Chief Executive Officer CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Mark St Hill has highlighted the importance of recognising and supporting employees in the demanding work environment.
He was speaking at Saturday’s Illumination ceremony, an annual event designed to award several of the bank’s outstanding staff members – FirstStars – for their contribution to the organisation over the past year and the extra effort made to deliver the highest level of service to clients.
“Our bank is going through a transformation and the culture we are developing is a very important ingredient in the overall personality of our bank. Recognition, reward and appreciation of our employees who give it their all every day is a fundamental element of who we are as a company,” he told those attending the ceremony at the Sandals Barbados Resort.
“Ours is a hard-driving, competitive environment and we demand a lot of our people. But we strive to ensure that everyone is well-taken care of – not just through monetary rewards and awards like these – we create an environment and culture of care through our various ground-breaking HR policies and other programmes designed to provide the best possible environment to be successful as a CIBC FirstCaribbean employee.”
St Hill added that in keeping with the bank’s aim to provide the best service to clients and staff, steps have been taken to create a more wholesome space for employees.
“There is a generous package of leaves – including family leave, certified and uncertified sick leave, bereavement leave and vacation – and we have just increased our maternity and paternity benefits to allow for a longer time at home after the arrival of a child, for new mothers and fathers, including those who have become parents through surrogacy or adoption,’ he said.
The CEO also boasted of the bank’s Employee Assistance Programme, Tuition Assistance Programme, Share Purchase Programme and Wellness Programme which are designed to provide support for staff.
St Hill said the top ten First Stars awardees had been especially dedicated to the company over the last year.
“Our awardees, therefore, have been chosen because they demonstrate our behaviours of agility, collaboration, ownership, and integrity. By adopting these behaviours in their daily life at work, they have set the tone for helping to make our clients’ ambitions a reality by delivering a superior banking experience in a digital world,” he said. (SB)
