Staff engagement makes all the difference for NAB
National Australia Bank believes that when the staff are engaged and fulfilled, they bring their best selves to work every day. And for Block, flexibility for remote work is a winner.
What keeps employees engaged and happy in Australian companies?
When it comes to what staff value at work, “we know, because we ask,” says Alexandra Taylor, NAB’s chief people officer – business & private and personal bank. NAB’s survey of more than 13,000 staff last year found what they valued most about working at the bank.
“Our colleagues told us they value opportunities to grow their careers, positively impact customers and communities and bring their whole self to work,” says Taylor.
“We brought these insights to life through our colleague strategy which focuses on giving colleagues more opportunities to progress their career, make a difference and develop themselves.
“We’re focused on providing colleagues with opportunities to build their skills and experience. Our colleagues continually tell us how they have thrived from the many varied career paths available within NAB.
“To create more moments to make a difference, colleagues have at least 16 hours of volunteer leave available each year to support communities. This includes general volunteering, skilled volunteering and longer-term secondments through partnerships with Jawun and Australian Business Volunteers.
“We have invested in our workforce by supporting all colleagues to gain a globally recognised Career Qualified in Banking qualification. We are also fostering consistent and high-quality leadership through our Distinctive Leadership program.
“We believe that when our colleagues are engaged and fulfilled, they bring their best selves to work every day. This helps us create a positive workplace culture, which enables us to serve our customers and communities well.”
Neha Kumar, a digital customer service adviser at NAB, says she has felt empowered to pursue personal and professional growth opportunities, enriched by the support from the bank in terms of development needs and career goals.
“As a single parent, I feel that NAB has encouraged me to bring my whole self to work by accommodating part-time work arrangements and adjusting my start and finish times,” Kumar says. “As a result of this flexibility, I can successfully balance caring for my daughter with my work commitments.
“Working at NAB has helped me find my ‘why’. In my role, I feel empowered knowing I am positively contributing to the community by serving customers well. I’m proud to work for an organisation that cares about its people and supports their career ambitions.”
The bank is confident that by 2026, its staff will be enrolled to complete the Career Qualified in Banking program, accredited by Financial Services Institute of Australasia. NAB has partnered with the University of Melbourne Business School to offer climate banking training to its corporate and agribusiness bankers so that they can meaningfully help their customers in the energy transition.
The bank strategy to champion inclusion and diversity includes staff-led employee resource groups for cultural inclusion, pride, First Nations, NABility and gender balance. Its leave options, which acknowledge that work is just one aspect of life, include cultural and religious leave, gender affirmation leave, study leave and a week of “you leave” for full-time and part-time staff.
NAB’s wellbeing program includes plans that aim to address both physical and mental aspects of health. Counselling services, when needed, are offered to all staff, their families and customers.
The bank also offers flexible work options.
Flexible work is a big winner for Block, the company that owns Australian digital platform Afterpay, Square payments platform, Cash App (previously known as Square Cash), web hosting service Weebly, and music streaming service Tidal.
“Honestly, Block’s remote-friendly work policy was a big draw card for me to work here,” says Milly Rowett, a “remote” employee of the company based in Perth. “I always wanted to work and travel without being tied to one place. So finding a company that enables me to do that, without me having to change my job every time I move, was a big deal.
“When I joined the Cash App team in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, the whole company was asked to work remotely. It allowed me to easily move from Melbourne to Tasmania and, even after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, most of our team wanted to work remotely and come into the office when it suited them.
“I continue to work remotely now, travelling to Melbourne every quarter to see my team. A remote-first culture has also enabled me to move to Western Australia recently, to see the rest of this country, and be closer to family.
“Despite the time difference, I can adjust my working hours, work flexibly and still travel to see the team when I want to. Seeing each other in person and filling up ‘the trust battery’ is still very important to us, so we’ve invested in all-team offsites in places like New York and Tokyo. To work for an amazing tech company, and also live how and where I want, feels too good to be true sometimes.”
Caitlin Walsh, who works in the communications team at Block, says the healthcare benefits and flexible time-off policy worked well for her when she returned from parental leave this year.
“Returning to work is such a difficult time for any new parent but knowing that my employer was fully supportive, not only of my need for flexible working but also the health and wellbeing of my young family, was significant for me,” Walsh says.
“The internal employee resources that have been available through our parents@community are also great. It’s nice to be part of a group within our larger employee population that understands what you’re going through and can offer support or advice when needed. This initiative is also supported by a sponsor from our executive team, which I think is great recognition for the importance of the program.
“Honestly, I see a lot of companies paying public lip service to employee wellbeing programs but I have rarely heard the same rhetoric from the employee side, especially among my friends returning to the workforce post parental leave. It’s rare to find an employer that is literally footing the bill for your healthcare and is truly embracing flexibility in many different ways to show they support and value your contribution.”
Flexible hybrid work policy has helped the company to expand geographically beyond its offices in Melbourne and Sydney, enabling it to hire talent from across Australia for its Afterpay, Square and Cash App teams. It now has staff based in Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast hinterland, Byron Bay and Hobart. The company cites its flexible hybrid work policy as a staff retention strategy that has worked well. It is a benefit not commonly offered by other companies in Australia, it says.
What is your organisational happiness story? Do you have wonderful ways of retaining talent and keeping employees happy? Share your insights: iyerp@theaustralian.com.au
