Stress and uncertainties caused by the pandemic took a heavy toll on our employees, and Ujjivan SFB was quick to step in with programmes that helped to address many of the challenges that they were facing. From vaccination programmes to ESOPs for high performance, challenges were tackled with empathy and encouragement, and our employees responded by making us a ‘Great Place to Work,’ yet again, for the 12^th consecutive year.

Standing by Employees in Times of Crisis

Ensuring that our employees and their families stayed safe and healthy during the pandemic was a key concern for us.

The COVID-19 Quick Response Team (QRT), which had been established at the start of the pandemic in February 2020, swung into action during the second wave, too. QRT, which worked as the central COVID task force, and was led by our National Leadership Team members and REC heads of respective regions, worked in sync with the QRT Command Center.

One of its key tasks was to regularly monitor the health status of employees suffering from COVID, and to provide them with the necessary support. QRT kept itself abreast of all government guidelines, and the evolving external situation, and released advisories and guidelines to minimise impact for both, the business and employees.

Ujjivan SFB organised extensive vaccination drives and by the end of March 2022, nearly 99.68% of our staff had been vaccinated. In addition, Ujjivan SFB provided reimbursements for vaccinations of both, our staff and their family members. We spent almost ₹9.15 Lakhs towards health in this fiscal.

Other supportive measures taken were:

• Doctor-on-call services were made available when the pandemic peaked, and finding reliable medical help was a challenge. 5,400 employees and their families were supported.
• Doctor-on-site arrangements made for our employees based out of corporate/regional offices. More than 700 employees and their family members received assistance.
• Virtual counsellor support provided for mental wellness of both our employees and their family members.
• Ujjivan SFB maintains a welfare trust through which financial assistance is provided to employees and their family members for medical emergencies in cases where financial support is required. The pandemic created unprecedented distress with medical emergencies often overwhelming employees and their families. The trust extended help, with ₹9.67 Lakhs of assistance provided.

Training Delivered through Physical and Digital Means

Once the impact of the pandemic had receded, Ujjivan SFB was quick to restart its training journey. The pandemic had put a stop to most training activities and the consequent knowledge depletion had to be recovered. A significant amount of training, particularly those related to inductions and functional efficiencies, had been delivered digitally. However, the need for physical training was still strongly felt, especially for the front-end staff. Therefore, from Q3 FY22, a hybrid training model was implemented. Certifications and other modules were closed through the virtual Learning Management System.

Certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’

Addressing High Attrition: The first quarter of FY 2021-22 was one of the most difficult in the Bank’s history, and our employees were under enormous stress due to the external crisis, and work pressure caused by the pandemic upheavals. Attrition rates increased, but then we were resolute to turn the tide. The high employee turnover was stemmed with some highquality recruitments across the levels. The 6,061 employees who exited during the pandemic period, were replaced by 6,385 in FY 2021-22, and we closed the fiscal with 16,571 employees, and an attrition rate of 26.40%.

Recognition through ESOPs: The Bank clocked a steady performance across multiple product categories in spite of the exceptionally tough times. Our customers are primarily from the small- and mediumscale sector, and belong to modest income groups, and were particularly buffeted by the harsh economic conditions. Yet, together, we emerged on the other side. In recognition, Ujjivan SFB ensured that its stellar employees got recognised and the Ujjivan SFB Board approved an ESOP scheme, which benefited 47.6% of its employees.

GPTW for the 12^th year: Ujjivan SFB has been among the top 25 Best Places to Work (across industries) in India, for more than a decade. Achieving this feat consistently, and through the challenge-ridden pandemic years, has been nothing short of remarkable. But it is our employees who have made this possible, and who keep making us a better bank each day, through their commitment.