Maybank Staff Get 1-Month Paid Leave to Pursue Volunteerism

Maybank is offering its employees the option of one month of paid leave to pursue long-term sustainability and volunteerism programmes. It is a part of their initiatives to encourage more staff participation in sustainability-focused activities and to advance a sustainable mentality within their workforce.

Datuk Nora Abd Manaf, Group Chief Human Capital Officer at Maybank, said that their staff members had demonstrated a great sense of dedication and passion for volunteering through the years. Maybank has adopted a Self-Led Sustainability and Volunteerism Policy to recognise that sustainability and volunteerism may resonate differently with each employee.

 

One month of paid leave to pursue volunteerism

The policy empowers and encourages Maybank's employees by allowing them to volunteer at their place, time and preference. It also offers the option of one month of paid sustainability leave for staff members who wish to pursue volunteerism endeavours approved by Maybank's Sustainability office. It also provides the option of 1+1, whereby an extra month can be applied with internal approvals. 

Maybank began encouraging employee sustainability and volunteerism efforts in 2006 through its Cahaya Kasih Programme. The programme enables its workers to be change agents in supporting volunteerism initiatives that address environmental and socio-economic challenges throughout the region.

Nora said that Maybank strongly believes that employees' service in supporting local communities, the environment and wildlife through bank-led programmes such as Cahaya Kasih or within their capacity are essential corporate goals and serve as an extension of the bank's broader sustainability agenda.

 

Maybank's sustainability goals

As part of its long-term sustainability goals, Maybank has made four commitments:

1. By 2025, Maybank has committed to working one million hours annually on sustainability and producing one thousand sustainable development goals (SDG)-related outcomes. 

2. The bank also committed to mobilise RM50 billion in sustainable finance by 2025, 

3. Improve the lives of one million ASEAN households by 2025, and 

4. Achieve carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and net zero carbon equivalent position by 2050. 

As of 30 September 2022, Maybank's workers had clocked 1,086,560 hours in sustainability, exceeding the annual objective. The employees spent almost 56% of their total hours on tasks that directly support Maybank's long-term sustainability commitments. 

This involves developing sustainable consumer solutions, participating in community programmes, and supporting employee programmes promoting sustainability awareness, education, and general well-being.

 

Maybank's Green Lab

A major initiative launched this year is a staff activation and engagement programme known as the "Green Lab," which was gradually carried out among the various businesses and industries around the region in Maybank. 

The program aims to motivate staff members to incorporate the Group's sustainability agenda and commitments into their daily work and personal lives.

Almost 43% of the total sustainability hours came from activities with indirect sustainability impacts. This includes initiatives that enhance and support Maybank's workforce, infrastructures, and processes as part of its continuous futureproofing exercise. The staff spent the remaining hours participating in employee-led sustainability projects like recycling or social activities they carried out in their capacity.

Datuk Nora said that Maybank is proud of its strong achievements as it shows the employees' commitment level to adopt sustainability practices in all aspects of their lives and be an agent of change in their communities. 

 

Maybank's Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) policy

Maybank formalised a flexible working arrangement (FWA) policy in 2013 and was one of the first SEA employers to do so. 

In November 2021, Maybank announced that it had resorted to a full hybrid workplace where employees would come into the office on a rotational basis.

According to Maybank, employees could work in the office, from home, or at different places, which stated that its office layout would incorporate a hybrid arrangement. 

Datuk Nora Manaf said that due to the pandemic, Maybank increased its attempts to create a hybrid workforce. In September 2020, it formalised the agreement allowing employees who can work from home to do so for an extended period.

Employees with a flexible work schedule, some work from home and others in the office, are said to have a hybrid work arrangement.

 

Other employers that provide paid leave for volunteerism endeavours

In 2017, CIMB Group offered its staff a month of paid leave in a year to support any of its charity projects without any impact on their existing benefits, annual leave and tenure. 

Under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy dubbed Flex4CSR, CIMB Group's employees are also provided a half-day leave for every ten hours volunteering in CIMB Foundation's various charity projects. 

In 2019, Yayasan Sime Darby introduced a Volunteer Time Off policy to reward employees who volunteer for its programmes. 

An employee who volunteers in a programme receives a half-day leave for every eight volunteer hours. The hours can be accumulated, and every employee can receive as many as two days of leave per year. The leave is in addition to the employee's annual and special birthday leave.

 

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