254 NCB Employees get Long Service Awards
Published:Thursday | June 25, 2015 | 12:00 AMBarbara Ellington
The National Commercial Bank (NCB) Group on Wednesday showed its appreciation to 254 employees who, together, have given 4,550 years of service to the organisation.
During the event at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, NCB Chairman Michael Lee-Chin told the awardees: "We are proud of you, we are inspired by you, and we are forever in gratitude to you for your service."'
In an inspiring presentation, Lee-Chin recalled 13 years ago when he acquired majority shares in the bank and the challenges and hard work that it took to move it from 24 per cent to its present 40 per cent of market share.
He recalled that the foreign-exchange rate then was US$45 to J$1, there were many unregulated financial organisations in operation, and there was a lot more bureaucracy involved in doing business compared to the more sales- and customer-oriented environment in which the group now operates.
"We have had to do more with less; we are challenged to be constant students of the technological advancements taking place, but we are poised for international growth and our future looks bright as we continue to get more international awards," Lee-Chin said, before reading 'Our Deepest Fear', a Marian Williamson poem, to the awardees.
In his remarks, Group Managing Director Patrick Hylton said NCB has triumphed due much in part to the strong team.
"Each member of our team plays an integral role in the value chain of activities that is required to run a successful organisation. Our analysts, porters, secretaries, salespersons, food-services personnel, managers, service and support teams are all important. The success of that team is contingent upon how ... [it] can rally around a big aspirational and audacious goal," Hylton said.
He urged the team not to shy away from greatness, excellence and continuous improvement, which are the foundation for long-service awards, which ensure organisational sustainability.
RAPIDLY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
Hylton further stressed: "Today's environment calls for the biggest transformation that I have seen in my career. The global forces of new regulations and the rise of mobile and digital technology, among others, demand it. The pace of change on the outside is rapid. This level of transformation requires a renewed commitment from each team member to taking the NCB Group to the next level, starting with taking each of our roles to the next level."
Rickert Allen, NCB Group's senior general manager for the Human Resources Division, said the 254 awardees "have contributed to the fulfilment of NCB's goals and transformation objectives over the years by staying the course and remaining focused on the big picture".
Allen noted that from their demonstration of organisational commitment, the award winners would continue to play their part in achieving NCB's strategic objectives for many more years. However, he said there were actions the leadership of the NCB Group could take to help employees become more personally committed, interested in organisational outcomes, and intrinsically rewarded by their work. These, he said, were:
1. Never forsake opportunities to coach and develop the competence levels of your employees.
2. Provide an organisational climate to foster engagement.
3. Provide opportunities for career advancement.
4. Engage employees in decisions about their work and allow them to give input into the how, why, and what they do.
"In so doing, we will also continue to position our company to respond to the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment in which we operate, by challenging our employees to reach beyond their current capacities," he added.