Recognising the growing significance of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), Dah Sing Financial Group (the Group) has incorporated ESG principles into its core business strategy. The Group's initiatives include advocating for paperless operations and providing support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their transition towards a low-carbon economy. To underscore our commitment to environmental and societal contributions, the Group has also implemented a greenness assessment framework for carbon-intensive industries which allows us to engage customers who are making transitions to go green or to encourage customers to take initiatives to do so.
Amy Chan, General Manager and Group Head of Human Resources, conveyed her appreciation upon receiving the "Employer of Choice Award" for the eighth consecutive year. "Our Group has consistently allocated more resources towards talent development, culture building and ESG initiatives," she stated. "We are thrilled to have our efforts recognised once again."
The Group is strongly committed to ESG principles, and "Workplace" is one of the focuses of its ESG strategy. This includes aspects such as corporate culture, employee learning and development, and employee well-being. In 2021, the Group refined its"Culture and Values" to align with future development goals, including the addition of"Innovation" to its existing six core values.
"As an Employer of Choice, we believe it is essential for our employees to fully embrace and embody our values in their daily work." According to Amy, building an effective corporate culture is a three-stage process that involves enhancing employee understanding and recognition, fostering a sustainable environment that encourages employees to put this culture into practice, and regularly reviewing the effectiveness of cultural initiatives. To achieve this, the Group conducts an annual "Culture Survey" where all employees are invited to participate. The survey serves as a platform to gauge employees' understanding of the company's corporate culture and values, and to collect feedback.
Building a Strong Corporate Culture"We are delighted to report a consistent rise in the overall positive perception score of our survey, which continued to reveal highlevels of affinity for our corporate culture and values - testament to the efficacy of our efforts on culture cultivation."
The Group has also initiated a host of measures and activities to improve employees' understanding of its corporate culture, including the "Dah Sing Star Awards", which is designed to acknowledge employees who consistently exemplify the Group's culture and values in their daily work. "The award has been a significant event for the past eight years, and has received unwavering support from our management team, who served as judges and attended the award ceremony. Award recipients fully embrace the notion that our culture and values are the cornerstone of our business," said Amy.
The Group has also incorporated corporate culture and values into its recruitment criteria. "Our goal is to recruit talent that shares our values. We envision a future where our colleagues' values are seamlessly aligned with the Group."
Encouraging Learning and DevelopmentAgainst the backdrop of ever-evolving market dynamics, the Group remains steadfast in its commitment to bolstering its employees' competitiveness through robust learning and development measures. This year, the Group received the "Corporate Training Award" in recognition of these efforts.
As Amy explained, "We believe in the power of goal-oriented training programmes. Our Group has curated a comprehensive array of training initiatives tailored to the learning requirements of employees across various job levels and functions, from general staff to middle senior managers." The training programmes encompass a range of topics, such as regulatory compliance for frontline staff and licensees, digital transformation, ESG/Green and Sustainable Finance (GSF), Greater Bay Area/cross-border business operations, and customer experience enhancement."
In addition, the Group values the health and well-being of its employees. "In addition to conducting regular reviews and enhancing our medical and other benefits, we introduced flexible work and leave policies prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which were incorporated into the Group's policy last year. The Group also hosts an annual "Wellness Week", which offers a variety of activities to promote physical and mental health. These include massage services, health-related talks, and various interest classes to help employees strike a healthy work-life balance," explained Amy.
Hosting ESG Seminars for SME Clients"Recognising the crucial role that SMEs play in Hong Kong's economy, the Group has made a strategic commitment to help these enterprises transition into a low-carbon economy. Knowing that some SMEs may not be aware of the impact of ESG on their operations, we sponsored a comprehensive range of support including ESG-focused seminars," said Amy. Moreover, to align with climate risk management requirements, the Group has introduced additional loan application measures for clients involved in highemission industries.
Pioneering the Launch of a New "Voice Laisee" ServiceThe Group has also allocated more resources to digitalisation to enhance its mobile banking service. This has included the launch of the industry's first "Voice Laisee" for Chinese New Year since 2023, enabling customers to send "e-Laisees" to friends and relatives accompanied by personalised voice messages.
Furthermore, the Group has developed a proprietary product recommendation engine called "Next Best Action", which analyses customers' financial habits and preferences to predict their future financial needs. Utilising machine learning algorithms and big data analytics, the tool can recommend the most relevant products and services to customers. Following its launch, the tool received a Certificate of Merit at the "Hong Kong ICT Awards 2023 - Fintech (Applied Solution) Award", affirming the Group's commitment to innovation in digital technology.
Over-achieved Paper Reduction TargetsIn order to support environmental conservation efforts and reduce paper usage, the Group established annual targets several years ago and has taken several steps torealise these goals.
Following the relocation of its headquarters in 2021, the Group has successfully implemented its paperless strategy - except for documents needed for regulatory compliance, the Group encourages the use of electronic storage methods, resulting in a substantial decrease in paper usage and physical storage.
To serve its external customers more sustainably, the Group has transitioned to offering e-statements and e-advices, drastically reducing the volume of printed correspondence. Internally, steps have been taken to transition to digital applications and e-receipts across all the branches.
As a financial institution, the Group is dedicated to upholding all relevant laws and regulations, as well as ensuring that its operations are aligned with the ESG considerations. This means delivering a premium service to customers while also implementing green business practices that make a positive contribution to the community.
