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Work Differently, Bank Differently 

Work Differently, Bank Differently 

UnionBankers, united in serving its stakeholders and fulfilling their higher purpose 

 “I salute the heroic efforts of our frontliners and the people who support them from home. Truly, UBUNTU in action. Banks need to be open to keep the economy from grinding to a halt. It is our fiduciary duty. But we are not just fulfilling an obligation; we are doing this for a higher purpose – to help save the economy, our friends, our families, and the Filipino people.”  – President Edwin R. Bautista

Brave faces in front of a pandemic

We all have been taken aback and swept away from our normal lives to what is now dubbed as the “new normal.” As our medical frontliners attend to the sick, our police and military forces secure the borders, and workers in the food and retail sector serve our basic needs; bankers help keep the economy afloat.

UnionBank’s purpose to co-create innovations for a better world was taken to a whole new level. The two significant components of innovation – people and technology – are put to a great test. And we are winning it as one!

Protecting the front liners


“We began monitoring COVID-19 starting January when the epicenter was then in Wuhan. As a result, we activated our business continuity plan. [We] opened several offsite “command-and-control systems for our digital systems” and ordered all non-frontline staff to work from home.”

Our bankers are our very own front liners. They face clients 80% of the time. Thus, the exposure is also greater than anybody else in the organization. Although the COVID-19 crisis resulted in a record-high digital account opening for the Bank, one of the earliest challenges is ensuring that we can serve our clients who still rely on transacting in the branches.   

In an interview with Euromoney, President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista shared that, “We began monitoring COVID-19 starting January when the epicenter was then in Wuhan. As a result, we activated our business continuity plan. [We] opened several offsite “command-and-control systems for our digital systems” and ordered all non-frontline staff to work from home.”   

In mid-February, some units started experimenting with a skeletal workforce. A week before the lockdown, 75% of UnionBankers were already working remotely. By the time the lockdown was announced, Branch Channel Management lead by Job Dator had started scaling down our branch operations.    

“We scaled down the number of branches; we did workforce rotation to minimize the exposure. We protect and preserve the workforce, so we make sure we have the maximum number of people on board when we slowly reopen.”, Mr. Dator shared.   

Fast forward to 10 weeks after, and upon the implementation of the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), we have our Return to Workplace Guidelines in place. And we are gearing up to reopen more branches slowly.   

  

Extraordinary support during extraordinary times

UnionBankers‘ agile and innovative mindset and the commitment to serve our stakeholders by upholding the values of integrity, magis, and ubuntu helped us adjust to the abrupt changes caused by the lockdown. And just as when we started adapting to these changes, the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was implemented. This brought about more significant challenges, especially in commuting to work.   

Mr. Dator also shared the day-to-day support we provide for our front liners, “For employees who still report at The Plaza and nearby branches, we provide transportation, we carpool, and we provide food whenever possible.”  

Transportation and commuting issues are not just limited to the lack of public utility vehicles and border checkpoints; the families of our front liners are also concerned about their safety.   

To help augment and address these issues and to give peace of mind to our employees and their families, the Bank made the following arrangements possible:

      1. Utilization of service cars for the Metro Manila regions, in coordination with Mr. Mon Dimapilis and Admiral Rafael Mariano.  
      2. We tapped a shuttle service for Metro North and Metro South.  
      3. We implemented carpooling. The Branch Managers scheduled with their staff.  
      4. Our customers started lending us vehicles. We are currently using three (3) units in Makati and two (2) in Metro South.

With these arrangements, we are also able to do border and checkpoint meet-ups to pick-up employees who live outside Metro Manila.   

Distribution of Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) IDs

To hasten the process of getting clearance to pass between borders for our frontliners and on-call workforce, the Human Resource Group created an ad hoc committee to work on the preparation and distribution of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) IDs last March 28 to 29. This is after Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas issued Memo no. M-2020-014 mandating the issuance of IATF IDs for BSFIs Personnel Exempted from the Enhanced Community Quarantine. BSP-supervised financial institutions distribute this ID to their employees who are part of the skeletal workforce. The ad hoc committee was able to prepare the IDs for more than 1,000 staff nationwide within 48 hours.

Ubuntu and Magis in action

Branch Channel Management team does their reporting twice daily at 8:30am and 3:00pm. Different units across the Bank also do virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams daily. These virtual meetings are also opportunities for UnionBankers to do peer-monitoring and ‘kamustahan.’

The Information Technology and Security Group (ITSG) worked tirelessly in ensuring that 100% of the employees remain connected while working from home, in different sites, and branches. They were among the last groups to vacate The Plaza to provide virtual private network (VPN) connections, laptops, and software to the employees.

Since the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, a total of five (5) employees were considered persons under monitoring (PUM) and have now been cleared. The Occupational Health and Safety Division (OSHD) team members spearheaded contact tracing and ensured that everyone is accounted for daily assessment. They also issued regular announcements and reminders to our employees to strictly observe social distancing and personal hygiene practices in and out of the workplace.

Bank from home, heal with the nation

 

As the Filipino people call for the whole nation to heal as one, the Bank continuously launches solutions that will contribute in the efforts to ‘flatten the curve’ and make banking from home the new normal.    

Encouraging more people to do their banking transactions at home is a side-by-side approach in protecting our workforce at the branches and our clients as well. Aside from the current features like Send to Other Banks, Pay Bills, Buy Load and more, UnionBank online added the Send to Remittance Centers feature, two weeks after the ECQ implementation.  

Bank on wheels (BOW) was rolled out early March 2020 has also been going around densely populated communities and minimizes the need to enter the branch. It also provides a fast lane for senior citizens and pregnant women, who are part of the high-risk population for severe illnesses like COVID-19.   

Customer Experience Group (CEG) also released UB Talks Digital, a webinar series that aims to solve the most prevalent banking woes during the quarantine period and advocates banking from home. It provides solutions, information, and updates from business owners, leaders from the Bank, subject matter experts from the financial industry. 

Our very own thought leaders in the Bank are also taking the spotlight as they impart best practices and lessons from our digital transformation. SME Platforms Head Jaypee Soliman, CTOO and CTO Henry Aguda, SME Group Head Jujut Enriquez, UBX Head of Products Bjorn Pardo, UBX Head of Digital GD Mabasa, and Chairman Justo A. Ortiz are among the frequent invitees to speak in various virtual conferences. Handholding startups, SMEs, large companies, and diverse industries is taking our mission to tech-up the Philippines to a whole to scope.    

Employee Welfare at the forefront

Days after the implementation of the ECQ, UnionBank’s MANCOM approved of the early crediting of the March 30 payout and mid-year bonus to eligible employees. A week later, they granted a special subsidy for UnionBank, City Savings Bank, and PETNET front liners, skeletal workforce, and critical Outsourced Service Providers (OSPs), including our Security Guards, Janitors, and Messengers. The Php350.00 net daily subsidy initially covered workdays from March 30 to April 15, 2020, but was extended as the ECQ prolongs until May 15, 2020.   

The Bank also acknowledges that while we are starting to adapt to the new normal, some employees may find it hard to adjust to this new setup. The holistic well-being of the employees was also considered. The Human Resource Group continuously implements employee engagement and employee relations programs through its social media channels. A webinar with a Psychiatrist and a meditation session were among the first steps in addressing the stress due to the drastic changes.    

#KwentongBankHero is an opportunity for UnionBankers to be storytellers. They shared their journey during these challenging times, where our values, Integrity, Magis, and Ubuntu were demonstrated. 

During the President Edwin R. Bautista’s closing message on his appearance at the Aboitiz Group’s Super Duper Con, he sent his heartfelt gratitude to the UnionBankers. “I salute the heroic efforts of our frontliners and the people who support them from home. Truly, UBUNTU in action. Banks need to be open to keep the economy from grinding to a halt. It is our fiduciary duty. But we are not just fulfilling an obligation; we are doing this for a higher purpose – to help save the economy, our friends, our families, and the Filipino people.”   

EDTalks returned to engaged@UnionBank with an all-virtual episode. ERB, together with our leaders Joyce Gonzalez, Michelle Rubio, Henry Aguda, Dennis Omila, and Job Dator, addressed UnionBankers, shared their experiences working during the new normal, and showed their heartwarming side. ERB also assured the employees that the Management would ensure that all employees are taken care of and supported by the Bank during this crisis.

Aside from being the most viewed episode to date, this also became an avenue for UnionBankers to express their appreciation for the Management and show that we stand strong as an organization.

People + Tech

“The force that moves us from the inertia of the status quo is the silver lining of this pandemic. The bigger story for me is that finally, customers are going to be ready to adapt to the fourth industrial revolution,” Chairman Justo A. Ortiz shared this foresight during an interview with ANC. As we witness more Filipinos embrace the new normal, our people continuously build capabilities and learn new skills to future-proof themselves.   

UnionBank University launched the 2020 Compliance Courses, a set of refresher courses for AMLA, Information Security and Data Privacy, Enterprise Risk Management, and Business Continuity Management System. These courses integrate learning, growth, and ensure that all UnionBankers can deliver what is expected from them at work. 

Championing Remote and Online Workplace Development (CROWD) Course was also created through the collaboration between Artificial Intelligence and Data Policy, Enterprise Communication and Collaboration, Information Security Office, and Employer Brander and Communications Units.

The course was initially intended to handhold employees in adapting to the remote working setup while ensuring the safety and security of data while working in a different environment. This course has been adapted and repurposed to train our clients who are shifting to remote working as well.   

UBP Xcellerator is also gearing up for the upcoming kick-off of their Blockchain, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics courses, which will soon be available to the public. Aspiring talents, career-shifters, and educators get access to Basic to Advance self-paced modules when they enroll in the different programs.   

There is no stopping UnionBank from powering the future of banking, while its people are given the opportunities and tools to own the future. We are reaping the fruits of our digital transformation. We are living up to why we are among the ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia’ and the ‘Best Digital Bank’, all thanks to People and Tech.

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