National Bank of Fujairah wins “Best HR Team” at the MENA HR Excellence Awards
Award reflects focus on developing a high-performing and fully-engaged team at NBF and its commitment to excellence in HR services
National Bank of Fujairah PJSC (NBF) announced today that it has been awarded first place in the “HR Team of the Year” category at the MENA HR Excellence Awards 2016. This award acknowledges the efforts of the bank’s HR department in successfully nurturing a high-performing and actively-engaged workforce within the organisation.
Held alongside the Human Capital MENA Forum, the annual MENA HR Excellence Awards recognise contributions toward the development of talent and human capital across the region. Award nominees are shortlisted and winners selected through a rigorous process that includes a review by a panel of independent judges.
NBF’s award builds on the significant progress it has made in recent times in driving an HR strategy focusing on Emiratisation, talent development and employee engagement. The bank’s engagement results, when benchmarked by organisational consultancy Korn Ferry Hay Group, put NBF amongst the top three banks in the GCC and amongst the group’s global list of “high performing companies”, which includes leading firms within the FORTUNE 500 and FTSE 100.
The bank has also sought to actively attract and develop the best in Emirati talent. The bank recruits new graduates with its annual management trainee programme and accelerates the development of existing Emirati employees through a combination of career advancement and national development initiatives.
Various HR best-practices introduced by NBF over the years, from an employee wellbeing programme to a flexible benefits scheme – both a first for a local bank in the UAE – have bolstered its reputation as a great place to work. Other recent public acknowledgements for NBF included being shortlisted for “Best Nationalisation Initiative” at the 10th Human Capital Forum and receiving the “Mark of Excellence” award at the Middle East HR Excellence Awards last year.
Vince Cook, CEO of NBF, said that the development of a stimulating work environment is of utmost importance to the bank’s long-term goals: “From our own experience, there is certainly a healthy correlation between organisational performance and staff engagement. This was best demonstrated in recent years, when NBF’s financial growth and rising market profile was complemented by a corresponding increase in staff engagement and enablement levels, all whilst increasing our workforce by close to 30 percent.
“Taking good care of our people is therefore a strategic imperative for the bank. It is all the more necessary in this uncertain market environment, wherein a greater reliance will be placed on a team of highly-motivated, engaged and enabled employees to stay alert and do the right thing by the bank and its customers. The award is a strong endorsement of NBF’s journey towards developing a people-centric culture, and I would like to congratulate the bank’s HR team for this exceptional achievement.”
Abdulla Aleter, NBF’s Head of HR, said that the award also reflects the winning team’s commitment to exceptional customer service and innovative HR solutions: “Just as a customer-centric focus is key to NBF’s overall success, we in HR have also organised ourselves around a “Business Partner” concept to ensure high levels of collaboration with our internal customers – the bank’s employees. Each area of NBF’s business has an embedded HR Business Partner, who, backed by the relevant HR functional experts, can tailor our services to support the achievement of critical business goals. Each year, the HR team also conducts a customer satisfaction survey to understand which services are important to employees and how service levels can be improved. This drive for HR excellence means we apply international best practices across our activities, from how we are organised to the recruitment, development and reward programmes we deliver, all of which support our efforts towards becoming an employer of choice in the UAE.”
“Whilst I am certainly very proud of the HR team for this achievement, I would also like to dedicate this award to NBF’s management, and most importantly, its staff, whose commitment to developing an organisational culture of openness, inclusiveness and community has allowed us to attract and retain talent of the highest calibre for the bank’s continued success.”
About National Bank of Fujairah PJSC:
Incorporated in 1982, National Bank of Fujairah PJSC (NBF) is a full services corporate bank with strong corporate and commercial banking, treasury and trade finance expertise as well as an expanding suite of personal banking options and Shariah compliant services. Leveraging its deep banking experience and market insight within Fujairah and the UAE, NBF is well-positioned to build lasting relationships with its clients and help them achieve their business goals.
NBF’s key shareholders include the Government of Fujairah, Easa Saleh Al Gurg LLC and Investment Corporation of Dubai. Rated Baa1 / Prime-2 for deposits and A3 for counterparty risk assessment by Moody’s and BBB+ / A-2 by Standard & Poor’s, both with a stable outlook, the bank is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange under the symbol “NBF”. It has a branch network of 15 across the UAE.