Meet NatWest Markets: Finalists for Employer of the Year in our Annual Business Awards
What's made them Finalists
Employee Wellbeing
NatWest's marketing leading, partner leave policies, which provide enhanced support for all parents, regardless of gender to share responsibility in caring for for their new child. This includes up to a year's leave for a parent of any gender, whether the child has arrived through birth, adoption, or surrogacy.
To support colleagues in working collaboratively and flexibly through hybrid working, the bank's recently refurbished Singapore office boasts more open spaces as well as areas for colleagues to eat together and socialise, including a game area with a pool table and foosball table.
Additional support is provided though a new platform called JAAQ (Just Ask Any Question)@Work. JAAQ gives access to 55 experts and 40+ topics around day-to-day personal or professional issues. JAAQ aligns its content with the bank's Wellbeing calendar to host live webinars.
NatWest also encourages staff to look after their wellbeing, be it mental, physical, social, or financial. To aid employee wellbeing, they are developing and embedding a data-led approach to drive engagement in its key support programmes, monitor usage trends and identify any interventions needed to boost awareness. Such programmes include resources to help staff thrive against the bank’s main themes of support for cancer, menopause, Musculo-skeletal health, mental health, and financial wellbeing.
Community and Employee Engagement
The bank holds its Do-Good Feel-Good campaign every year, where employees can get involved in doing good for causes. Last year, their colleagues globally raised nearly £300,000, and NatWest is looking to exceed that amount this year. Staff can choose to fundraise for a charity close to their hearts or volunteer in local communities. NatWest staff are given a total of three working days each year specifically for volunteering efforts as the organisation enabling them to have time set aside for engaging in positive activities that boost mental, physical, and social wellbeing.
Employees in Singapore have made use of these days to take part in a range of charity and community events including spending an afternoon baking with the Association for Persons with Special Needs. They have also participated in various community events aimed at improving the environment in Singapore, including a beach clean, a waterway clean and a clean-up dive. The latter was an event held with scuba diving staff joined by like-minded friends from Climate Impact X (CIX). They dived beneath the waves of Lazarus Island in Singapore to clear rubbish and other debris off the sea floor.
Opportunities for Growth
Given sustainability is such a key focus for the bank, and to help staff with their development, NatWest has provided all staff with the opportunity to do a 12-week Climate training course, exclusively developed by the University of Edinburgh for NatWest. The course has seen very strong take-up by employees globally, including in Singapore.
The NatWest Group Academy provides educational resources, including a library of books, podcasts, online learning material and presentations to help staff develop the future skills, behaviours and capabilities they need, tailored to their career path. Employees are supported to obtain professional qualifications relevant to their business area, which help build knowledge and enhance credibility in their role. There are regular spotlight Learning for the Future sessions, which focus on one of the ten core skills the bank has identified as critical to unlocking potential. The Aspire Network is an internal network which supports personal and professional development through a range of events and initiatives. It hosts a development library with a number of on-demand content, and a calendar of events to support personal and professional growth.
Under the bank’s Learning Academy, colleagues are encouraged to develop their learning based around various skills such as Sustainability, Cyber-Safety, Data Literacy, Innovation, coaching and creative thinking. They are also able to learn about specific business areas including Commercial Banking, Financial Crime, Finance, Internal Audit, Risk and Technology.
Another pathway to career advancement and promotion is NatWest’s global movement Powering Our Potential (#POP). #POP started out with a diverse group of staff who wanted to champion the potential of colleagues and help them thrive – working with them to plan the next steps in their careers and offering them practical guidance in their learning and development. Originally focused on the most junior population within the operational area, #POP now extends that support to all NatWest Markets colleagues at Director level and below.