BRAC Bank eases commute for employees
Commuting to office during rush hour is always a near-standstill in the major streets of Dhaka city. It is a horrendous experience for urban commuters once the temperature soars past 37 degrees Celsius. A commuter squeezes into the tiniest space inside a public vehicle through all the shoving and pushing, and still has to deal people who don't have a working knowledge of personal hygiene and the agonising heat.
According to Time.com, tedious work of commuting of over 10 miles a day can affect one’s health dramatically. However, BRAC Bank is finding ways to ease commuting woes for its staff.
As an employee-caring bank, BRAC Bank provides a subsidized shuttle service (pick-up and drop-off) for its employees (most of whom are women) at its head office. The bank currently has eight air-conditioned coasters in its fleet running on as many routes across the city from Sunday to Thursday. From Mirpur to Uttara, Mohammadpur, Jatrabari, Bonosree, Azimpur or Dhanmondi, wherever they are, the bus picks and drops the staff, easing the traffic woes during hectic morning and evening mad rush.
This pick-and-drop service makes sure that the officers come and leave office on time ensuring healthy work-life balance which is key to productivity and employee satisfaction.
Bilquis Jahan, Head of Human Resources, said: “At BRAC Bank, we believe our employees are our biggest assets. We try to do whatever we can to lessen the pressure on our employees and ensure an environment conducive to working. The key to our recent success has revolved around investing in people and adding more fringe benefits at par with the banking industry and beyond. We believe this employee transportation programme can go a long way to providing a better commuting experience for our employees, allowing them to concentrate on their work and contribute to the company’s vision of becoming the best bank in the country. Expansion plans of the service have already been discussed and likely to happen in the near future.”
“As we aim to emerge as the best employer of choice, we are relentlessly working to provide a fantastic work culture and workplace environment that attract talents and retains superior employees”, she added.
As part of employee welfare programme, the bank also provides a hospitalisation and outpatient medical consultation benefits, medical centre, day care, canteen and prayer room facilities.
In addition, it has initiated a women’s forum, TARA, for capacity-building and career development of its female staff. BRAC Bank also runs training on gender diversity and sexual harassment awareness for all employees. Women employees are entitled to a six-month maternity leave with full benefits. All employees of the bank avail mandatory annual leave with benefits as per policy.