An enriching social wellbeing journey with Kelab EY

For more than 30 years, Kelab EY has striven to provide EY people with competitive, recreational and leisure opportunities outside of work. Annually, the club hosts various events and activities, including sports events, social networking nights and corporate responsibility activities, which are open to all members. We interviewed Elias Mohammad from the EY Tax team and also a former Vice-President of Kelab EY on what made him eager to be part of Kelab EY and how Kelab EY supports the social wellbeing of EY people, ensuring they are experiencing the most inclusive social interactions at EY.

Your involvement as a key driver of Kelab EY

I began this exciting journey with Kelab EY (KEY) in 2007, the same year I joined EY. I first joined KEY as one of the committee members, representing Tax. Fast forward to 2013, I was elected as a Vice-President of KEY, in charge of sports-related activities and initiatives, including the KL Hockey League, Bowling League, Charity Run and the Inter-Accounting Firms Games (IAFG), among others.

At KEY, we are fully aware that work may be difficult and stressful sometimes. So it’s imperative to make sure that EY people get adequate rest and recreation and a well-balanced life through social and sports activities, to sustain their performance at work and boost productivity. 

While juggling KEY tasks and work commitments may be challenging sometimes, it has been fulfilling and motivating, particularly when I find EY people engaging, interacting and working with different colleagues across Services Lines on KEY activities. 

Fostering stronger relationships among Kelab EY members

The EY culture has definitely helped build and maintain the camaraderie among members of the club. We all share the same core EY values such as demonstrating integrity, respect, teaming and inclusiveness. We have the energy, enthusiasm and courage to lead and build relationships based on doing the right thing.

With these attributes, we are able to build a powerful and robust network and inspire each other with different ideas to take care of our colleagues’ social wellbeing. From there, we work hand in hand with everyone to drive our purpose of building a better working world.

Supporting the social wellbeing of EY people with the exceptional Kelab EY experience

Through the variety of activities and events organized by KEY, we have enabled EY people to explore and enjoy exceptional experiences. EY people are empowered to speak up, team, lead, organize projects and build their interpersonal skills when involved in these activities. This is how we make sure our people connect and support each other and build an enriching and robust network at EY.

Emotional or mental health plays an important role in one’s wellbeing. Poor mental health can lead to various health-related issues, including loneliness and depression. Thus, at KEY, we want to ensure that EY people feel connected to each other. Social support and activities certainly help during times of stress; they help us carry on with our lives, cope with challenges that life brings, and stay motivated to achieve our goals and strive for the best.

Future aspirations for Kelab EY

Kelab EY has grown and thrived for around 38 years now. As one of the former committee members, I hope that the KEY community will continue to grow larger, especially with the new, young talents that come on board. We are confident that the younger generation can come up with new ideas that will help KEY stay relevant and continue to achieve its goals in supporting EY people.

 Although we are still unable to organize physical activities due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have embraced changes and adapted to the new normal in terms of connecting with EY people through different initiatives, such as gift boxes of wellbeing treats in appreciation and recognition of their resilience and fortitude during these challenging times.