How AmBank is adapting to the new norm, post-pandemic by future-proofing its business and workforce

It is never easy to defy convention and adapt to change. Not just any change but a significant change which alters your entire life and organizational routines, both as an individual and as part of a larger group – be it your family, community or the company where you work. That is what the whole world had to go through, and still going through when the Covid-19 pandemic turned our lives upside down. We were – as individuals and groups, forced to adapt to a wide range of protocols and restrictions as countries and governments worldwide attempted to manage the pandemic which took a heavy toll not just on lives but on livelihoods as well. Almost overnight, economies were paralyzed, and the world just came to a brutal standstill as the powers that be scrambled to figure out how best to tackle the global crisis.

For a good part of two years, from March 2020 until pretty much today, we were forced to adapt to what we call the “new normal” as we multi-tasked to the best of our abilities, to combat the menacing virus while at the same time getting on with our lives by adhering to the various standard operating procedures (SOPs) imposed locally or abroad.

In our professional realm and in our workspace environment, we had to embrace the virtual sphere, bringing our reliance on virtual tools to connect and collaborate with each other to levels never before imagined. But in the end, we all persevered – we managed to get on with our work and tasks without compromising productivity and quality, which was by no means an easy feat.

We at AmBank Group were also not spared from this global phenomenon and we are proud to say that we rode the disruptive wave of the new normal gallantly. As we are now well into the “transition to endemic” phase or post-pandemic, we can heave a sigh of relief that the most difficult part of adapting to the new normal is over, and what was the new normal is actually now almost second nature as we gradually but surely return to normalcy as restrictions start to ease. The secret of AmBank’s success in tackling the new normal hinged heavily on the resiliency of the banking industry itself and staff dedication towards Focus 8 Strategy. Looking back, as we faced the adversity of the Covid-19 crisis, the banking sector has shown itself to be much more resilient than in previous crises of a similar magnitude.

AmBank Group leveraged on that momentum as we worked tirelessly during the pandemic to ensure our customers continued to grow with us amidst the difficulties, as we forge ahead to strengthen our products and services to meet our customers’ needs more effectively, especially in an era where our customers are getting more technology savvy.

Taking cue from the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) which is driven by digital technology, we at AmBank strive to be ahead in the digital banking game by constantly improving our suite of digital and online banking services.

In fact today - post pandemic, AmBank is already a digital bank for individuals having 90% of all transactions performed via AmOnline, 5% through self-service machines and only 5% are done over the counter in our physical branches.

As we adapted to the economic realities of the Covid years, we placed emphasis on preserving employee well-being and productivity in the face of the pandemic and its associated impact particularly on the emotional and physical well-being of employees. We took up the challenge of ensuring everyone was connected, engaged and aligned in order to keep the business moving forward. Our foremost priority was keeping employees safe from Covid-19. To this end, we swiftly implemented remote working measures to safeguard our employees and customers.

The pandemic also created a burning platform for us at AmBank to future proof not just our business but our workforce as well. At AmBank Group, our people are the reason for our achievements today. We are putting in place a comprehensive approach that creates a more productive and adaptive workforce, uses digital technology to reinvent the employee experience and redesigns organizations to be more agile.

We recognize that digital technologies demand that people acquire new skills, and people are seeking or demanding new ways of working. Our HR policies are aligned with these two trends which call for new talent to complement existing talents and organization strategies.

In a post-pandemic world, corporate / business leaders are challenged to re-engage a workforce in a new landscape, primarily due to the 4IR – one that’s more digitized, roboticized, diverse, disruptive and disperse than ever before. Those who fall behind do so at their own risk. At AmBank, our recruitment philosophy is aligned with this landscape - we want motivated, agile and ambitious young individuals to join us in building a first-class team to deliver excellence within a dynamic and results-oriented environment.

We invite you to explore your career opportunities with us at AmBank. AmBank is a world full of action and excitement. We can assure you, it is rewarding!