Sterling Financial Holdings Company PLC, a leading force in Nigeria’s financial sector, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Great Place To Work (GPTW) to empower the Group’s Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) customer base with workplace excellence solutions similar to what obtains in Sterling Bank and The Alternative Bank.
The collaboration, born out of Sterling Bank’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, aims to elevate workplace culture and productivity within the SME sector.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony over the weekend, Mr. Tunde Adeola, Executive Director, Commercial and Institutional Banking of Sterling Bank, said the bank has a vision to create thriving work environments for employees in SMEs. He added that the bank has a broader mission to positively impact society and strongly desires to reshape the narrative of Nigerian workplaces for the betterment of society.
“We want to challenge the perception of toxic work environments in Nigeria and create a new standard of workplace excellence,” Adeola said. “By partnering with GPTW, we aim to empower SMEs to foster high-trust cultures and unlock the full potential of their workforce.”
He said it is important for Sterling Bank to tell its own story, which explains why they have, over the years, created an environment where people can be themselves to enjoy their work and their lives. “Having seen the benefits of this approach, we have decided to extend this to the entire society.
We believe that by partnering with other business leaders, we can in turn help them to move forward and influence different businesses,” Mr. Adeola said.
According to Korede Demola-Adeniyi, Executive Director – South, The Alternative Bank, we have to create an enabling environment for everyone to work. This not only boosts productivity but also enhances job satisfaction, attracting top talent and retaining committed team members. A workplace that prioritizes employee well-being, work-life balance, and recognizes contributions creates a foundation for both personal and organizational success.
Also speaking, Temi Dalley, Group Executive, Human Capital & Corporate Services, Sterling Financial Holdings Company, said she was given a blank cheque to create and build an enabling culture that will create limitless career possibilities for employees, which will in turn impact the bank’s growth and profitability, when she joined the bank some years ago.
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Today, the bank has been adjudged as the overall best workplace in the Nigerian Large Corporates Category by GPTW for four consecutive years, she said.
She said during the first year of the transformation journey, Sterling Bank was not even in the top 100 places to work, however by the second year, the story began to change. “Now, this movement is much more than Sterling. It is about impacting the nation by ensuring that organizations in all sectors both private and public, begin to rethink their people’s practices, and build enabling & nurturing environments where people can do their best work and live your best lives.”
According to Temi, Sterling Bank’s mantra – enriching lives is about impacting the lives of its employees, customers, communities and the nation at large. From a sustainability’s perspective the bank hopes to reach many of the SMEs through the initiative and ultimately impact the economy positively.
Mr. Otamere Elegon, Country Manager of GPTW Nigeria, expressed gratitude for the partnership. He noted that GPTW’s collaboration with Sterling Bank will enable them to reach a wider audience of SMEs and contribute to the overall economic growth of Nigeria.
The GPTW is a leading global research, analytics, consulting firm that helps organizations identify, create, promote and sustain great workplaces through the development of high trust workplace cultures.
It also provides recognition services (certification and awards) and is committed to empowering its clients to improve on employee experience and workplace productivity.
SMEs that want to partner with GPTW to enjoy these benefits at no cost to them are welcome to apply by sending an email to [email protected] and the eligibility criteria are:
- Be Sterling bank or AltBank’s customers.
- Employ a minimum of 30 personnel.
- Have a minimum annual turnover of 50 Million Naira.
- Play in the Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable energy, Transportation, IT, and Manufacturing sectors.
