HRM

POLICIES OF
BANK AL
FALAH

Group Members

Mehran Ali
Qasim Manzar
Usman khan (Group Leader)
Abid Rauf
Shahan Hamza

DEMOGRAPHICS

Bank Alfalah was incorporated on June 21, 1997

as a public limited company under the
Companies Ordinance 1984.
Bank Alflah is a private bank in Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bahrain owned by the
Abu Dhabi Group.
Chairman of Bank Alflah is H.H. Sheikh Hamdan
Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan & said Atif Bajwa,
President & CEO, Bank Alfalah in pakistan.
Bank Alfalah is the 6th largest bank of Pakistan
with 648 branches in Pakistan and abroad.
Bank Alfalah earns Profit before Taxation of Rs.
10.283 Billion at the end of third quarter 2015.

Vision

To be the premier organization

operating locally and internationally
that provides the complete range of
financial services to all segments under
one roof.

Mission

To develop & deliver the most innovative

products, manage customer experience,
deliver quality services that contribute
to

brand

competitive

strength,
advantage

establish
and

enhance

profitability, thus providing value to the

stakeholders of the bank.

Corporate Culture & Core Values

Bank Alfalah aims to inculcate a nurturing and invigorating corporate culture

based on providing a safe, healthy and supportive environment where staff
members are valued, respected and able to realize their full potential. This culture
is based on the following core values:

Core Values
Humility
Extreme Customer Care/Focus
Courtesy and Respect
Honesty, Integrity and Trust
Commitment and Hard work
Creativity, Innovation and Quality
Justice and Fairness to all Stake-Holders
Open, Honest and Direct Communication
Provider of growth and equal opportunity

Elements of the HR Strategy

Recruitment
We aim to induct the right people, with the right skills, in the

right place at the right time. This aspect of HR job is crucial for
attainment of organizational objectives. This will be achieved
in three ways:
By inducting substantial numbers of fresh graduates every year
under the Management Trainee Officers, Operations Officers, Cash
Officers and Sales Officers batches.
By systematically inducting experienced bankers as and when
needed, through a centralized recruitment system, using the Banks
Recruitment Portal, advertising in papers and using head hunters
for senior positions.

By implementing appropriate selection tests and interviews at

junior levels and panel interviews at senior levels.

Training & Development

Training and development of staff is considered to be of crucial

importance for Bank Alfalahs long term sustainable growth.

In order to ensure that the skill levels of all BAL team

members are at optimal levels, detailed plans are prepared to
meet training needs of the entire staff of the Bank. Much of
the training is to be conducted in-house, while the rest
(especially for senior levels), is to be outsourced, using high
quality local and international training providers.

 Training within the Bank is implemented

through the Learning Centers.

Content wise, the training effort is
channelized.
Technical training in fields of Banking
Operations,
Credit,
Trade
Finance,
Consumer Finance.
Training in Sales and Customer Service
skills
Managerial skills.
Leadership skills.
Personal effectiveness skills.
Current topics like Anti Money Laundering
Measures.

Compensation and
Benefits
We need to ensure that our salary package

and benefits are in line with the market.

Towards this end, the Bank participates in
a
recognized
benchmarking
survey
periodically.

Performance Management
System

A performance based,
just
and
fair
Performance
Management System is
in place, under which
supervising
officers
evaluate performance
of their people based
on pre-agreed targets,
covering multi-pronged
performance criteria.

Retention & Motivation of Employees

The biggest challenge we face in the coming years is retaining top
talent within the organization. Efforts in this area will focus on the
following HR actions:
Systematic job rotation of all employees
Career counseling
Succession planning
Systematic Reward and Recognition schemes.
Establishing an organization-wide talent pool and grooming its
members for future managerial assignments
Offering senior level positions and overseas posting to existing
employees through internal job postings, under merit based selection
criteria
Establishing a variety of internal communication channels i.e.:

Employee Portal
Monthly staff meetings
Notice boards at central employee locations at all offices (like lunch room or
main back-office circulation area etc.)
Voice of Employee survey.

A Nurturing Corporate Culture

Bank Alfalah adheres to a number of core

values, which form the basis of a nurturing

and invigorating corporate culture. We
need to ensure that all BAL policies and
procedures conform to the said culture.

Compliance with
Regulatory Requirements
HR & Learning Group will ensure that at all

our HR related policies and their

implementation are in line with all
regulatory requirements, Labour Laws, SBP
regulations (including PR-G1, SBP Fit and
Proper requirements), income tax rules and
other governmental regulations.

Organizational Structure
of Bank Alfalah Limited

The Management structure is headed by the Chief Executive Officer. In the absence
of CEO, the Chief Operating Officer officiates as acting CEO and the Chairman of
Central Management Committee / Central Credit Committee of the Bank.

The Chief Operating Officer directly reports to the Chief Executive Officer of the
Bank. In the absence of CEO, COO will officiate as CEO. In the absence of CEO and
the COO, Chief Risk Officer will be acting as CEO.

Divisions at Head Office are supervised by Group Heads/ General Managers/

Divisional Heads. The branch network of Islamic Banking is headed by Group Head
Islamic Banking and the branch network of conventional banking is headed by
Group Head Retail South & New Initiatives & Group Head Retail Central, North &
Consumer Banking.

The establishment of new departments or merger/ de-merger of departments will be

approved by CMC and ratified by Board Human Resources Committee (BHRC) or the
Board as the case may be.

Group Head - Human

Resources & Learning

HR Rewards
HR Recruitment & Strategy
HR Financial Services
HR Operations
Learning & Development

BASIC WORK PLACE

RULES
General norms of office behavior that all

employees of Bank Alfalah need to abide.

Office Discipline &

Decorum
All staff members working in any Unit/Branch will :

Observe, comply with and obey all orders and directives

which may, from time to time, be given by any person or
persons under whose jurisdiction, supervision or control they
may be placed.

Conduct themselves in orderly and civilized manner so as to

maintain a pleasant and conducive working environment, and
not to disturb their colleagues working in close proximity.

To use low tone of voice and not speak loudly to colleagues

across desks.

Dress Code

Dress code for all male employees of the Bank is suit and necktie. Female
employees should also dress elegantly (keeping in mind our cultural norms)
without being ostentatious. Employee may wear national dress on Fridays.
Similarly, staff members of units not dealing directly with customers may
attend office without jackets and neckties (business casual dress) on
Saturdays (subject to working day on Saturdays as per SBP guidelines). Non
clerical staff i.e. messengers, security guards, office boys, machine
operators, maintenance staff will always be in uniform.

Islamic Banking Groups dress policy will be applicable for employees

working at Islamic Banking Group.

Courtesy and Manners

Employees of Bank Alfalah will

maintain
utmost
courtesy
and
exemplary manners when interacting
with clients or with each other. Any
violations of this code should be
brought to the attention of supervising
officials as well as the HR & Learning
Group for their information, record and
remedial or disciplinary action.

Smoking and Chewing Paan

(beetle leaves) at the Office

Smoking and chewing of Paan is prohibited

in all offices of the Bank.
Customers may politely be informed of this
regulation, introduced in the interest of health
and welfare of all concerned as well as
keeping the premises neat and clean and
pollution-free.
Through
these
rules
Bank
Alfalah
demonstrates to the outside world that as an
institution it cares for the people and the
environment.

Attendance and
Punctuality

Punctuality is one of the basic rules of

office discipline, which needs to be
meticulously
observed
by
all
employees of the Bank.
Office timings may be changed by the
Banks management to comply with
governmental regulations/State Bank
of Pakistan.

Code of Ethics

All staff members must sign the Code

of Ethics document which contains
details of norms of office behavior.

RECRUITMENT, SELECTION
AND PLACEMENT

General
The Bank is an equal opportunity employer
The Bank shall select and appoint

employees through a systematic, nondiscriminatory and merit based selection

process

Minimum Entry
Requirement

Permanent/Contractual.

Graduation or equivalent qualification from a recognized national or

foreign university or educational institution.

Non-graduates with relevant experience in specialized areas may also be

considered for hiring with the concurrence of the Group Head HRLG and
only under special circumstances to be recorded in writing. Preferably,
these shall be hired on Contractual basis and their services may be
regularized subject to meeting the minimum educational requirements
and Test criteria.

The minimum hiring age shall not be less than 18 Years and candidate
must possess a valid CNIC.

Hiring of Close/ Blood

Relatives

The
Bank
does
not
prohibit
employment of close or blood relatives
of current employees, provided that
they meet required eligibility criteria,
no conflict of interest is likely to arise
and prior approval is obtained from
Group Head.

Recruitment
Classification

Fresh graduates can be inducted through

Batch Hiring or Individual hiring process,
depending on the business needs/
requirement. The batch hiring can be
under the following categories:
Management Trainee Officers (MTOs)
Operations Officers (OOs)
Cash Officers (Cos)
Any other category as and when
required by the Bank

Lateral Recruitment

Experienced resources from the market or other financial institutions

shall be hired depending on the business needs of the Groups against
the budgeted positions/ head count.

The Bank may also re-employ the services subject to the following:

The employee had resigned on their own accord and was not terminated/
dismissed from Banks services on disciplinary grounds

The employee had a satisfactory performance track record during the past
service with the Bank

The previous years of service would not count for any terminal benefits

Additionally, upon retirement from Banks Services, the individual can

be re-hired on Contract basis subject to business requirements.

Selection Test

The test shall be arranged and

conducted by HR for the candidates.
Candidates obtaining the passing
criteria as devised and approved by
Group Head - HR, shall proceed further
for selection interview process.

Selection Interview

The candidates as selected above or

not falling under the criterion of the
Selection Test shall be required to
undergo the Interview process. The
criterion shall be as follows:

Offer Placements

Recruitment department shall prepare

and negotiate the Salary Range and
Compensation level with the candidate
based on the experience, existing
salary, job profile and salary survey as
appropriate.

Joining Formalities:

HRM shall ensure that all joining

formalities must be completed
before the employee joins the Bank.

Confirmation in Banks
Services

For those with less than five years of

prior relevant experience: Six (6)

months

For
those
with
prior
relevant
experience of 5 years & above: Three

(3) months

Renewal of Contract:

Employees on Bank Contracts shall

stand relieved from the services unless
the contract is renewed.
Contract Renewal authority shall be the
same as per Delegation of Authority.
Incase of renewal of contracts for
employees above the age of 60 Years,
CEO/ Presidents approval shall be
required.

Minimum Service
Agreement

All Entry Level recruits and Lateral recruits (Entry level,

Audit Finance Officer) with less than 1 year of relevant
banking experience shall be required to sign the Surety
Bond for Minimum Service in the Bank for a period of 3
Years. The amount of Surety Bond shall be recommended
by Group Head HR and be approved by CEO/President.

The CEO/ President or the Group Head - HR may waive off

the condition for payment of surety depending on the
circumstances of the case.

JOB DESCRIPTION

All new employees of the Bank should initiate preparation of their Job
Description and should get it finalized with the help of their immediate
supervisors within 30 days of joining at their place of posting. The Job
Description duly signed and agreed by both the employee and his/her
immediate supervisor should be sent to HR & Learning Group for record.
Concerned Branch Managers/ Area Managers ( and in case of Head Office
Staff, concerned Departmental Heads will be responsible for compliance of this
requirement.

The purpose of the Job Description is to clearly define the job responsibilities of
each employee and to ensure that the employees are made aware of and
understand what is expected from them. The standardized Job Description
Form is made available to all employees at the time of joining.

Job Rotation

Staff members posted at branches should be rotated or transferred

periodically according to the following guidelines:

For clerical, supervisory and officer level positions, rotation or

transfer may be done upon completing around three years in one
assignment.

For Departmental Heads or Managers the maximum period in one

assignment should not exceed five years. Exceptions are allowed,
after due approval by Group Head HR, in circumstances where the
branches are remote or the person is in a specialist role.

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

POLICY of BAL

In-House Learning Programs.

New Joiners Learning Programs.

Batch Learning Programs.

External Learning Programs (local and international).

Learning Programs for all support functions such as Finance, Admin, HR

and Learning Groups.

E-Learning and Certifications.

Summer and/or any other branded internship Programs.

Any other learning and development activities in the Bank.

Internship Policy & Certificate

Eligibility Criteria
Enrolled in 16 years of education RS. 8000/-

with minimum 2.8 CGPA

Enrolled in 18 years of education RS.
10,000/- with minimum 2.5 CGPA

After successful completion of 3 months

internship period internship Certificate
may only be issued by authorized
officers of HR.

SALARY, ALLOWANCES & BENEFITS

FOR PAKISTAN BASED STAFF

Salary Disbursement
Staff monthly salary is disbursed before the

end of each month usually on 26th/27th of

the month..

Advance against Salary

Employees

in need of funds for an

emergency may be allowed advance
against salary for the current month to be
adjusted in full on disbursement of salary.

Effect of Leave without

Pay on Salary

Salary deduction on account of leave

without pay will apply to the entire
salary package of the concerned
employee, including allowances and
perks.

Other Facilities /
Entitlement

Cell Phone Allowance on functional

basis
Based on functional requirement, a small

limit of Cell Phone Allowance may be

allowed to employees, to be approved by
Group Head HR & Learning.

Job cum Grade Fuel Entitlement

Job related fuel entitlement of various

positions.

Employees Financial Assistance

Scheme to Pursue Executive
MBA From Reputable
Institutions

Bank Alfalah will provide financial

assistance
to
encourage
our
permanent staff members to pursue
EMBA (Executive Masters of Business
Administration) program from any
reputable MBA awarding Institution.

Eligibility

All Full Time Staff Members (FTEs) of any Range will be

eligible to apply after clearing Entry Test of any recognized
EMBA awarding educational institution of Pakistan.

Applicants should have at least 3 years experience with Bank

Alfalah Limited with a maximum age limit of 45 years.

Only those employees who have scored minimum Very Good

ratings in the last 3 years of employment are eligible to apply
for the financial assistance. Those who have been subject to
a Disciplinary Action at any point of time will not be eligible.

Selection Criteria

Selection panels, based on recommendation from respective Group

Heads and on merit, will approve nominations received.

Candidates

clearing

Entry

Test

and

interviews

of

respective

institutions, from each Group will be selected for a penal interview.

The cost of entry test would be borne by the candidates themselves

Applications from the candidates should reach respective Group

Heads through Departments/Divisions/Area and Regional Offices.

A maximum number of ten candidates will be provided

financial assistance for EMBA program. This total number can be

reduced by the Management.

Terms & Conditions applicable in

case of separation from the
Banks
services:
Bond for five years service, post completion, of the said EMBA
program is mandatory. In case an employee resigns and leaves
before this period, pro-rata recovery will be done by the bank.

If the employee wants to leave BAL during the EMBA program, the
cost incurred by the Bank will be recovered at the time of separation.

In case the employee fails in the program or drops out due to any
reason, the cost incurred by the Bank will be recovered from the
employee.

The selected employee needs to sign a vetted undertaking covering

the above aspects.

Upon selection

Bank will bear the total cost of the entire program for selected
employee. However, cost will be charged to the respective Groups.

Selected employees attending the program from other cities shall

preferably use Hostel accommodation at MBA awarding institution.
Where, the Hostel accommodations are not available, the Bank
shall provide accommodation in the Banks Guest House (where
available) or as per their grade entitlement. This expense shall be
charged to the respective Groups.

Any additional or incidental costs/charges will be borne by the

employee.

PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Objectives of Performance Management

Improving the performance of the Bank and its

staff members
Laying a solid foundation for relationships
between staff and management
Clarifying performance targets for all
Using the process for career planning and
professional development of staff
Review of salary, assignment and career path
Award of bonus(es)
Provide a basis for Promotion to higher salary
ranges and functional responsibilities.

Promotion to Higher
Grades

Promotion to higher grades depends upon operational needs on the basis

of current assignment. The other important factors are as follows:

Banks overall policy of promoting certain number of people in

specified salary ranges to maintain a balance between number of
employees in various ranges.

Requirements emanating from operating units for staff of higher

seniority to suit their operational needs, based on their current
assignment, performance and potential for future growth.

The minimum Service period in each range would be 2 years to

become eligible for next promotion. However in case of change of
assignment on next position Management may waive the condition of
two years

Promotion Procedure

The promotion procedure revolves around the

following two activities, which are to be
completed and recorded as described below.
Promotion Interview
Interviews for promotions to specified positions will be
conducted by one or more of the following officers of
the Bank as elaborated below:
Branch Manager (BM)
Area Manager (AM)
Regional Manager (RM)
General Manager (GM)
Group Head (GH)

LEAVE RULES

All employees of the Bank including contractual staff,

on completion of one years service with the Bank are
entitled to certain number of days leave in a calendar
year.
Privilege Leave (PL)
Casual Leave (CL)
Sick Leave (SL)
Leave Without Pay (LWP)
Maternity Leave (ML)
Permission to Leave Station
Holidays for Non-Muslim Festivals
Holidays for Non-Muslim Festivals

RESIGNATION, TERMINATION
& RETIREMENT

Resignation

A confirmed employee may resign from the Banks service upon giving
30 days / 90 days prior written notice to the Bank as per terms of their
employment, failing which he/she will be liable to pay one months /
three months gross salary in lieu of notice period respectively.
Management may waive notice salary to suit banks requirement.
However, in this situation, salary will only be paid up to the last
working day and not till the expiry of notice period. During this period,
employee will not be eligible to avail leave.

RESIGNATION,
TERMINATION &
RETIREMENT
(Cont..)
Termination

Services of a confirmed employee may be terminated by the Bank

without assigning any reason by giving 30 days / 90 days notice in
writing or on payment of 30 days gross salary/ 90 days gross salary, in
lieu of notice period.

Conditions for Retirement

All employees of Bank Alfalah Ltd. are liable to retire from the Banks
services on attaining the age of 60 years.

PROTECTION AGAINST
HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT
WORK PLACE

Abuse of Authority
Demand by a person in authority for sexual

favors in order to provide job related

benefits in any shape.

Creating a hostile environment

Unwelcoming sexual advance or any other

verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature

causing interference, intimidation, hostile
or offensive work environment.

Retaliation
Retaliation by the supervisor emanating from refusal by

the employee to grant sexual favor resulting in limiting

employees options for future growth or promotions,
distorting evaluation reports, maligning image or denial
of legitimate rights

Establishing an Inquiry Committee

An inquiry committee has been constituted at Banks

level to handle cases relating to sexual harassment.

Findings, Recommendations
and Penalties
Minor penalties:

Issuance of letter of reprimand;

Withholding promotion or increment for a specific period;
Imposition of efficiency bar in the time scale for a specific period;
Recovery of the compensation payable to the complainant from pay
or any other source of the accused, if any financial loss is sustained
by the complainant.

Major penalties:

Reduction to a lower salary range or lower post.

Compulsory retirement;
Removal/termination from service;
Dismissal from service; and
Payment of a Fine. A part of the fine can be used as compensation
for the complainant.

Appeal

Any party on whom minor or major

penalty is imposed and is dissatisfied
by the decision of the Competent
Authority may, within thirty days of
written communication of the decision,
file an appeal to the Ombudsperson
established for this purpose by the
respective Governments at the Federal
and Provincial levels.

RECOMANDATIONS

Bank Alfalah should revise its plan towards internship policy.

Students who are not from a reputed universities should given a

chance to prove themselves.

Bank Alfalah should relax its internship policy to 12-14 years

education.

internship duration should be at least six months.

salary package in internship should be increased.

Laws for harassment of women should be strict so women can work

easily.

power distance should be limited in managerial staff.

laws about termination of employees are very stricted.