Mutually Inclusive _Issue 2 by VM Group

Volume 2

MAY 2018

MUTUALLY

INCLUSIVE Modern World of

WORK

DRESSED TO IMPRESS AND FOR SUCCESS

LABOUR DAY 2018 VM FITNESS CHALLENGE

STRONG INTEGRATED FINANCIAL GROUP • MODERN MUTUAL • EMPLOYER OF CHOICE • MODEL CORPORATE CITIZEN

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS

e are so excited that you loved our first issue! Thank you so much for your sincere and complimentary feedback. We designed this newsletter with you in mind, so we are pleased to know you love it. In this issue, published under the theme Redesigning for Transformation, we highlight two key topics – progressions in the world of work, and the evolution of professional dress codes.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the team of the Victoria Mutual Foundation, which was launched since our first issue. You have done a great job implementing our vision to continue to improve the quality of life of those we serve – in a more structured and cohesive way. The feature on our Labour Day activities is also in keeping with this mandate. We hope you will find all the content useful, informative and entertaining.

Dressed to Impress and for Success

The Mutually Inclusive team values your contribution and looks forward to your support in our upcoming issues. Enjoy!

How Interactions Shape Your Work Life

Clover & Dayton

VM Fitness Challenge

7 Up Next for the VM Foundation

8 VM ‘FixItUp’ for Labour Day 2018

CONTENTS

Modern world of Work

10 Tell us How You Really Feel

#ModernMutual

WHAT’S TRENDING

MODERN WORLD OF WORK At the heart of this change is increased access to information, facilitated by developments in technology. Career options which were previously unheard of are now thriving. Simply visit someone’s YouTube channel to learn how to become a ‘Social Media Ninja’ or a ‘Chief Business Instigator’ – which are real job titles, by the way. In this new, ever-evolving landscape, following your passion is strongly encouraged, and is something you can do from the comfort of your home. If you’ve ever dreamed of responding to emails in your pajamas, these are the times for you. The modern working world now facilitates multiple and simultaneous careers, encouraging persons to align what they do with their true values and passions. An attorney on weekdays and a hairdresser on Saturdays? Go for it! Employers themselves often seek to maximise the potential of their work force through the use of systems like the DISC Personality Profile assessment, aimed at ensuring the right persons are in the right roles at the right times to achieve the right goals.

he world of work has evolved over time - dramatically, in fact. For the generations that came before us, the path was all neatly laid out – you would go to college/university, eventually earn a degree, then get a ‘good job’. Career choices were often determined by what a parent did – if your father was a ‘media man’ or a doctor, that would likely become your chosen field as well. To deviate from this blueprint was to swim against the tide. Not so in today’s world. Today, things are much different. In 2018, the only limits on where and how you work are the ones you place on yourself.

Another evolution is the flexi-work arrangement, designed to increase productivity and allow employees to better structure their lives. A worker can clock in at, say, 6 a.m., complete eight hours of work, pick up their children from school and be home in time for dinner. Jamaica has been catching on, with the Senate passing the Employment (Flexible Work Arrangements) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act in October 2014. The modern work world features exciting job options which allow you to uncover your strengths and skills, and use that knowledge to build a career which is truly fulfilling. As for formal work attire, that’s optional. VM MUTUALLY INCLUSIVE

Dressed to impress AND FOR SUCCESS S

wiss Bank UBS endured a major scandal in 2010 when it was discovered that the company had issued a 44-page booklet of guidelines for employee dress that included instructions such as underwear shade. Think that’s below the belt? Well, the publication also included advice such as this gem –“You can extend the life of your knee socks and stockings by keeping your toenails trimmed and filed.” Go ahead and laugh, just make sure you don’t have onion or garlic breath, something else UBS warns against. Work place dress codes make for a hot-button conversation in today’s world, where the notion of a boring uniform is increasingly ‘out of fashion’. Toss in the issues of gender equality, religious beliefs and ethnicity, and you end up with a spin cycle of confusion. The very relaxed style of the US tech industry worker allows for significant personal freedom. Perhaps following the example of a usually Dockers-clad Bill Gates, more and more organisations have adopted a business casual dress code. Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg says he wears the same grey T-shirt every day so that he can focus his energy on other decisions. Left to our own devices, we would probably not adhere to a work dress code. “I prefer to wear a lined jacket and pantyhose to work,” said nobody ever. Not on this side of the hemisphere, anyway. Here at the Modern Mutual, we want our people to dress the part. The 2018 uniforms were the showopener, highlighting that the VM Team can evoke style, comfort and elegance. We will continue to embrace a more relaxed dress code, transforming for the modern age. But, before you run out and start buying a bunch of grey T-shirts and Dockers pants, we advise that you stick around for the unveiling of the 2019 VM uniforms. There will be a style option to suit every Team Member. Wink, wink.

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED A NEW PATTERN INTRODUCED IN OUR 2018 UNIFORM.

The VM dress code seeks to balance company identity with personal expression. It is that place TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF OUR NEW PATTERN AT CORPORATEAFFAIRSANDCOMMUNICATIONS@VMBS.COM where the two meet that we can put our best foot forward – in stiletto or flats. Perhaps as the boundaries between home and work become ever blurrier, flats will be replaced by fuzzy slippers. Perhaps! 4

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KNOW YOUR CULTURE TOOLS

PROPERTY OF PIL TOOLS

#MekWiTalkMore

What you say matters:

HOW INTERACTIONS SHAPE YOUR WORK LIFE Let’s face it we – spend most of our lives at work, which means our co-workers, whether we like it or not, are a big part of achieving our professional goals and the goals of the organisation. No one person is responsible for the success of a company; it’s a team effort. It goes without saying that we rely on each other and therefore, trust and sincerity are core parts of professional relationships. So, how can we become more sincere and build trust as we navigate our professional lives? Here are a few tips: From cliché greetings to personal greetings

You meet someone in the hallway. A typical exchange: They: “Hi, how are you?” You: “Fine. And you?” They: “Good, thanks.” Although there’s certainly nothing wrong with this exchange, it’s certainly not inspiring. It’s robotic, unthinking, unmemorable. The story is told of a man who had surgery and was at home recuperating for about three weeks. When he was out and about again, people greeted him with, “Hey, how are you?” He’d respond with, “About 85 percent.” They’d invariably chuckle and stop to

FROM FAKE LISTENING TO ACTIVE LISTENING Don’t just listen to respond. Listen to understand and have a genuine response to you coworkers’ questions and comments. Pause. Look into your coworker’s eyes and listen to him or her. 6

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comment with something original, “Really? 85 percent? That must mean next Monday, you’ll be 92 percent?” An original conversation followed. Now, of course, you may not want to have a conversation every time you greet someone. But an original greeting (“Hey Charlie, how was your commute this morning?”) communicates to others that you’re alert, thinking, seeing them as individual people. (Adapted from 6 Ways Real Leaders Turn Insincerity Into Inspiration By Dianna Booher)

FROM FLATTERY TO SINCERE PRAISE A sincere compliment is specific. Flattery, by definition, is excessive, exaggerated, and primarily of benefit to the one who gives it. A good test of how your praise comes across: Does the person seem pleased or uncomfortable with your comments?

#EmployerOfChoice

VM FITNESS CHALLENGE I

t’s 2018 and unless you’ve been living under a rock scarfing down donuts and fried chicken, fitness is the new buzz word. Here at VM we love this trend as we believe fitness is essential to the overall wellbeing of the entire VM Team. That said, we want each person to take their workout goal – weight loss or fitness – seriously. We will be having a VM Fitness Challenge for the entire VM Team, led by fitness guru Patrice White of Dynamic Lifestyle, with the real test being the VM Summer Games for the entire VM Team. Who wants to earn bragging rights? Be on the lookout for the details; but here is a preview of the workout sessions being led by Patrice at our Corporate Office at Half-Way Tree.

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#ModelCorporateCitizen

UP NEXT FOR THE

VM FOUNDATION

ur Victoria Mutual Foundation was launched earlier this month at the Knutsford Court Hotel in St Andrew. We are positive most of us know the mission of the Foundation but just in case you may have missed it, here goes (say it with us) … it aims to improve the quality of life of Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora. Additionally it will focus on youth empowerment; leadership and nation building; and health and family. Now that the Foundation has been launched, what’s up next?

•

Social Enterprise in Secondary Schools (SESS) Project – The British Council and VM Foundation Team has started the rounds at the six pilot schools for the Social Enterprise in Secondary Schools (SESS) Project. »» The six schools will develop their Social Enterprise in September 2018 »» The second round for the programme begins in June 2018 with 12 schools to be selected. Teachers from the selected schools will be trained in September. »» A second training will be held for the VM Team Mentors with a focus on Volunteerism and Mentorship The Victoria Mutual/ Ministry of Health Adopt-AClinic Project will be a feature of the VM Executives UK Tour in June. Members of the Diaspora will learn

• • •

how they can assist with raising funds needed to support the nation’s clinics The VM Foundation Marriage and Family series kicks off in July VM Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony in August 2018 Resource Mobilisation for Parent-Teachers Associations in July 2018. We will be working with schools to strengthen capacity of PTAs to do Resource mobilisation. To date we have selected three pilot schools including Holy Childhood High School. This new programme seeks to build the capacity of PTAs and schools to understand resource mobilisation techniques and to build skills around identifying resource gaps and the best ways to fill them.

That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? To make these events a reality we need your support whether through time or monetary contributions. For information on how to volunteer with the VM Foundation, visit www.vmbs.com; email foundation@vmbs.com; or call 754-8627. Donations may be made to VMBS account number 401844515. 8

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#TogetherWiAWinna

VM ‘FIXITUP’ FOR

LABOUR DAY 201 With remarkable enthusiasm to give back to their communities, more than 130 Victoria Mutual Team Members rolled up their sleeves and went to work on Labour Day at locations in St Andrew, Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth. The network of VM volunteers, dressed in their ‘Proud Victoria Mutual Volunteer’ T-shirts, looked like an army of VM Soldiers, marching – and labouring – towards a better tomorrow for their communities. Here are some highlights:

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#TogetherWiAWinna

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TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL

n our last issue, we gave you 10 features of the revised PMAS for 2018 and beyond. Here are a few of the comments from our Team Members shared on the revised PMAS. In our next issue, we want your thoughts on our new Cultural Beliefs. Send an email to: VMCorporateAffairs@vmbs.com. Indicate whether we should include your name, or share your thoughts anonymously.

“I welcome the new PMAS assessment /evaluation methodology. I find it to be fair and balanced, in that, it looks on both ‘what we do’- performance objectives, and ‘how we do it’ - desired behaviours. It sets the tone for accountability and a high level of service delivery, which are undoubtedly two integral areas that will foster high performance among Team Members. When the employees perform the business will perform/ grow, which will in turn impact our position in the financial industry.” Sashana Coley

“The remarkable idea of rewarding desired behaviour will most definitely create a healthy teamwork environment to offer excellent customer service to both our internal and external members. I also love the fact that Team Members from all levels are involved in the process of assessing our leaders to ensure that we are all in line with the Strategic Goals. We are now ‘ONE VM’ more than ever and I am confident that this system will bring nothing but success to our VM.” Kethlois MeikleVereen

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