Since the launch of its Employee Wellness Initiative (EWI) back in November 2020, Baiduri Bank has held multiple activities at its Headquarters to promote wellness lifestyle practices amongst its staff. Wrapping up the first quarter of this year’s activities was a health talk and workshop delivered by Dr On Sui Chee from Lee Clinic & Dispensary on 24 March 2021 at the Baiduri Community Space.

More than 50 staff from the Bank joined the workshop that covered the topic of heart health and diabetes, two of the biggest noncommunicable diseases (NCD) in Brunei Darussalam. The Bank’s Learning and Development Unit also introduced various activities to highlight healthy nutrition habits as well as everyday wellness practices. Local food supplier, Brunei Halal, was also invited to participate, where staff had the opportunity to sample healthy products that are endorsed by the Health Promotion Centre (HPC) at the Ministry of Health. As the Bank recognises the importance of wellness on staff productivity, this workshop was considered as part of staff development.

The Bank has also held various activities geared towards encouraging Baiduri staff to nourish their physical health and mental wellbeing throughout the past three months.

The Wellness activities kicked off earlier in February with a workshop and training session for the Baiduri Wellness Ambassadors - selected staff who champion a wellness culture among their colleagues. The workshop was held in collaboration with the Health Promotion Centre (HPC) at the Ministry of Health to equip the Wellness Ambassadors with the basic understanding of healthy diets and nutrition as well as the importance of physical exercise within the workplace.

The ambassadors were also trained how to use Baiduri’s in-house basic health monitoring equipment such as blood pressure monitors, glucose and cholesterol machines, and the Body-Mass-Index (BMI) scale to be equipped to conduct health check related initiatives as needed in the Bank.

Then the Bank launched ‘Feel Good Fridays’ (FGF), a series under the EWI that commits to hold monthly activities led by the Baiduri Wellness Ambassadors. The first event in the series focused on preparing healthy and convenient meals for working professionals guided by Shazrinah Shazali, a certified health and fitness nutritionist and the owner of local eatery Fuel’d.

Speaking about the success of the initiative among its staff, Ms Veronica Chong, Head of Group Human Resources and Administration, said: “We are very pleased with our progress on advocating wellness within Baiduri Bank so far. It shows that our staff are very interested in becoming healthier and to achieve good work-life-balance.”

“We will be looking to hold more activities and collaborate with medical experts and local vendors to better engage and raise awareness amongst our staff on the importance of nutrition, physical and mental health.”

Meanwhile, Mr Ti Eng Hui, the CEO of Baiduri Bank, explained that the Employee Wellness Initiative recognises the need to promote a healthy well-being as it can have many benefits, including happier staff.

He added: “Our success greatly depends on the productivity and performance of our staff. This ability to function and perform at a high level consistently hinges on having a workforce that is happy, healthy and resilient in both mind and body.”

The goal of the EWI’s activities is to enhance staff engagement within the Bank, promoting good working culture and well-being. For the rest of the year, there will be continuous activities and different wellness themes, that aim to foster group interactions and community involvement as well as to nurture the staff’s overall wellbeing with a focus on mental health.