Staggered Hours, Flextime, Telecommuting, Part-time

Maybank believes in fostering an inclusive environment that is rich in diversity, acknowledges each individual’s uniqueness and promotes respect which would help drive innovation, growth and performance within the organisation. In 2013, Maybank formalised its Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) policy to help employees achieve work life integration whilst producing exceptional performance and quality of work. However Maybank embarked on work-life balance initiatives much earlier within its People and Performance Transformation 5-Year Plan that went full steam in 2009.

With a work-life business approach, Maybank staff are more productive, more creative and innovative, and are able to focus outward - more customer-focussed. To top it all, Maybank’s staff engagement score significantly improved since 2008 and Maybank was listed in the Towers Watson Global High Performing Company (GHPC) norms for the past 2 years, a recognition given to organisations for achieving sustainable high business performance and have Talent management practices at global standards.

In line with Maybank’s talent management strategy, the company believes that giving employees work flexibility will help increase employees’ productivity as well as help retain talent. Maybank also believes that FWA will help create a harmonious work environment that is responsive to the changing professional and personal needs of today’s workforce. The FWA initiative was put in place to also enhance its reputation in the marketplace, and help brand the company as “Employer of Choice”.

Flexible Work Arrangement in Maybank

The Flexible Work Arrangement policy was formalised to empower its employees to manage and optimise their working hours without affecting their business and personal commitments. Maybank also believes that having work flexibility could help ensure women are able to stay in the workforce. To date, Maybank offers on a case-by-case basis the following Flexible Work Arrangement to its employees:

• Fixed Flexible Schedule (Staggered Hours)
The employee’s weekly pattern remains consistent, but is other than the department’s standard schedule


• Flextime
Employees may individualise their start and end times of each work day/week but continue to maintain the number of required hours or total effort in a given week


• Telecommuting or Flexible Work Location
The practice of fulfilling a portion of the employee’s work/job responsibilities at an alternative work site on a regular basis, e.g. work from home or from an alternative work location


• Reduced Hours/Converting to Part-Time Employment
An employee may request to reduce the number of hours he/she works or convert to part- time employment on a temporary or permanent basis. Any request needs to be balanced with operational requirements, the needs and impact on other employees in the function. Reducing hours worked may affect salary and benefit levels, inclusive of annual leave, sick leave and medical provisions

Flexible Work Arrangement Key Considerations

To ensure smooth implementation of the FWA policy, Maybank put together a set of guidelines for its employees, which outlines the responsibility, accountability, principle, governance and monitoring of the FWA for each employee. Some of the key guidelines include:

As at 31 January 2015, 111 of Maybank’s staff have benefitted from the formalisation of the FWA policy. The company remains responsive in reviewing its work arrangement to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the business environment and diverse demographics. These reviews are undertaken on a need basis and aligned to business needs and other various expectations. As a result of the HR transformative efforts driven by top management, Maybank’s key retention rate is currently at 85%, a significant increase from 52% in 2008.

Maybank also strives to accommodate women’s workplace issues and hopes to continue building practices that can help women reach their full potential. Maybank has put in place the Women Mentor Women Programme, where they have dedicated mentors to support, guide and help other potential women leaders through balancing personal and career goals. The Company is also actively pursuing plans to introduce Women in Financial Industry (WIFI) initiative, which is a structured development programme targeted at women professionals looking to build their career within the financial industry.

Gender representation is religiously tracked as part of our standard People Dashboard within our transformation programme driven in the last five years. In 2014, women in the workforce at Maybank stood at 54%. Women representation in senior management positions have grown from 11% in 2008 to 35% in 2014. Women in the succession planning pool for critical positions increased from 19% in 2010 to 35.1% in 2014.

It is also monitored as part of the Group Inclusiveness and Diversity Agenda (GIDA) through a compulsory Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in the top management balanced scorecard.

Maybank continues to focus on identifying issues and initiate change efforts to create an inclusive work environment, integrating diversity with Maybank’s core values to ultimately create an inclusive and equitable work environment as well as a peak performing culture for women to learn, earn, thrive and empower themselves and others.