The FINANCIAL — On the eve of 2009 companies in Georgia are to announce their best workers. The List of Winners will be announced in January 2009. Meanwhile The FINANCIAL took a look at the current list of ‘Best Workers’ and against what criteria companies assess their workers.
“When we let our employees know that they are valued and appreciated, this increases their loyalty, keeps them content, motivated and focused on the business at hand,” Nino Maisuradze, Head of the HR Department of Bank Republic, Societe Generale Group, told The FINANCIAL.
“In Bank Republic there is in place a Staff Recognition Programme which envisages setting different honour nominations for bank employees. This programme, called BR Awards, is different from an incentive programme. Under an incentive system, the bank awards money or other valuable compensation to its employees for meeting specific performance goals and objectives. In the frame of a recognition programme, on the other hand, the employee is publicly appreciated for their efforts as an individual,” says Maisuradze, Bank Republic.
“While it is important to provide a fair remuneration package, the key for creating an outstanding work environment is making people feel appreciated and recognized for the work they do. Valuing and acknowledging staff contribution is a big motivation for them. In the frame of the recognition programme winning employees receive gifts, corporate awards and certificates of recognition. The winners are invited to join the annual corporate party,” announced Maisuradze, Bank Republic.
“Twice a year our clients and employees vote for BasisBank’s best workers. Clients’ opinions are very important for us, also, employees vote for each other,” Julia Enukishvili, Head of HR department of BasisBank, explained.
“In our branch on Chavchavadze ave, we arrange awards every month, and larger ones – quarterly,” says Lika Gugeshashvili, Director, TBC Bank Chavchavadze Branch.
“In the Best Workers’ estimation process all departments are involved: Credit Office, Front Desk, Customer’s Service Department, Back Office. We name the best workers according to different nominations taking into account the number of total transactions, incomes, outcomes, transfers and service plus,” Gugeshashvili says.
“The nominations, arranged per month, are for: Best Cashier, Best Credit Expert and Best Seller of Banking Products. In the process of deciding, we take into consideration the ‘Customer’s Voice’, where clients express their satisfaction or discontent. They put letters into boxes and later we count the results. Once every three months we reveal the list of Hardworkers, Friendliest Colleagues and Most Faithful TBC Bank Workers. All of them are listed in our special magazine TBC and Tibiselebi,” Gugeshashvili added.
“We name the best workers at the end of the year. We have this nomination for employees of the front office. For all of the bank’s ongoing strategies they are assessed under two criteria: service level and sales,” Sophio Balavadze, PR Manager of Bank of Georgia, told The FINANCIAL.
“We rate our pharmacists once every three months and also at the end of the year. The three months’ estimation is based on fulfilling the chemist’s plan and the results of service monitoring. Service monitoring means checking the pharmacist’s sensitive dependence, their working capacity, consulting skills and working standards,” Maia Robakidze, Head of the HR Department of PSP Pharmaceutical Company, noted.
According to Robakidze, “The monitoring group works secretly with the help of ‘Mystery Customers’. By this our company’s pharmacists unknowingly collect points which are then taken into consideration during their assessment.”
“Bank Republic, Societe Generale Group, will nominate the best employees of 2008 at the beginning of 2009 for their outstanding performance and achievement that has proved exceptionally beneficial for the bank,” Nino Maisuradze says.
If one and the same employee has won at least three ongoing nominations he/she will automatically become the best employee of 2008.
The nominations are: Idea of the Month, Best Sales Person, Best Employee in Customer Service, Best Servicing Branch, Best Portfolio, Best Cost Saving Idea, Cost Saver of the Year, Best Branch Manager, Manager of the Year, Leader of the Year, Innovation of the Year, and Employee of the Year.
“The nominations at Aldagi BCI are for: Best Trainer and Best Listener. We choose the ‘Best’ ones the following way: Best Service Plus’s Instructor, Best Service Plus’s Listener – and we use mystery customers for this purpose,” Medea Tabatadze, Head of the HR department of Aldagi BCI, reports.
“We have numerous nominations, mostly professional ones: Client’s Sympathy, Face of BasisBank, Best Employee of the Year, Best Client’s Service Manager, Best Cashier, Best Service Centre, Best Manager, Best Department, Most Organized Employee, Discovery of the Year,” Enukishvili, BasisBank, stated.
The Best Workers of BasisBank in 2007 were: Tamar Khaduri – Face of BasisBank; Ketevan Tsvariani – Best Client’s Service Manager (Tsariani had worked at BasisBank since 2004, her positions held included: Client’s Service Manager, Manager of a Service Centre in Vera, Service Centre’s Manager of Avlabari); Nodar Berdzenishvili – Best Cashier (Berdzenishvili had worked at BasisBank since 2001, positions held: Cashier, Senior Cashier); Tinatin Machavariani – Best Manager (Machavariani had worked at BasisBank since 1999, positions held: Operator, Head of Operations Department, Head of the Chain of Service Centre’s Developing Department).
“In the previous quarter employee Elena Vasilevskaia was nominated for two positions – Most Collegiate and Hardest Worker. Vasilevskaia first started working as an operator. She was so particular though that after one month we promoted her to the position of Unit Manager of the cashier desks. Vasilevskaia is the hardest worker; she likes the bank and takes her job very seriously, she is friendly and responsible. Even once she’s seen off all her operators at the end of the day, she continues working,” Gugeshashvili, TBC, says.
“Insurance Company Aldagi BCI names its best workers at the end of the year. This can be a simple employee as well as head of a department or even top manager. Winners should have been working at the company for at least a year. The best employee is named by a Certifying Commission. They sum up the staff’s annual working results,” Tabatadze says.
“The commission includes the Chief of Employees, Head of Department and Director of the Company. Our criteria are: high estimating level, where the values of the company are reflected, compulsory conducting demands and different department’s competence criteria,” Tabatadze, Aldagi BCI, added.
“When EBRD entered BasisBank, the General Director had to have four deputies. All of them are employees of our bank. It means they passed all steps and got all nominations,” Enukishvili, BasisBank, told The FINANCIAL.
The Bank annually produces its honoured employees list. Last year’s most honoured employees became Directors of BasisBank. These were: David Tsaava (working at BasisBank since 2002, positions held – Credit Expert, Corporate Loan’s Head of Department, Head of Corporate Direction); Levan Gardapkhadze (at BasisBank since 2002, positions – Manager of Transaction Department, Head of Plastic Cards Department, Head of Projects Developing and Ruling Committee, Retail Director); David Kakabadze (at the bank since 2003); and Lia Aslanikashvili (at the bank since 1999).
The winners of the 3rd quarter of 2008 at TBC Bank’s Chavchavadze Branch were: Tamuna Elbakidze, Sophio Zgudadze and Tiko Kvintradze.
According to Lika Gugeshashvili, “Elbakidze passed different levels. She worked in the customer’s service department, served under Legal Entities and later was appointed as a top accountant. She showed the best results.
“Operations Manager Sophio Zgudadze became the Most Friendly Worker. She knows her work very well and tries to help everyone,” Gugeshashvili noted.
“The Most Devoted Worker at our branch was Sales Manager Tiko Kvintradze. As a sales person her primary goal is to sell the bank’s products. Kvintradze was arranging meeting with potential customers, distributing brochures. She loves the bank very much and consequently takes great care in her work.”
Best Cashier was Khatuna Iremashvili. Iremashvili was the one who made the biggest number of transactions, overall about 2,340.
Best Sales Manager – Sophio Pkhovelishvili. She sold 250 bank products, including current accounts, credit cards, Deposit “My Safe”, Child Deposit, Term plus Deposits and Term Deposit.
Best Cashier-Operator was Sopho Chogovadze. The total amount received by Chogovadze was GEL 951,000.
Best Credit Expert was David Lashkhi. He attracted 245 clients during 9 months.
Besides estimating professional skills, BasisBank has special entertaining nominations: Most Attractive Employee (female), Most Attractive Employee (male), Most Active Employee, Most Cheerful Employee, Most Quick-Witted Employee, Most Polite Employee, Most Grumbling Employee, Most Sincere Employee, Most Taciturn Employee, Most Creative Employee, Most Curious Employee, Most Conservative Employee.
“Such nominations stimulate our workers a lot. It’s a big stimulus for everyone. They then become oriented at becoming the next year’s winners,” Enukishvili added.
“When employees are unhappy, when morale and productivity lag and turnover is not high, the root problem is usually not money. Generally, these difficulties are stemming from a perceived lack of appreciation and recognition,” Maisuradze, Bank Republic says.
Written By Madona Gasanova
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