The human touch in finance
Purpose-driven employee engagement. To truly appreciate the power of purpose, consider the story of Maybank.
Officially known as Malayan Banking Berhad, Maybank is Malaysia’s largest bank and one of Southeast Asia’s financial powerhouses. What sets it apart, however, is not scale – but clarity of purpose.
Maybank’s mission is simple yet profound: “Humanising financial services.” This is not a slogan. It is a way of doing business.
In a culture where hierarchy traditionally carries significant weight, Maybank faced a critical challenge: how do you create agility and psychological safety in an organisation where titles matter deeply? Following the 2008–2009 financial crisis, the answer became clear. Humanising financial services would guide not only customer interactions, but internal culture as well. Ideas had to flow freely. Every voice had to count.
Purpose under pressure
The COVID-19 pandemic put this commitment to the ultimate test. As SMEs struggled and government relief fell short, Maybank didn’t wait for instructions. Driven by a shared sense of purpose, employees across the organisation took initiative.
In just three weeks (a remarkable feat for a large institution), they built a platform connecting merchants with providers, cutting through bureaucracy and delivering immediate, practical support.
From boardroom to frontline, people were united by something bigger than roles or hierarchy. In that moment, humanising financial services became a lifeline.
Purpose only matters when it is lived
The Maybank story is one example of how purpose-driven employee engagement becomes real when it is translated into behaviour, decisions and systems.
In Employee Engagement, What Else? you’ll discover how organisations apply the 12 drivers of engagement in practice, across leadership, culture, communication and everyday moments that matter.
The book offers concrete examples, reflection questions and practical angles for leaders who want engagement to be more than a survey score.
➡️ For readers who want to move from inspiration to application