Participants in the Accessibility Quiz at Oschadbank demonstrated a shared understanding of inclusion as a service standard

The results of the corporate accessibility quiz, which Oschadbank employees took within the National Accessibility Week (25–31 May), demonstrated a high level of empathy and the team’s readiness for inclusive interaction. 68% of the bank’s personnel participated in the event.

The quiz demonstrated the team’s unanimity regarding inclusive solutions. In particular, 96% of the survey participants are convinced that adapting services, staff training and the accessibility of digital services improve the quality of service and trust in the bank. Furthermore, 95.8% of respondents consider increased attention to the needs of veterans, older people, parents with children and people with disabilities to be an integral part of high-quality service for all customers, whilst 96% interpret the accessibility standards already in place as a natural part of modern service standards.

The main goal and motivation behind the quiz was the bank’s desire to get a realistic, objective picture of how deeply the values of accessibility are incorporated into daily interaction with customers and how well each employee is aware of the principles of inclusion. It was crucial for Oschadbank to receive honest feedback from the team in order to accurately determine the direction for further progress and strengthen existing service standards.

The survey was conducted among all bank employees, not just front-office specialists who directly serve customers. At the same time, 98.4% of all respondents stated that they were willing to personally assist a client in a situation involving a barrier or to promptly find either a solution or a responsible colleague, even if it went beyond their direct job responsibilities. Moreover, 91.1% of respondents confirmed that accessibility should not be merely a separate project, but an integral part of the service culture and the daily work of each employee.

The results of the quiz demonstrated an excellent understanding of the essence and ethics of interaction within the team. Thus, 98.2% of participants correctly identified the fundamental humanistic principle: ‘The person comes first, then their disability’. The vast majority of staff (92.9%) clearly know how to communicate correctly with people with disabilities, particularly when serving a customer who has come with a companion. 92% of employees are familiar with the correct terminology regarding accessibility.

Despite a high level of awareness, Oschadbank has identified a clear internal demand for further skills development: 87.4% of employees indicated that they would like to undergo additional training to interact more confidently and appropriately with people with disabilities and veterans. Oschadbank will use the data obtained to scale up the training programme, which all new employees undergo and which the majority of the team have already completed.

“For Oschadbank, accessibility has been a strategic priority for twelve years now — ever since we became the first bank in Ukraine to start creating inclusive branches in 2014. The full-scale war and the growth of civic awareness have given a huge boost to the understanding of these values, making accessibility a critically important requirement of the time. The accessibility quiz proved that inclusive principles are a genuine corporate value at Oschadbank, as 96% of surveyed employees fully share them. We have a solid foundation for strengthening our reputational leadership in this area and scaling it up further,” said Yurii Katsion, Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank.

Oschadbank is a leader in the financial sector in the development of barrier-free infrastructure: over 740 branches comply with the State Construction Standards, 34 inclusive branches are built to our own design, and 13 mobile units operate in hard-to-reach and frontline regions.

In addition to developing our own network, Oschadbank is an active participant in nationwide change, systematically supporting large-scale social, educational and rehabilitation projects.