Working at KBZ Bank

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Our People-driven Workplace

At KBZ Bank, people are our most valuable resource and ensuring they are motivated, engaged and able to realise their aspirations is our priority.

In 2018, we put in place a new human resources (HR) blueprint that redefines the frameworks, structures, policies, processes, tools, systems, reports and governance that guide our HR approach. This includes our approach to hiring and benefits, training, promotions, and mobility. We have set short- and longer-term targets for each and provide clearly defined job roles and responsibilities.We also ensure our HR blueprint remains flexible and relevant.

The new blueprint also captures our key commitments, including to create equal opportunities for all, with no discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or race, religion, or disabilities, and to design workplaces that meet both the professional and personal needs of our colleagues.

Ours is a comprehensive plan that reflects our organisational priorities and values and commitments to various international frameworks, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It also considers best-in-class HR practices, the local culture, and the aspirations of our team. We don’t just meet regulatory requirements; we always aim to exceed our own set goals and objectives.

This is how we ensure our employees feel valued, that we remain an employer of choice, and that we continuously drive towards our vision of being the best-managed bank in the world.

Partnerships to implement the best HR practices

Recognizing the importance of human capital, we wanted to develop sound practices that are aligned with global practices and also local context. After more than a year of discussing and evaluating short-listed consultants, we selected AON as a partner to help us implement the best HR practices to enforce the advanced business strategy and the operating model of value centers. The aim was to equip our managers and employees with the HR tools and practices that help them operate successfully and quickly in the new operating model. The partnership focused on establishing the foundations of jobs and competencies across the VCs and Functions, based on which we build processes and tools in key areas of hiring and selection, performance and potential management, and compensation. A steering committee was formed where we gone through vigorous debates and work together to present the management with design options in achieving the strategic goals.

Statement of Inclusion

KBZ Bank is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive workplace. We make all aspects of personnel decisions based on qualification, performance, and business needs.
We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and we do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, age, marital status, or any other protected class.

KBZ Bank’s Talent Factory

KBZ Bank recognises that the future of Myanmar – and its banking sector – lies in the hands of the next generation. That is why we take talent development across the organisation seriously. From coders and digital bankers to thought leaders and future shapers, we equip our employees with world-class skills and future-ready tools.

Strong organisational structures that drive performance

KBZ uses a Value Centre (VC) model to manage strategy development and delivery. The VC model is both lean and flat, creating a single and direct link between each VC and the CEO. Decision-making is decentralised, so each VC General Manager has greater freedom in how they plan for and achieve their profitability goals. This gives them opportunities to lead, and ties the success of the bank to the success of the individual. Both goals are therefore achieved simultaneously.

Placing the customer at the centre of how we work

A 2017 internal review showed a desire among our employees for greater independence and control in order to better serve customers. This led to a decision to empower our people at various organisational levels to pursue excellence in customer-driven initiatives. Their efforts feed into a Performance Management Program (PMP) which rewards achievements with opportunities to grow. The result: our customers win, and our people succeed.

Clearly-defined roles and responsibilities

By ensuring that job roles are clearly spelt out in official job descriptions, every single employee has clarity on job requirements, how and when their careers will move forward, accountability, and how various roles fit together in a well-managed bank.

Prioritising training and development

KBZ Bank’s training programs and coaching sessions consider our future needs and systematically ready our employees for them. Our Learning and Development team identifies our training needs across every organisational level, from core and leadership competencies to functional and technical competencies, and manages the delivery of training programs to develop them.

Advocating for internal mobility, and sound succession planning

We think several steps ahead, creating opportunities for our employees to rotate into different roles, laterally or vertically, and to succeed in these roles. We also ensure our best people are ready to embrace bigger roles, allowing us all to play to and maximize our collective strengths. Our VCGMs, for instance, know that they have long runways ahead of them, and that they could become part of KBZ Bank’s management. Similarly, some of our current Managing Directors began their careers as branch executives. At KBZ, anyone can succeed.

Building the bank of the future

At KBZ Bank, we deploy agile management approaches in various aspects of how we work – including bringing people together on cross-functional projects to question the status quo and evolve better ways of working. This represents a break from a top-down approach, empowers our employees, and taps their insights in designing the bank of the future.

KBZ Bank: A better workplace for all

At KBZ Bank, we not only value diversity and inclusiveness, we see it as key to our success. The variety of mindsets and experiences we bring together means being able to better understand the needs of our clients and deliver relevant products and services. We also ensure that all our employees have a positive, supportive work environment that recognises their needs and aspirations.

Equal opportunities to work, and to succeed

With at least 56% of KBZ’s 14000 employees and 64%of our leadership team made up of women, KBZ Bank’s commitment to gender equality is clear. From the top down, we have created opportunities for all genders to lead, rise and participate with practices that are inclusive of various experiences and backgrounds which help us understand better when responding to the needs of our customers.
More diverse workplaces do better because they bring together a wider range of viewpoints. Our commitment to equal opportunities has earned us the status of being an EDGE certified company in 2018-2020. This certification not only recognises our long-standing commitment to gender equality, but also encourages us to continue to take action because equality is not only positive for society, but also for the bottom line.

A hand with the children

Balancing a career and family can be challenging, and we are committed to helping where we can. In 2017, we opened our first Early Childhood Day Care Centre at our Shwe Gone Dine Branch in Yangon. The centre provides free childcare services for employees, and can take in up to 15 children aged between six months and three years. A second branch, opened at our Sin Yay Twin Branch in 2019, can take in up to 25 children.

Removing breastfeeding barriers

We provide mothers who return to work while still breastfeeding with the support they need, including a comfortable Mother’s Corner on the fifth floor of KBZ’s headquarters where they can breastfeed or pump. This refurbished room is equipped with a sofa, chairs, tables, a microwave, and a fridge. All female employees with children under six months can use the facility. Our time-off policy allows all mothers up to two hours off each day to breastfeed or pump. Plans of adding more of such Mother’s Corners are in the works.

PwD employments

KBZ Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and in line with the UN Global Compact Principle 6, believes businesses must play their part in providing equal employment opportunities and eliminating workplace discrimination. To that end, we have rolled out a comprehensive disability policy, ensuring that those with disabilities can fulfill their full potential and have rewarding careers at our Bank. The Bank has worked with the Myanmar Federation of Persons with Disabilities (MFPD) to hire and place at least 12 people with disabilities. We have also worked with the Myanmar Council for Persons with Disabilities to ensure our materials are appropriate for customers with disabilities, including those with vision impairments.

BCGE workshops related to Workplace Gender Equality

KBZ Bank is a founding member of the Business Coalition for Gender Equality (BCGE) Association, a non-profit organisation committed to promoting equal opportunities for both genders. The bank’s management has participated in its workshops, including on anti-harassment, and remains committed to advancing gender equality at the workplace. We’ve received nearly 100 hours of training and workshops with BCGE for our members of senior management, team leaders, and employees. These trainings played a major role in improving our teams’ understanding and awareness of workplace gender equality and D&I.
BCGE also provided a big hand in developing and improving our HR policies such as : Code of conduct, Whistleblowing policy and Professional Behaviour Policy and non-discrimination policy.

Maternity and paternity leave

As a pro-family organisation, KBZ Bank provides 14 weeks of paid maternity leave and 15 consecutive days of paternity leave to new parents. Maternity leave can be taken partly before and partly after delivery, depending on the needs of individual employees