NASSAU, BAHAMAS—CIBC Caribbean on Thursday announced plans to create a “Digital Branch” out of its current call centres, a move that will result in the closure of its contact centre in The Bahamas.
The bank did not disclose how many Bahamian employees would be impacted by the move in its statement, which highlighted the establishment of a new Call Centre facility in Kingston, Jamaica. Labour Director Howard Thompson told Eyewitness News that most of the employees impacted are expected to accept new roles within the bank.
Thompson said: “CIBC reached out to the Minister of Labour & Public Service, Mrs. Glover-Rolle and I a couple of months ago and informed us of their contemplated reorganization. I subsequently met and have had several teleconferences with seniorepresentativeses of CIBC where they shared with me in detail their restructuring plans and their “digital branch” concept which I found very interesting and innovative to say the least.”
He added: “They assured me, as Director of Labour, that in the event some employees wanted to part ways and not accept new roles in the Bank they (CIBC) will fully comply with any and all employment laws of the Bahamas. I was made to understand by the Bank just last week that it is anticipated and was hopeful that most if not all of the affected staff will likely accept the new roles that will be offered and perhaps a couple of them who are near retirement age may opt for an early retirement. In any event, my Employment Services Unit team at the Department of Labour stands ready to assist any person who may be impacted and we are aware of several commercial and financial institutions who are in the market for persons with commercial banking experience and so assisting with finding jobs in the industry should be relatively seamless.”
The bank said in its statement that it plans to take the service provided by its contact centres to the next level by creating a “Digital Branch” encompassing its call centres in Barbados and Jamaica.
The Bank’s CEO, Mark St. Hill said: “As a dynamic business in an ever-changing banking landscape, we strive to constantly improve our business for the benefit of both our staff and our clients. In line with our goal of providing our clients with a true omni-channel banking experience, in addition to continuing to provide first-class service in our branches, we are converting our Call Centers into true contact centers. In essence, we are reimagining our Call Centres into a Digital Branch.
“This move helps more of our clients who choose to go digital to use our self-serve channels to do their everyday banking, by placing our professionals at their disposal should they need help navigating these channels. It also allows our team members to further develop their skills to become more involved in sales and act as financial coaches to our clients.”
The Chief Information Officer, Esan Peters, under whose remit the Call Centres fall, noted that while the plan requires closing the Bank’s Contact Centre in The Bahamas and relocating the Contact Centre currently located in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to the Kingston area, the bank is making this move after full consultation with all stakeholders. The current Call Centre in Barbados remains.
Peters added that this decision was taken considering the bank’s ability to provide different opportunities for many of its employees currently working in the Jamaica and Bahamas facilities.
He noted: “This exercise is about reallocating our resources with the best possible outcome for all stakeholders, and we are undertaking these changes with their understanding. Our intention is to retain any full-time members of staff who wish to remain in the company. Any employees who are close to retirement or who wish to transition out of the company will also be facilitated. There are also options for redeployment within other areas of the bank available to any employee affected by the changes.”
CIBC Caribbean’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Janine Billy, noted that the development is a carefully coordinated exercise, to ensure that there is the best possible outcome for all employees.
“We’ve had extensive consultations with our employees, our union partners, and where necessary, as in the case of The Bahamas, the Labour Department, to find the best solutions that leave each employee feeling well cared for and accommodated.”
She added: “In Jamaica, for example, we will consider employees who wish to exercise their option to move to Kingston and we are facilitating introductions to other Call Centres in the Montego Bay area for those who don’t. The same is true in The Bahamas where assisted by the Labour Department, we are also facilitating introductions to other companies for affected employees.”
She noted: “For others, we are offering secondment opportunities in other areas of the business so that they can fully leverage their strengths and additional experience, secure the necessary training, and eventually move into other areas of the business in which they are interested. We are creating what we call a Culture of Care in our bank, and these changes are within that context. Our aim is to set up our employees for success so that they can continue to grow and develop in our company.”
St. Hill added: “With the expanded remit of the Call Centres, there may be opportunities for other employees in the company who are interested in sales and developing the specialized skills necessary to be a member of our Digital Branch. With the continued development of facilities such as our LoanStore, increased support for clients using our digital services is critical and we want our team to be fully equipped to take advantage of the available opportunities.”
The changes become effective in June.
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