UOB Global Appreciation Month – “Appreciating You The UOB Way”
Annually, we drive the appreciation culture in UOB and encourage colleagues to take a moment to express heartfelt thanks to those who support them daily. It is all about showing appreciation The UOB Way.
To kick off the month-long celebrations, we held a first-ever hybrid UOB Global Appreciation Month event, where Mr Wee Ee Cheong, our Deputy Chairman and CEO, welcomed close to 8,000 regional colleagues as they joined us in-person and virtually. As part of the month-long celebrations, Mr Wee and Mr Tong took the time to personally thank close to 500 colleagues with surprise visits to branches and offices in Singapore.
We held the first-ever hybrid UOB Global Appreciation Month event with colleagues gathering at 28BQ, our exclusive employee clubhouse, and dialing in from around the world.
Our Deputy Chairman and CEO, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, gave out free bubble tea and coffee to employees.
Better U Festival
This year’s Better U Festival was a celebration of our culture, The UOB Way. The three-day event gave us an opportunity to demonstrate what makes UOB a special place to work. We were honoured to host
Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, as our guest of honour during the event finale.
The festival featured exciting announcements that benefit our people in the long run, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring the well-being of our employees, with opportunities to grow and to build sustainable, fulfilling careers with UOB.
Colleagues participated in The UOB Way activities at the Better U Festival to learn more about our culture and score exclusive merchandise.
We are committed to caring for our employees through their careers and beyond. Our initiatives support their well-being and that of their families, providing a career that is purposeful and balanced.
Offering the Best Staff Housing Loan for peace of mind
We revamped the Staff Housing Loan (SHL) benefit so that employees enjoy the best rate.
Within two months from the launch in October, the take-up increased by close to 150 per cent as employees transited to SHL.
Introducing new leave types to achieve purpose and balance
Sabbatical Leave
On an unpaid basis for up to 90 days, employees can continue to access medical and insurance benefits.
Enhanced Shared Parental Leave
We provide 10 weeks of paid leave for working parents of children born or adopted from 1 January 2025.
Health Screening Leave
Employees can use up to one day of their Sick Leave benefit for health screening.
Better Mind Programme
Employees can access the Intellect mobile application for mental wellness support, including online counselling, self-care tips and 24/7 crisis counselling.
Mental wellness support anytime, anywhere through the Intellect app for all employees.
We have seen very positive response to the Better Mind Programme, with about
2,500
employees having downloaded the Intellect app
Close to
1,500
unique employees spent an average
of more than
20 minutes on the short-form self-care content on the app
Close to
5,000
self-guided sessions completed since its launch in February 2024
Staying committed to building our own timber, we empower our people through different career development opportunities. Among these are leadership development initiatives such as the Management Associate Programme for graduates, the Leadership Academy for high-performing professionals and the Leadership Acceleration Programme to fast-track potential leaders. These efforts reflect our dedication to supporting our people in shaping their careers and driving sustainable growth.
New mandatory learning experience
We re-defined mandatory learning with the “Mission Compliance” programme, using live-action videos and story-driven narratives. This led to more than 90 per cent positive feedback, reduced mandatory learning time from 14 to three hours for all colleagues across the Group, and achieved a Net Promoter Score of 46.
Our new “Mission Compliance" mandatory learning programme is designed to engage employees through live-action video and story-driven narratives.
UOB Better U Pivot Programme
The UOB Better U Pivot Programme aligns learning with job roles. It offers up to 500 opportunities over two years for colleagues in operational and administrative roles who are affected by digitalisation and automation. Participants receive 12 months of structured on-the-job-training.
From left: Miss Carolyn Neo, CEO, Institute of Banking and Finance; Associate Professor Chai Kah Hin, Associate Provost, National University of Singapore; Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry; Mr Dean Tong, Head of Group Human Resources, UOB; Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and CEO, UOB; Miss Looi Mei Fong, Deputy Principal, Ngee Ann Polytechnic; and
Associate Professor Yeo Li Pheow, Executive Director, Singapore University of Social Sciences – Institute for Adult Learning.
The learning time for new hires was reduced by
78%,
taking a maximum of three hours for the average employee to complete as compared to 14 hours previously
In a poll of more than 550 employees, the course was rated
4.5 out of 5
for having engaging content and attained a Net Promoter Score of 46 (which leans towards “Excellent” according to an article by Qualtrics,
a leader in experience management)
Trust is fundamental to how we empower our employees to perform at their best for the long term as we aspire to be number one in employee pride.
This is evident in our consistent actions and programmes, such as maintaining our Flexible Work Arrangement, fostering growth through Better U, our flagship learning and development initiative, and providing colleagues with different tools to empower decision-making.
We also recognise the importance of maintaining a feedback loop with employees to drive continuous improvement through active listening and meaningful action. To this end, we replaced the traditional annual survey with a continuous listening approach tied to work anniversaries. This shift reflects our commitment to valuing their input and responding promptly to their needs.
These awards are testament to our dedication and commitment.
-
Great Place to Work (Singapore) certified for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024
-
HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024
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HR Asia Most Caring Company 2024
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Influential Brands Top Employer 2024 and 2025
-
Institute of Banking and Finance Golden Jubilee Inspire Award 2024
8 in 10
are engaged in their work
9 in 10
employees are
proud to work
in UOB