As the debate on workplace diversity goes universal, the Cypriot paper Sunday Mail profiled two women from Malta's largest contact centre, HSBC UK Contact Centre Malta, now inviting applications for customer services associate from Cyprus.
Rebecca Durke, recruitment officer, and Christine Borg, team manager of PPI Department, talk about their experiences and aspirations.
"Women comprise a very high proportion of our workforce at 57 per cent. In the HSBC's global community, advancement of employees has high priority," said Durke. "Each and every employee's sense of worth and assurance as well as a sense of direction are dependent upon the attainment of their work goals and we have tried to provide conditions where these can be flourished. As a working mum of two, I understand the importance of creating that nurturing environment."
HBEU forms part of the UK network of contact centres, supporting customers with UK accounts. Since its foundation in 2006 in Malta, the centre has experienced steady growth. When it opened its doors to potential employees 10 years ago, the goal was to have a workforce of 250. Today the staff numbers more than 440 and they are all trained to assist UK account holding customers with their daily telephone and internet banking needs.
HBEU handles some 18,000 calls per day from its centrally located modern premises. The Centre offers exceptional opportunities for training and job development, to help its employees achieve their full potential and fulfil their career ambitions.
From the moment employees start working at the contact centre, they benefit from HBEU's culture of investment and development. In fact, the centre's in-house training programmes are so comprehensive that new employees need to only have a good command of English and basic computer literacy.
"I started as a customer service associate and progressed to becoming a team manager. I currently manage a team of 12 colleagues," said Borg. "When I joined the HSBC contact centre in Swatar, I had no banking experience or qualifications, but I was encouraged to take the training seriously, and eventually progressed my way up with opportunities."
Applying for a job at the HSBC Contact Centre is pretty straightforward. An age neutral CV can be forwarded to[email protected] to register one's interest and to initiate the hiring process.
As far as career advancement is concerned, secondments to different areas of the business are always an exciting option. It's worth mentioning that the job also comes with certain enticing perks such as discounted rates on loans, life insurance and private health care.
The Centre also has a shift swapping facility that offers employees more flexible work hours.
"There are many fulfilling aspects to my work," said Borg. "To witness the passion and commitment of my colleagues to resolve important personal financial issues of our customers is absolutely inspiring. However, the ability to train new team members and watching them as their characteristics take shape for a globalised career is deeply satisfying to me."