BisB Implements Additional Health & Safety Measures During COVID-19

In light of the pre-emptive steps and measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to reinforce and protect human rights within the framework of combating the spread of COVID 19, Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) demonstrated its complete commitment to supporting its employees during this time, by placing the health and safety of its team as a first priority.

Ms. Afnan Ahmed Saleh, Chief Human Resources and Administration at BisB said, “We consider our employees’ health and safety a top priority, and we continuously strive to support them during this period of uncertainty. In light of this, we launched a series of initiatives to ensure a seamless flow of the work, implementing an effective work-from-home policy, to enable most employees to work remotely as required. We are proud that 88% of our employees were able to work remotely. We reached a percentage norm of 60% of employees working from home at any given time. We offered all the necessary safety precautions across BisB’s buildings and facilities by practicing social distancing, through limiting the number of customers waiting inside the Bank’s premises at any time with reduced working hours across branches. We have also placed protection shields between the customers and staff. All of our employees are required to wear gloves and masks when interacting with customers. The Bank's management endeavored to further digitise services provided in the branches, serving customers in record times and eliminating the need for them to visit the branches personally.”

“We continue to do our best to keep our employees informed of the latest updates during these difficult times, as well as boost employee morale and safeguard their mental wellbeing while working-from-home or being under isolation. In light of this, we held virtual training programs alongside motivational online sessions for employees working from home which focused on promoting positive mental health practices, led by several influential speakers including Dr. Majdi Obaid, Dr. Nabeel Taha, Dr. Gardenia Al-Saffar and Psychologist Ms. Jacqueline Lawson, which were designed to inspire employees and enable them to reach their full potential and renew their commitment to excellence, whether in their personal or professional lives. Weekly BisB Virtual ‘coffee rooms’ were also hosted via Zoom during Ramadan to engage and check-in on employee wellbeing as part of the Bank’s efforts to stay connected. In addition, innovatively onboarding new employees into the Bank without risking their health and safety via conducting virtual induction sessions for new employees ensured they were aware of their roles at BisB while introducing them to the systems, procedures and roles of other departments,” the Chief Human Resources and Administration added.