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One of the initiatives, the ‘DBS Management Associate Programme, is designed to create an impactful, innovative, and immersive environment for young talent to develop in-depth domain knowledge, connect with new experiences, and hone crucial leadership and soft skills.
This article is brought to you by DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited
“Talents today are seeking more than just a paycheck. They want roles that allow them to continually grow, expand their skill sets, and work towards fulfilling their long-term career aspirations,” pinpoints Betty Lam, Managing Director, Head of Human Resources, DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited.
"To attract the best people, build the best teams, and produce the best work, it is essential for us to create a supportive environment for all to thrive, so our colleagues can 'Be the Best, Be the Change, and Be the Difference'."
This thorough insight towards the current talent landscape underpins DBS Hong Kong’s human-centric HR approach to providing comprehensive staff development, internal mobility opportunities, and integrated benefits to stay acutely tuned into emerging trends that shape the future of work.
Empowering through targeted training
Born and bred in Asia, DBS is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, empowering its customers and the community to “Live More, Bank Less”. Positioning itself as a technology organisation providing financial services, DBS aims to be a ‘university’ of banking talent to groom its people, especially young talent, to be future leaders in the bank’s digital journey.
With this vision in mind, DBS has introduced comprehensive development programmes to help young talents to be their best and ready for the future.
The journey starts from the specialised ‘DBS Management Associate Programme (MAP). This one-year development programme is designed for high-potential individuals who have graduated with a bachelor's or master's degree in any discipline, and have less than two years of work experience. It aims to create an impactful, innovative, and immersive environment for them to develop in-depth domain knowledge, connect with new experiences, and hone crucial leadership and soft skills.
To fast-track their progression within the programme period, the management associates will undergo rigorous training, in multi-media or on-the-job formats, to build banking and finance knowledge, project management, and personal development skills to be an effective people manager. They will also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the different functions across the businesses through job rotations, and have the connection opportunities with senior management to mentor and guide them on their personal growth. For high-performing individuals, opportunities for regional exposure are also available to further enhance their career development.
Commenting on these targeted programmes for its management associates, Lam (pictured above) affirms: “By investing in the growth and development of our talents, we are cultivating the next generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders who will drive DBS Hong Kong forward.
“The goal is to help our people to be at their best and prepare them to be future-ready.”
Continuous learning opportunities are not only limited to early career talent, they indeed cover all employees at different career stages. 'iGrow', for example, is an AI-powered personalised career platform offered to all DBS employees to help identify their future career needs and match them with specially curated learning recommendations, resources, and even new role opportunities.
Another impactful job shadowing programme, 'Be My Guest', facilitates DBS employees to learn about the jobs of a leader/team and foster collaboration. Complemented by 'DBS Learning Hub', a dedicated career portal with personalised recommendations, as well as the 'DBS Learning Hub Mobile App', employees are empowered to stay ahead of the exponential changes in the world’s digital, fintech and technology spaces through innovative and immersive continuous learning and development programmes on hand.
Meanwhile, to ensure sustainable leadership development, a series of ‘Leadership Pipeline Programmes’ are in place under the DBS Academy to support different aspects of leadership skills at each level in the bank. These include:
- the 'Transformational Leadership Programme', a multi-year campaign designed to strengthen managers’ capabilities via various learning programmes;
- an instructor-led training programme 'Building Great Managers' to equip DBS managers with the soft skills required;
- an instructor-led programme ‘Making Great Decisions’ to cultivate decision-making skills for senior managers with Senior Vice President or Executive Director ranks; and
- leadership team workshops 'Transformational Sprint (T-Sprint)' to support senior leaders to shift team effectiveness as well as individual leadership effectiveness.
The programmes are all powered by DBS’ holistic growth and development model called the ‘Triple E Framework: Experience, Exposure, and Education’. This model combines experience in assignments, cross-functional projects and role change; exposure in executive coaching, mentoring and social learning; and education and learning through formal courses.
Through this model, DBS will have the right people with the right skills to fulfil the future needs, particularly in key leadership positions and mission-critical roles, to support a sustainable business and accomplish the strategic intent.
All these endeavours in building talents for the future and equipping colleagues with the skills, knowledge, and mindset required for the future of work have exemplified DBS’ determination to be a different kind of bank.
“The defining characteristic of the DBS culture is our true sense of purpose. There is a palpable sense of wanting to make positive impact,” says Lam. “Our vision, ‘Best Bank for a Better World’, captures our desire to be better today than we were yesterday.”
Supporting with holistic care
Providing abundant learning and development opportunities is not the only approach DBS adopts to enhance its employees’ experience. Understanding the importance of supporting people's holistic wellbeing, both professionally and personally, DBS continues enhancing its benefits and wellbeing programmes.
As part of its ongoing efforts to prioritise employee wellbeing, DBS has introduced a comprehensive ‘Wellbeing Framework’ since 2023 to encompass three key categories:
- ‘Best of Me’, an approach to encourage employees to identify their strength and aspirations as they develop long-term careers at DBS;
- ‘Best of We’, a spirit to nurture positive relationships and drive collaboration to achieve shared outcomes at work; and
- ‘Best of E(nvironment)’, a call to engender a healthy work culture, and to create an inclusive environment for everyone.
With such a holistic strategy, DBS is taking care of its people comprehensively and support them in various ways, ultimately enabling them to be at their best.
This philosophy therefore sees initiatives such as permanent hybrid work model; flexible work arrangements; flexible choice of medical, life protection and wellness benefits; free and confidential wellbeing support service; support for families with newborns; as well as a range of leaves.
“At DBS, it is our commitment to ensure our people feel cared for and supported; valued and recognised; invested in and connected,” emphasises Lam.
“Our people are at the heart of DBS. Ultimately, our overarching aim is to create an environment where every DBS employee can ‘Live Fulfilled’.”
DBS’ accomplishments have been well-recognised at the recent Employee Experience Awards organised by Human Resources Online. To that, Lam says: “These recent accolades are testaments to our commitment to empowering our workforce, and creating an environment where each employee can thrive and spark.
“This achievement belongs to our every employee and stakeholder who have contributed to making DBS Hong Kong a great place to work.”
Photos / DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited
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