff volunteers encouraged beneficiaries from AWWA to exercise during the pilot event for the OCBC Glowing Years Programme in January 2018 at the AWWA Dementia Day Care Centre. The programme aims to help seniors improve their mental alertness to reduce the risk of dementia.

Commented Ms Jacinta Low, Head of Human Resource Planning, “My experiences as a working parent have enabled me to understand more about the work-life challenges faced by our employees. As a leader, I care about our employees to help them succeed. I was involved in setting up various Employee Resource Groups for employees who need a safe space to share their journeys with colleagues in similar life stages. We will soon launch a new group for first-time parents.”

“We take the long-term view on our employees and are always looking for better ways to help them succeed both in their career and personal life,” she added.

Mrs Joanna Koh-Hoe, CEO of Focus on the Family Singapore, said, “It is inspiring to hear of the progress that OCBC Bank has made in supporting the interests of family in the workplace. I wish them my best as they continue to explore new areas where they can build win-win partnerships with their employees.

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