How Listening Leads The Way For DCB Bank’s Sustainable Culture?
About The Company
DCB Bank is a new generation private sector bank. It is a scheduled commercial bank regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. DCB Bank has contemporary technology and infrastructure, including state-of-the-art internet banking for personal as well as business banking customers.
DCB Bank’s business segments are Retail, micro-SME, SME, mid-Corporate, Agriculture, Commodities, Government, Public Sector, Indian Banks, Co-operative Banks, and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC).
- Employees: 12,000+ India based
- Industry: Financial Services & Insurance
- Indian HQ: Mumbai
Building an Institution, Not Just a Bank
Over the years, DCB Bank has grown the Balance Sheet and its network across India. An employee strength of approximately 12,000 and 457 branches, the Bank fulfils a diverse variety of banking needs of over two and a half million customers. But its true success isn’t just in the numbers- it’s in the culture it has meticulously woven over the years. Reinvigorating employee best practices year upon year, DCB Bank is more than a company; it has nurtured a workplace where people are valued as much as profit. Decisions and strategy weave people in its fabric of growth. This reflects a deep commitment to listening, learning, and leading by example- creating a high-trust, high-performance culture that continues to thrive.
Key Highlights
- Great Place To Work- Certified™ for 9 years in a row
- Recognised among Top 50 in India’s Best Workplaces™ in BFSI 2023 and 2024
- Recognised among Top 10 in India’s Best Workplaces in Health & Wellness 2023 and 2024
- 17% increase in employees feeling actively involved in decisions that affect them
Laying the Foundation: Build, Develop, Care, and Engage
The people philosophy at DCB Bank rests on four pillars: Build, Develop, Care, and Engage. These principles guide every initiative, from onboarding to leadership development. The Bank’s leadership team believes in mastering fundamentals before aiming for excellence. The focus has been to offer employees not just jobs but careers. This commitment is demonstrated by the 11% higher positive sentiments observed on leadership development. Empathy forms the cornerstone of DCB Bank’s culture. It is instilled through the company ethos, Empathy, Speed, and Quality (ESQ), which are applied to both external customers and internal teams. It is foundational to the behaviour of all at DCB Bank. Lastly, transparent and continuous communication runs in the DNA. One employee shares: “Despite being a listed company, I never had to read a newspaper to know what was happening at our Bank.”
Listening as the Culture Catalyst
To live up to these four pillars, DCB Bank seamlessly integrates listening mechanisms and leverages them as powerful tools for building culture and driving business growth. The Bank has built a dynamic ecosystem of platforms to capture employees’ voices, whether through pre-scheduled discussions, open ad hoc conversations, written forums, or anonymous channels.
- Every voice is heard
- Every feedback is valued
- Actionable suggestions are translated into practices
Reaching Every Voice
Each One Reach One: Strategic Employee Connects
In 2014, amid DCB Bank’s rapid expansion and teams working in silos, keeping the larger team engaged emerged as a critical challenge. Recognising the need to bridge the gap and gain deeper insights into employee sentiments, the Bank launched the transformative Each One Reach One (EORO) survey, a strategic initiative to connect with every employee at least once a year and capture their feedback. Since its launch, the practice has only evolved, with every employee engaging in a one-on-one interaction with HR, either in person or through digital channels. HR Business Partners proactively connect with their teams, fostering open dialogue on key organizational parameters.
Inputs are streamlined into five key areas: Work Environment, Teamwork, Supervisor, Career Progression, and Job Role. What sets EORO apart is its proactive approach to action—feedback is classified into Red, Amber, and Green categories, with immediate action taken to address concerns flagged in the red and amber zones. The insights are then meticulously analysed, shared with business leaders, and translated into targeted action plans, ensuring that every raised concern leads to tangible solutions and lasting impact.
Impact
Amongst the significant and impactful outcomes of the EORO practice has been the positive influence on employee well-being and financial ease. Based on insights gathered, the Bank created opportunities that enabled convenient access to credit for the employees. The interest rate applicable to employee housing loans was suitably addressed, its affordability was made more widespread, and simultaneously, the loan amount ceiling for individuals was increased. Additionally, the conveyance amount limit was revised in response to employee inputs, further enhancing financial flexibility. Over time, DCB Bank observed the number of home loan applicants increased by almost a factor of three.
Another powerful testament to this listening culture was the revision of Cost To Company (CTC) bands. Through feedback received through EORO and an in-depth review of compensation structures, the organisation redefined pay bands to ensure parity and transparency, aligning salaries with clearly defined compensation brackets. These actions were met with overwhelming appreciation, as employees not only recognized the tangible benefits but also felt honestly heard and valued.
No Hierarchy in Feedback
S-PEAK: Feedback for supervisors
Ashu Rajiv Sawhney, Head-Human Resources at DCB Bank adds, “While most organisations assess employees based on supervisory evaluations, DCB Bank champions a culture of fairness and transparency by giving employees an equal opportunity to share feedback about their supervisors. This two-way dialogue reinforces trust, accountability, and a leadership approach that genuinely supports and inspires.”
DCB Bank launched S-PEAK, a secure and anonymous platform, to encourage employees to share feedback without hesitation. Whether addressing workplace concerns or suggesting operational improvements, the platform is a safe haven for employees to express their thoughts. Leadership teams meticulously review inputs, ensuring every concern is acknowledged and resolved.
S-PEAK, a neutral-time survey with 30 well-crafted questions, is administered to all employees with direct supervisors, assessing performance across seven key People Development dimensions: Caring and support, Training & Mentoring, Communication, Delegation and Empowerment, Values, Recognition and Appreciation, and overall Support. Supervisors are categorised based on their scores: 90+, 80-90, 70-80, and below 70. Each leader receives an individual report card with detailed insights, including benchmark comparisons with the bank average, year-over-year trends, and the percentage of employees reporting complete satisfaction with their supervision.
To drive continuous improvement, structured one-hour discussions are conducted by trained internal coaches with supervisors scoring below 90, while handholding support and targeted one-on-one coaching (a minimum of three sessions) are provided for those scoring below 70. In cases where persistent negative feedback was recorded, supervisors were transitioned to individual contributor roles to better align with their strengths.
Impact
Out of 72 supervisors who underwent counselling and coaching sessions, S-PEAK scores of 59 supervisors showed marked improvement in their S-PEAK scores over the last year. This demonstrates the effective people development strategy driving sustained business success.
Employee is the Internal Customer
Internal C-SAT: Listening to customers through employees
In the service industry, customer satisfaction reigns supreme- and DCB Bank extends the same commitment to its internal customers. The Bank keeps its ears close to the ground to reinforce this culture of service. It established a structured practice of listening and learning through the Internal ESQ Survey, which became the barometer to assess the inter-function services given the ESQ framework. The feedback helps the teams bring in innovation to internalize the service philosophy and offer a unified experience as ‘One Bank.’ The parameters assessed in the Internal ESQ Survey are – Empathy, Overall support, Process Improvement, Quality of Solution, Quality of Staff, Speed – Resolution Time, Collaboration, Respect for each other, and Celebrating each others’ Wins.
Impact
Over the decade, the Bank has seen a consistent improvement in the ESQ scores, with a bank-wide score soaring from 77% to 90% in 2024. Year after year, functional teams analyse the scores, engage in focused discussions, and develop action plans to raise the bar continuously. ESQ Scores are published for the functions, and focus groups are conducted to build action plans as the teams strive to improve their scores. The Bank celebrates service excellence by honoring the Best Service Team at its annual Movers & Shakers Awards and recognizing exceptional individuals as ESQ Stars- inspiring their peers and setting new benchmarks. Through the quarterly ESQuire newsletter, stories of outstanding service are shared, encouraging a culture of excellence.
This relentless pursuit of excellence has not only enhanced service levels internally but has also translated into a superior experience for its customers.
Listening as a Strategic Advantage: Powered by Great Place To Work
DCB Bank has transformed feedback into a strategic asset, driving continuous improvement and business decisions. By integrating internal ESQ scores, S-PEAK scores, and C-SAT scores, alongside insights from the Great Place To Work Trust Index™ Survey, the bank ensures that every feedback channel fuels meaningful action.
Great Place To Work insights strengthen decision-making, empowering leaders to act on what matters most. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, the Bank tailors strategies for each business unit. For example, when IT and Operations teams expressed lower engagement, dedicated Friday engagement activities were introduced to enhance connection and well-being.
This data-driven, employee-centric approach, backed by insights, enables DCB Bank to evolve continuously, creating a workplace where employees feel heard, valued, and engaged, ultimately enhancing both people experience and business performance.
“DCB Bank's commitment to fostering a culture of listening is further reinforced by its reliance on Great Place To Work as the gold standard for measuring trust. The Trust Index™, Great Place To Work’s globally recognized tool, serves as an unbiased, external benchmark that validates the Bank’s continuous efforts to strengthen workplace culture.
The demographic cuts make the insights extremely helpful, allowing us to identify which cohorts need more attention. The survey’s structured dimensions help us measure what truly matters- giving us an objective way to hear our employees. Most importantly, these insights help us appreciate the year-round efforts of our leaders and teams, reinforcing that every action we take contributes to building a high-trust, high-performance culture.
As an authoritative global partner in workplace culture, Great Place To Work continues to be DCB Bank’s trusted ally, providing deep insights that shape our journey toward excellence.”
Author
Shambhavi Agrawal, Senior Consultant, Great Place To Work India
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