Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Great Place To Work (GPTW) to empower the group’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customer base with similar workplace excellence solutions with those obtained in Sterling Bank and The Alternative Bank.
The collaboration, born out of Sterling Bank’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, aims to raise workplace culture and productivity in the SME sector.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony at the weekend, Mr. Tunde Adeola, Sterling Bank’s Executive Director, Commercial and Institutional Banking, said the bank has a vision to create thriving work environments for SME employees. He added that the bank has a broader mission to positively impact society and is keen to reshape the jobs narrative in Nigeria for the betterment of society.

“We want to challenge the perception of toxic work environments in Nigeria and create a new standard of excellence in the workplace,” Adeola said. “By partnering with GPTW, we aim to empower SMEs to foster cultures of trust and unlock the full potential of their workforce.”

He said it’s important for Sterling Bank to tell its own story, which explains why over the years they’ve created an environment where people can be themselves to enjoy their work and their lives.

“After seeing the benefits of this approach, we decided to expand it to the whole society.

“We believe that by partnering with other business leaders, we can in turn help them advance and influence different businesses,” Mr. Adeola said.

According to Executive Director – South, The Alternative Bank, Korede Demola-Adeniyi, there is a need to create an enabling environment for everyone to work as this “not only increases productivity but also increases job satisfaction, attracting talent to top and keeping team members involved. . A workplace that prioritizes employee well-being, work-life balance, and recognizes contributions creates a foundation for personal and organizational success.

Also speaking Group Executive, Human Capital and Corporate Services, Sterling

Financial Holdings Company Temi Dalley said he was given a blank check to create and build an enabling culture that will create unlimited career opportunities for employees, which in turn will affect the bank’s growth and profitability, when he joined the bank a few years ago.

Today, the bank has been named by GPTW as the best workplace in the large corporate category in Nigeria for four consecutive years, she said.

She noted that in the first year of the transformation journey, Sterling Bank was not even in the top 100 jobs, however, in the second year, the story began to change. “Now this move is much more than Sterling. It’s about impacting the nation by ensuring that organizations across all sectors, both private and public, start to rethink their people practices and build enabling and empowering environments where people can do their best work and live their best. better life.”

According to Temi, Sterling Bank’s mantra – enriching lives means impacting the lives of employees, customers, communities and the nation at large. From a sustainability perspective, the bank hopes to reach many of the SMEs through the initiative and ultimately have a positive impact on the economy.

The Country Director of GPTW Nigeria, Mr. Otamere Elegon, expressed his 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.