Being in good hands with Metrobank

"You’re in good hands” is as much a promise to Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank) employees as it is to the bank’s clients.

Banking is a business of trust. For six decades, Metrobank has always promised to keep its clients in good hands, and delivering this promise is the bank’s 14,000-strong employees—making them the bank’s biggest asset.

“A Metrobanker is a champion of meaningful work. They are the people who go above and beyond the minimum requirements. They anticipate the needs and prioritize the welfare of our customers. Everything we do is intended to help make banking convenient, easy, and secure for the people we serve,” said Gerboy Ortega, Metrobank senior vice president and head of Human Resources Management Group.

Ortega said Metrobankers are honed through the bank’s employee core values of passion for results, integrity, teamwork, commitment to customer service, and heart for community.

“They are not just working daily to complete their tasks. They are driven to make positive impact on the lives of their clients and communities that the Bank belongs to,” he said.

At Metrobank, the employer-employee relationship is a partnership. It is a two-way street. As Metrobankers service their clients, the bank also ensures that it gives back to its employees by investing in their personal growth, well-being, and professional career.

Creating meaningful opportunities for Metrobankers

Metrobank puts tremendous importance on the well-being of its employees because it recognizes that Metrobankers are their main caretakers, so investing in them will further strengthen the bank’s industry position.

“Metrobank is committed to the long-term growth and development of each employee that is why we have various programs in place to make sure that every Metrobanker can fulfill their full potential and adequately adapt to the evolving needs of our clients,” said Ortega.

For the professional and educational growth of Metrobankers and their loved ones, the bank offers a plethora of training and education opportunities for its employees through the Metrobank Academy, MBLearn, Metrobank Employees Graduate Assistance Program, and Metrobank Educational Assistance for Dependents of Employees Program.

The Metrobank Academy provides top-notch leadership courses and simulation exercises to hone critical decision-making skills that will be needed in a banker’s day-to-day work. Moreover, the bank also provides employees with an online learning platform, MBLearn, where they can conveniently take online banking and regulatory courses.

Meanwhile, to assist employees who want to further their education, Metrobank provides financial support under the Metrobank Employees Graduate Assistance Program. This way, Metrobankers can pursue their post-graduate studies with the help of the bank. Similarly, Metrobank also financially supports the education of its employees’ dependents through the Metrobank Educational Assistance for Dependents of Employees Program.

Nurturing Metrobankers’ health and well-being

When the country was hit by COVID-19, Metrobank ensured the well-being of its employees and their loved ones. On top of being covered by the bank’s official HMO provider, Metrobank ramped up its health and wellness programs for employees.

“When the pandemic hit, we knew we had to provide more health and wellness benefits to our employees because these are essential to their productivity and success at work,” said Ortega.

With this, the bank launched two health and wellness programs during the pandemic— #MetrobankCARES and #360COVIDCare program.

#MetrobankCARES prioritized Metrobankers’ mental health. Seeing and knowing employees are struggling with anxiety, stress, and worry during the pandemic, the bank’s Human Resources Management Group mounted different webinar and confidential peer-to-peer sessions, aiming to help employees have a safe and open space to talk about their mental health issues. The sessions covered different health and wellness topics and were facilitated by mental health professionals from the bank and its external partner organizations.

Meanwhile, under the Bank’s #360COVIDCare program, Metrobank tapped ActiveOne Health, a leading corporate clinic and wellness services management provider, to protect and care for Metrobankers’ health and well-being. Through this partnership, the Bank provided its employees with upgraded telemedicine services and training in health and safety and emotional and mental support. Moreover, the bank launched its #VaxForMetrobankers to ensure all employees and their loved ones have the first shield of protection from COVID-19. This program brought Metrobank the Top Banking Employer award at LinkedIn’s 2022 Top Companies List for the Philippines.

Forming an engaging Metrobank culture

Engaged workers do not just do their day-to-day tasks; they are concerned about their colleagues, clients, and the organization they work for, thus they go far beyond their daily duties.

That is why at Metrobank, various channels and activities are in place to ensure that employees are fully engaged and connected to their colleagues, clients, and the communities they serve.

As part of its engagement and innovative efforts, Metrobank uses Facebook Workplace as an internal communication platform. Here, employees can easily talk to one another, form groups to collaborate, and share instant updates about their teams, the industry, and even their common interests like pets, sports, and food.

Meanwhile, to spur the spirit of volunteerism and to connect with the communities that the bank serves, there is the Purple Hearts Club—the employee volunteerism arm of Metrobank that mobilizes in remote communities to conduct disaster and relief efforts. It also helps provide education, health, community and livelihood assistance.

In the aftermath of super typhoon Odette, the Purple Hearts Club quickly came to the aid of affected Metrobankers and various communities in the Visayas and Northern Mindanao areas. The Club was able to bring much-needed relief goods, bottled waters, and funds to those hit by the typhoon.

“Maintaining a high employee engagement is key for us to ensure Metrobankers are fulfilled and energized, which can positively influence them to go beyond what’s expected of them. It naturally helps improve our work culture and influences their mental health and how they relate to others. More importantly, we make them good ambassadors of our bank,” said Ortega.

“At the end of the day, our employees are our bread and butter, they are our prized assets that helped us get to where we are today. That is why we ensure that not only our clients are in ‘good hands,’ we also make sure that our employees belong to a team that values their personal growth, supports their well-being, and provides opportunities for professional growth,” he adds.

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Editor’s Note: BrandedUp is designed to provide you with insightful, inspiring and educational content created by PhilSTAR L!fe in collaboration with brands like Metrobank.