Citicafe is no ordinary bank cafeteria. “The old place was so drab,” says Sunil Sreenivasan, chief executive of Citibank Malaysia. “I told the architect I wanted something equal to or better than where the kids go.”
The result is a spacious two-level bar and restaurant on the top floor of the Medan Pasar HQ, with two enormous video screens showing MTV. In the evenings, movies are shown. Popcorn is free, as is the pool table. When staff feel like singing, there’s a karaoke machine too. “We think it’s unique within Citibank and in the banking world,” he says, adding that it is open till 10pm.
The Citicafe was built by Sreenivasan as part of a “get a life” programme that he says was much needed in Malaysia. “We are repositioning ourselves,” he says. “In Malaysia, Citibankers had a poor image. Citibankers were considered to be money-driven workaholics with no sense of humour. Citicafe is part of our drive to make Citibank seem a kinder, gentler place.”
Staff turnover used to reflect Citi’s image problem. It stood at 28% in 1994. “We were deeply ashamed of this number,” he says, noting it was the highest in Malaysia. By 1997 it was 9.8%, among the lowest of any financial services firm in the country.
Other changes have proved to be popular, such as an ice-cream day. Staff recall that someone from management announced at 4pm over a tannoy that a man from Haagen-Dazs would come to their desks to give them ice cream. A pizza day and an espresso day also went down well.
He got the idea for the Citicafe during the haze last year. He saw that staff still preferred to go out into the pollution rather than go to the old cafeteria. And the Citicafe has emerged as a good venue for monthly staff events, such as the Valentine’s disco in February. “We also encourage staff to bring their family and friends to the cafe,” he says, adding there is no cashier. “The till is operated on trust. It makes people really feel it is their own place.”
“It’s a feelgood institution,” he says. Steven Irvine
