Excellence in leadership in CEE 2020: Alfa-Bank Belarus

Businesses and banks in Belarus have faced a particularly tough challenge during the Covid-19 crisis due to the refusal of the government not only to impose any national restrictions but also to acknowledge the risks of the pandemic and implement any measures to mitigate its economic impact.

That put the onus on individual organizations to step up and protect their staff and customers. In the banking sector, Alfa-Bank Belarus stood out for its rapid, imaginative and comprehensive response to the situation. 

At the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Belarus, the lender – part of Mikhail Fridman’s Alfa Group – moved nearly all its employees to remote working, including call-centre staff. Frontline workers were divided into shifts to minimize infection and rigorous protective measures were implemented, including a free taxi service to avoid public transport. 

Alfa-Bank also committed to retaining all staff on full salaries and implemented an average pay rise of 12.5%, as well as upgrading medical insurance provisions. 

To make remote work more comfortable, it organized discounts for employees on food deliveries and material for creativity, and free access to online libraries and English courses.