Continuing its efforts to promote work-life balance and create an overall healthier workforce, Baiduri Bank launched the ‘Feel Good Fridays’ series at the Baiduri Community Space at Baiduri Bank Headquarters yesterday.

The new monthly series of wellness activities is part of the second phase of the Bank’s Employee Wellness Initiative (EWI), that was introduced last November. The EWI is aimed at encouraging Baiduri employees to take care of their physical health and mental wellbeing.

The first event in the ‘Feel Good Fridays’ series, “Cut the Chaos in the Kitchen” was held in collaboration with co-founder of local eateries ‘Fuel’d’ and ‘Glow’, Shazrinah Shazali, better known by her social media personality Shef Shaz (@ShefShaz on Instagram). She is also a certified Health and Fitness Nutritionist and currently serves as the nutritionist for Brunei’s national football team.

Some 100 Baiduri Bank employees attended the event that focused on preparing healthy and convenient meals for the working professional. Meals prepared included yoghurt with homemade granola and fresh fruit, as well as Vietnamese spring rolls. The event ended with a special talk by Shazrinah titled ‘The Gut and Brain Connection, and How it Affects Our Relationship with Food’.

The goal of the EWI’s second phase is to build on existing Bank initiated after-work activities to nurture camaraderie and teamwork among employees. These activities will be led by the Bank’s Wellness Ambassadors - selected employees who are champions of advocating a wellness culture among their colleagues. These Wellness Ambassadors will also undergo specialized training to equip them with the knowledge and skills to promote a healthier lifestyle supported by the Health Promotion Centre at the Ministry of Health.

Speaking about the launch of the second phase of the EWI, Ms Veronica Chong, Head of Group Human Resources and Administration, said : “Baiduri Bank is pleased to keep up momentum of its Employee Wellness Initiative with these monthly activities, so that we can grow together to support a healthy ’body and mind’ culture, and in turn, promote our employees’ wellbeing”.

Meanwhile, Mr Ti Eng Hui, the CEO of Baiduri Bank, explained that the EWI recognises the need to promote a healthy well-being as it can have many benefits, including healthier and happier employees.

He added: “Our success greatly depends on the productivity and performance of our employees. 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.

“With this initiative, we are actively working towards a holistic approach to promote mental and emotional health along with financial wellbeing, in line with and supporting the Ministry of Health’s vision of ‘Together Towards a Healthy Nation’.”

In the coming months, the ‘Feel Good Fridays’ series will comprise various activities and observe different wellness themes, ranging from social and intellectual themes that aim to foster group interactions and community involvement, to mental and spiritual themes that nurture the employees’ overall wellbeing with a focus on mental health.