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The bank is committed to providing its employees with diverse opportunities for growth and development, enabling them to reach their full potential.
This article is brought to you by OCBC Hong Kong
As a wholly-owned subsidiary of OCBC Group with presence in 19 markets globally and more than 400 branches and offices, OCBC Hong Kong is dedicated to supporting its clients’ regional aspirations with its deep local knowledge. At the same time, it is committed to providing its employees with a truly regional platform to fulfil their vibrant, future-ready career growth.
In today's world of work, attracting and retaining top talent poses significant challenges for HR professionals owing to increased globalisation, fierce competition for skilled candidates, changing workforce demographics, and evolving employee expectations. To stay one step ahead, OCBC Hong Kong has solidified its ‘One Group’ approach, and focuses on several strategies, to ensure the bank remains an employer of choice in the dynamic talent landscape.
These strategies include:
- prioritising employer branding to showcase its unique value proposition,
- offering competitive compensation packages,
- providing opportunities for career growth and development,
- fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture,
- embracing flexible work arrangements,
- leveraging technology to streamline recruitment processes, and
- enhancing employee engagement.
Among all these, one of the most high-impact talent strategies has been the bank’s tremendous focus on employee mobility. Believing in the power of talent mobility, OCBC Hong Kong is committed to providing employees with diverse opportunities for growth and development, enabling them to reach their full potential.
To bring out the power of talent mobility, OCBC Hong Kong has adopted the following mindsets in 2023: gained support from Management Committee members, participated in the planning process, put in place the platform and tools, enabled regular tracking, and ensured that everyone becomes an advocate.
This mindset shift has been possible owing to it being amplified by actionable interventions. One key initiative introduced was the ‘Grow Your Way’ programme. Focusing on empowering individuals to chart their own growth paths within the organisation, the initiative provides personalised development plans, mentorship opportunities, and access to diverse learning resources. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth, the programme enables employees to acquire new skills, explore different roles, and achieve their professional aspirations.
Other than that, a variety of creative and special initiatives have also been put in place. The ‘Xplore!’ programme places staff in stints within or across divisions for three to six months to broaden their career choices; the ‘Divisional Staff Mobility Programme’ assigns internal staff for short-term assignments across divisions in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Macau and Singapore within OCBC Group; the ‘Internal Career Opportunity Programme’ paves the way to helping employees achieve their career aims at different stages of their life; as well as management-initiated transfer opportunities or international assignments to support employees’ career development plans.
“The Hong Kong office is hosting a diverse team of professionals from Singapore, Malaysia, and Mainland China,” shares Cindy Leung, Head of Human Resources, OCBC Hong Kong. “Concurrently, Hong Kong employees are presented with opportunities to gain exposure in South Korea, Singapore, Mainland China, Macau, Japan, Vietnam or even the United Kingdom.”
Through talent mobility to allow employees to explore different roles, departments, and locations, OCBC Hong Kong aims to foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation, as well as create a dynamic and agile workforce that can adapt to changing business needs.
“Regarding human resources management, a cohesive brand identity enhances the Bank's image as a regional bank,” continues Leung. “The 'One Group' approach allows us to standardise human resources practices and optimise resources allocation. It fosters versatile employee mobility through our extensive network, including business travel, temporary assignments, and secondments etc., marking a notable increase from the previous year.”
Driven by all the mentioned programmes, employees of OCBC Hong Kong did benefit from more regional exposure in 2023. Compared to 2022, the number of outbound and local assignment opportunities arranged or completed by Hong Kong employees increased more than three times. The number of outbound and local assignment opportunities arranged or planned for Hong Kong employees in the first quarter of 2024 also increased by 15 times from 2023. Employees now are eligible for more opportunities to explore different roles, departments, and locations, and can enjoy a dynamic and agile working environment.
At OCBC Hong Kong, the leadership affirms there is a tremendous opportunity for people to experience its culture across geographies and businesses, and shape their careers in a regional bank of its size. By supporting them from a skills development as well as a mobility programme basis, the bank strives to continue to drive excellence and deliver value to its stakeholders together with its employees.
Photo / OCBC Hong Kong
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