Latest news with #SarahWhite
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Emphasis on office attendance': NAB changes WFH policy
National Australia Bank is increasing the number of days staff are expected in the office. Most employees will need to increase from two to three days a week, while team leaders are required to make an appearance in person four days a week instead of three. The most senior leaders at NAB are already required in the office five days a week. It is a move the Finance Sector Union has slammed as 'completely unnecessary'. In an internal memo announcing the new rules last week, seen by the Australian Financial Review, the bank's group executive of people and culture Sarah White said the company was building towards an 'office-based working model,' according to the publication. The email stated NAB's current 'ways of working are evolving' as the bank aims to bolster the number of hours staff work in the office since Covid-19 lockdowns. Ms White told in a statement the changes would happen 'later in the year' and NAB would consult with employees before implementing the push for more office time. 'We continue to evolve our ways of working to foster an engaging work environment that is fair and flexible for colleagues and good for customers,' Ms White said. 'NAB is implementing an increased emphasis on office attendance because it supports collaboration, teamwork and problem solving for customers.' Ms White claimed the bank was 'taking an approach that ensures flexibility and supports all colleagues to respond to personal-life circumstances'. 'NAB is commencing a period of consultation with colleagues prior to the implementation, and we are committed to listening to, and considering, colleague feedback regarding our ways of working before any changes come into effect,' she said. The Finance Sector Union (FSU) has labelled the change to working from home as 'completely unnecessary,' highlighting that it came only a week after the bank revealed a $3.5 billion half year cash profit. 'These profits prove we can (and do) deliver results no matter where we work,' the union argued. The FSU has written an open letter to NAB CEO Andrew Irvine strongly opposing the increase in mandatory office attendance. The letter said any move to scale back flexible working in 2025 was 'regressive'. It highlighted concerns for workers' mental health and morale, those employees with family and caring responsibilities, and the financial pressure some may face with the added cost of commuting. FSU national president Wendy Streets told The Australian 'a lot of members' said they would quit. ANZ and Commonwealth Bank require staff to spend half their work time in the office, while Westpac's policy is at least two to three days a week in the office. Earlier this year, launched The Great Aussie Debate, a wide-ranging, 50 question survey that has uncovered what Australians really think about all the hot topics of 2025. Over two weeks, more than 54,000 Australians took part in the survey, revealing their thoughts on everything from the cost of living and homeownership, to electric vehicles and going shoeless in supermarkets. From the survey, it was clear the majority of Aussies prefer a hybrid approach to work, where possible, with 61.59 per cent favouring between 1-4 days at home. The most popular response was 1-2 days at home at week, with a further 21.11 per cent preferring 3-4 days working remotely. Of the respondents, 28.77 per cent believe full time office work is best. However, there was an interesting detail in the statistics. The age group most likely to choose this option have hit retirement age. More than half (51.18 per cent) of the 70+ group want people in the office five days a week.
Sky News AU
20-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
'They will walk and they will leave': Angered NAB staff threaten to quit after return to office order disrupts WFH arrangements
One of Australia's Big Four banks has left its staff shocked and angered after a return to office order from management has threatened to disrupt the current work from home arrangement. National Australia Bank (NAB) Group Executive for People and Culture Sarah White informed almost 39,000 staff members late last week the bank was heading towards an "office-based working model". The changes would mean staff working in-office two days a week would have that increased to three days, while NAB's people leaders will be required in-office four days a week. 'We are taking an approach that ensures flexibility and supports all colleagues to respond to personal-life circumstances,' Ms White said. She further added staff could apply for flexible working arrangements under relevant legislation, but noted office attendance 'supports collaboration, teamwork and problem-solving for customers'. The Australian Financial Review reported the announcement was met with mixed reactions from the company as hundreds of staff sent shocked and angry emojis as well as a broken heart. Those optimistic about the news reacted with a thumbs up. Finance Sector Union national president Wendy Streets criticised the working model and labelled it "completely unnecessary". 'People are not prepared to turn back the hands of time. They've found a new, fairer, more efficient way of working, they're not going to be dragged back to the past," she said. 'We don't believe there is any business case for staff to return to the office more. 'A lot of members are telling us they will walk and they will leave." On the NAB website, the esteemed bank boasts work-life balance for its staff and an embrace of "hybrid-working", but in her email Ms White claimed the current "ways of working are evolving". The latest change by the company aims to boost the number of hours staff work in the office since the pandemic lockdowns. Remote working has come under the microscope in recent months with an increasing number of Australian companies such as Amazon, Dell, Luxury Escapes and the Reach Foundation, demanding staff back into the office five days a week A report by recruitment firm Robert Half says employers are influenced by other businesses when it comes to return-to-office mandates, creating a domino effect in the corporate world. "Queensland employers are most likely to be influenced by the trends among other businesses (87 per cent) followed closely by those in New South Wales and Western Australia (both 86 per cent)," the report wrote. "Significantly less inclined to follow suit are Victorian employers, and while the majority (75 per cent) are influenced by what others are mandating, one in four employers (25 per cent) report that the policies implemented at other businesses do not affect their decisions."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NAB staff threaten to quit after bank jumps on major work trend: 'They will walk'
NAB has asked staff to increase the number of days they spend in the office each week. The bank has joined a growing number of businesses moving away from the work-from-home model (WFH), however, the move has left many upset. Staff were told about the directive via an internal memo, which will impact junior workers and team leaders. Finance Sector Union national president Wendy Streets has slammed the decision as "completely unnecessary". 'People are not prepared to turn back the hands of time. They've found a new, fairer, more efficient way of working, they're not going to be dragged back to the past," she said. RELATED Major WFH update for Aussie workers: 'Isn't going anywhere' Common $358 a day expense the ATO lets you claim on tax without receipts Money crisis sparks capital city exodus as Australians embrace 'new frontier' According to the Australian Financial Review, when the announcement was made last week on the bank's internal messaging system, it was hit with hundreds of shocked, angry and broken heart emojis, indicating staff were not happy about the decision. NAB senior executive Sarah White said the bank was "evolving" its policies to focus more on an "office-based working model" because it supports "collaboration, teamwork and problem solving for customers". Junior staff will increase their in-office days from two to three days a week, while team leaders will go from three to NAB leadership were forced to come into the office five days a week last year and their attendance is unchanged. But Streets said this increase could cause shockwaves for the Big Four bank and "damage the very culture NAB claims to value". 'We don't believe there is any business case for staff to return to the office more,' she said. 'A lot of members are telling us they will walk and they will leave." Westpac currently has a minimum of two days a week in the office for staff, while ANZ and Commonwealth Bank workers have to come in for half of their rostered days. This is part of a much broader move in the Australian corporate landscape. Amazon, Tabcorp, Woolworths and Coles are some of the other major employers that have recently ordered workers back into the office. The Australian HR Institute (AHRI) recently found that 45 per cent of employers now have a minimum requirement for staff to be in the office between three to five days a week. More than 80 per cent of the nearly 1,000 people surveyed expected hybrid working would either increase or stay the same at their organisation over the next two years. The most popular work arrangement was three days in the office at 32 per cent. Interestingly, Robert Half's survey of 500 employers found there had been a 'domino effect' in this return-to-office (RTO) trend. An overwhelming majority (84 per cent) of employers said other businesses' RTO mandates influenced their own arrangements. But Angela Anasis, Executive General Manager of Randstad Australia, told Yahoo Finance workers across the country are digging in their heels at this push to return to the office. 'Given people are prepared to walk away from a job if they're forced back into the office, employers should carefully consider how to incentivise attendance, focusing on the carrot rather than the stick," she said.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS NAB staff furious as management demands return to the office
NAB Bank staff are reportedly furious after being ordered back to the office for three days a week. An email sent by NAB HR boss Sarah White told the bank's 39,000 staff that the bank was transitioning to an 'office-based working model' in an email seen by the Australian Financial Review. Now, staff working two days must increase to three, and leaders must do four. 'We are taking an approach that ensures flexibility and supports all colleagues to respond to personal-life circumstances,' Ms White said. She said office attendance 'supports collaboration, teamwork and problem-solving for customers'. The news spread quickly on NAB's internal messaging service, where employees responded with hundreds of shocked, angry, and broken heart emojis. Several Aussie workplaces have brought in return-of-office mandates in recent months, including Amazon, Dell, Tabcorp, and Flight Centre. Research commissioned by recruiter Robert Half found that 39 per cent of employers plan to mandate five days a week in the office for employees in 2025, up from 36 per cent of employers who did so in 2024. 'Employers are back in the driver's seat and dictate office attendance, knowing others are doing the same,' explained Nicole Gorton a Director at Robert Half. 'As workers adjust back to the pre-pandemic way of working and observe similar mandates elsewhere, they are less reluctant to oppose these mandates in their current workplace.' However, a separate survey by people2people found that 58 per cent of employees feel increased office attendance harms their wellbeing, and 26 per cent would consider quitting if required to come in more often. The survey said 37 per cent of job seekers say they'd expect a 5-10 per cent pay rise to return to the office full-time, and a further 32 per cent say even a small bump would be expected.
