Employee Well-Being – Good health is the foundation of any successful business

In addition to requiring knowledge, skills, and determination when completing a task, people often underestimate the importance of their health.?Employees will only be able to give their all on the job if both their mental and physical health are strong. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many people are being extra cautious. More than ever, it is crucial to prioritize your physical and mental well-being.

SCB Career would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Nitinart "Lek" Surojananone, a former professional nurse turned Employee Well-Being Manager, a powerful female hero who oversees the physical and mental health of all SCB employees and their families.

An extraordinary beginning for someone who now manages employee happiness

Lek earned her nursing degree and spent seventeen years as a registered nurse in a private hospital. Typically, nurses are responsible for a wide range of tasks, from routine care to attending to patients in times of need during emergencies. Every second counts in an emergency situation, therefore a nurse's ability to think quickly and make sound decisions is crucial.

Lek told us that doing an internship in a rural area was the defining moment that made her desire to become a registered nurse for a living. She felt that not all patients had equal access to quality healthcare. As a result, she aspired to expand her capacity to care for such people.

She was lucky to work at a private hospital that had policies in place to assist patients who lacked financial resources. Lek once treated a worker who had been electrocuted without asking for payment since, in her opinion, everyone deserves the same level of care.

A major change in career direction - From being a nurse to an office worker at SCB

Before joining SCB, Lek oversaw the hospital's health awareness campaigns. Her primary responsibilities centered around identifying and eliminating potential sources of illness before they surfaced, through means like health risk assessments and health education events. Lek's career took an important turn when she was hired by the Bank as a consultant to establish a medical facility in accordance with applicable labor laws.

Working at SCB allowed her to pursue her dream of helping people, which she had long held. She has met a wide variety of people through her job as a nurse at the Bank. She can treat sick workers and in return she earns the gratitude and joy of fellow employees.?As a result, Lek enjoys coming to work each day. Working here has brought her closer to her loved ones.

A life and work devoted to health promotion

According to Lek, “My primary role at the bank is to encourage healthy lifestyles among staff members. It is my responsibility to ensure the emotional and physical well-being of my staff and their loved ones.”

Assisting people in need, such as those in need of basic medical care, is an important part of improving health. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Lek had opportunities to promote health at bank branches and assist individuals, similar to her duties when she was a registered nurse.

When it comes to medical bills, Lek is there to help with the reimbursement process as well. Her accomplishments include a referral project that eliminated the need for workers to prepay for medical care. Employees can deduct these costs from their treatment budget, so they don't have to worry about out of pocket expenses.

According to Lek, "When COVID-19 began appearing in October 2019, I had already started the SCB Telecare initiative. The project's ultimate goal is to provide workers with the means to consult with medical professionals via a digital platform at any time and from any location. After the advent of COVID-19 at the start of 2020, everything was set up to put the system into use by our staff.”

Lek ensured that every SCB employee was cared for through every stage of the COVID-19 response, including vaccinations, screening for infection in high-risk groups, isolation facilities, ?symptom monitoring, and restoration to health after illness.

In addition, the SCB Good Health project organizes yearly health exams for employees and distributes informational materials on health care, such as yoga poses that ease muscle pain and cure office syndrome. Prior to the emergence of COVID-19, these had already become standard practice.

Competency is demonstrated through challenges

"In the face of challenges, we get to show off our skills and expertise," remarked Lek.

Lek said she had to make a lot of adjustments in her new position because she was no longer working in a hospital. At SCB, distribution of medications is a crucial part of working at the medical facility.?Patients are required to be present for assessments and drug prescriptions in accordance with standard medical protocols. Some workers might balk at this procedure, reasoning that since we're not a medical facility, we don't have to be as stringent. At this point, we had to explain things to them for their own benefit.

Happiness and success are worth more than money

“As I mentioned before, it brought me great joy to serve others in my role as a nurse. Work like this is typical. I and my fellow affected colleagues have learned to deal with these circumstances collectively, whether it be the tsunami, SARS, or the incident in Korat a few years ago.”

“Providing isolation rooms for employees, for example, may not be directly under my purview as an employee. But I can see that we can make our staff happy when I get an opportunity to do it. If an employee in the quarantine unit has a birthday, we will sing them a happy birthday song. Things like that provide a small amount of happiness throughout this catastrophe.”

"If there is anything we can do to keep our fellow employees and families healthy, whether big or small, those are the achievements of my work," concluded Lek.