Winners rationale

Because employees are, in many respects, the lifeblood of any organisation, much can be learned about a business’s health and sustainability by the way it approaches the wellbeing of its staff, whether through providing training and development, systemic access to management, support services, or, fundamentally, an inclusive culture.

For the third consecutive year, Goldman Sachs has not only demonstrated in emphatic fashion that it places the utmost importance on the wellbeing of its employees across all facets of the work-life interface, but that it routinely reflects upon its responsibilities as an employer of choice by continuing to improve and refine its employee proposition.

Indeed, few if any banks in Asia go to greater lengths than Goldman Sachs to attract talent from a diverse range of backgrounds and geographies, as evidenced by its social media-enabled recruitment process that has proven a success with the newest generation of professionals, as well as the private bank’s apprenticeship programme with Hong Kong’s PWMA and HKMA that exposes second-year university students to the firm, thereby opening a pipeline for future recruits.

From the get-go, new joiners receive 360-degree support from Goldman Sachs. The firm places a major emphasis on mentoring and systematic feedback to draw the best out of its employees and to ensure that all staff are aligned around a common goal. To this end, the bank rolled out a PWM Mentoring Month in 2017 to reinforce mentee-mentor connections, with recent joiners encouraged to participate in roundtable discussions to help them get more out of their personal connections within the firm. In 2017, Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management completed 158 mentorship pairings.

Furthermore, the bank’s New Private Wealth Advisory Program in Asia provides new joiners with intensive training in Hong Kong and New York across the full spectrum of relevant topics to ensure full integration and productivity in the shortest possible period of time.

Goldman Sachs is also an industry leader in terms of providing a workplace environment that prioritises diversity and individual expression, as well as a healthy work-life balance.

The bank’s forward-thinking approach to employee wellbeing extends to its concern for physical wellness and health, psychological services, recreational opportunities, and maternity and familial support and benefits. More recently, Goldman Sachs introduced a new initiative that supports employees on maternity leave at different stages and recently-returned mothers with integration.

Ultimately, Goldman Sachs continues to set best practices for the industry in terms of what it means to be an employer of choice, deservedly earning the title of Employer of the Year for 2017.