To say that our colleagues are at the heart of our Citizenship commitment is an understatement. With this level of dedication, passion, and relentless effort in supporting our communities, they are the very soul – the foundation of the company.Alexander Harrison, COO, APAC & Country CEO, Singapore, Barclays
Evonne Tan whipping up local delights to raise funds for migrant workers. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
Just like Evonne, the Compliance Management team also participated in ‘56 Acts of Giving’, by supporting 56 local hawkers. They purchased food from them and delivered it to their colleagues, adding a personal note of encouragement for each of them. In 2021 alone, nearly 100 colleagues contributed to local charities, with food being the common thread weaving their efforts together.
Over the last few years, many stories of empathy and kindness towards underserved and under-represented communities have come to the fore. Even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Singaporeans have acted on simple yet effective ideas to build a more inclusive, caring society and promote the spirit of giving towards vulnerable individuals in need. Among these are Barclays employees, driven by passion to make a difference to those who need help the most.
Dhiren Shah rallied his colleagues from across the Operations and Technology departments to support vulnerable local households. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
In addition, along with 40 colleagues, Dhiren arranged for hot meals to be sent to several vulnerable households that were struggling financially . Under this project, which was in collaboration with Mummy Yummy and Willing Hearts, meals were distributed to the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrant workers and lone mother households.
Staff pitched in generously, from preparing ingredients, to packing lunch boxes, distributing, and cleaning up. Likewise, the Compliance team, comprising Adrian Lius, Adrielle Lim and Alicia Tan helped to provide nutritious food packs to support families of those serving time in prison.
Barclays staff often find unique ways to show support for their local communities. Jenny Lim from the Security team imparted employability skills through experience-sharing sessions with participants from Agape , another Barclays LifeSkills partner. She encouraged her colleagues from across different departments in the Singapore office to participate in a “Coffee Session” and share their personal anecdotes on resilience to encourage former prisoners, lone mothers and persons with disabilities on their journey to rebuild their lives.
This engagement motivated her to continue supporting participants through LifeSkills, with one-on-one resume review and interview preparation sessions.
Jenny Lim providing resume feedback to a LifeSkills programme participant. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
Meanwhile, Vishal Garg, a member of the Risk team, led a team of 35 colleagues to support over 300 prisoners who had been selected by the Singapore Prison Service . Vishal’s team taught them basic financial management skills to help ex-prisoners better handle their finances following their release from jail. This kind of support, for Nuraishah, who had been recently released from prison, proved invaluable.
Adjusting to life outside of prison is hard, but as a single mother, Nuraishah’s search for a job was harder. “The LifeSkills session I participated in through Agape was a blessing. I cannot thank the team enough as I was able to get a job at a call centre. I’m overjoyed that I can support my daughter,” says a delighted Nuraishah.
Barclays staff supporting former prisoners, lone mothers and persons with disabilities with resume editing and interview skills at Agape’s training centre. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
There are many people like Nuraishah, who are primary caregivers for their children. Adding to the stigma of being former prisoners, many lack the education and employability skills, which worsens their situation and prevents them from getting a job. Despite their struggles, they welcome any opportunity to learn skills that would enable them to make a decent living.
It is indeed humbling to experience the strong catalytic and supportive spirit of Barclays and its colleagues. We’ve helped more than 300 people find work, and we can see the palpable difference the LifeSkills sessions have made.Joseph See, CEO, Agape
When we see these incredible acts of kindness from our colleagues, we are beyond grateful. It takes a rare kind of mindset and passion to give back so much and so consistently. We are truly proud of each and every one of them.Ee-Ching Tay, Managing Director, and Head of South-east Asia for Banking at Barclays
Barclays staff spending an afternoon with Guide Dogs Singapore to understand how they can better support the visually impaired. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
Every year, hundreds of colleagues contribute their time and expertise – whether to help people gain employability skills, strengthen the local community or the environment, or to support the most vulnerable groups of people around us.Hui Joo Hoo, Managing Director, and Head of Compliance for Asia-Pacific at Barclays
Barclays staff helping the elderly at Awwa with digital skills. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
As the world turns digital, local hawkers at Shunfu Mart were stumped by how they were going to reach out to a wider base of customers. Coming to their aid were Fang Ting Cheung, Li Ting Ong and Madeline Ong, who helped them take their businesses ‘social’. Together with four other colleagues, they set up a Facebook page for the hawker centre, helping to curate content and create a robust social media plan for the hawkers to engage more customers.
Another project was a Food Ideathon – to explore creative ways to address the challenge of food scarcity and support The Food Bank Singapore, one of the bank’s charity partners. Taking the lead was Nishika Ekanayake from the Finance team along with eight other colleagues. “Barclays provided us with an opportunity to find ways of addressing this pressing social issue, giving us a unique platform to collaborate with like-minded colleagues. I’m very honoured to have been a part of the team,” she says.
To say that our colleagues are at the heart of our Citizenship commitment is an understatement. With this level of dedication, passion, and relentless effort in supporting our communities, they are the very soul – the foundation of the company.Alexander Harrison, Chief Operations Officer and Asia-Pacific and Country Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Barclays
Barclays staff assisting the elderly on digital skills at the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Digital Clinic. PHOTO: BARCLAYS
Global corporations play a vital role in addressing the socioeconomic challenges in our world today. When organisations like Barclays support the efforts of their colleagues to do good, they can create magnified and meaningful impact that would resonate for generations to come.