2009 Corporate Responsibility Review

The horizontal lines represent the average male salary (a base of 1.0) and the bars compare female salaries. i.e. in the UK in 2009 females in senior management positions earned higher than their male counterparts, however at management and pre-management levels the opposite was true.

A new frontier in learning and development

The Academy is NAB's newest innovation in learning and development for employees. A visible and powerful symbol of change, it's designed to help drive innovation and adaptability; and foster an inspiring culture of collaboration and achievement across the organisation.

The Academy is an onsite and online business school, offering a range of programs, courses and tools to develop NAB employees. Combining leading edge technology with state-of-the-art facilities, The Academy sets a new standard for the way learning and development is managed at NAB.

Beginning in November 2008, The Academy was progressively launched across Australia, starting with the visual identity, the online component, and a number of physical sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The Academy Brisbane will be launched later this year.

Employees across Australia can access The Academy online, and virtual learning tools such as webcams and OCS technologies help employees in long-distance locations connect more meaningfully.

Over 2009, 1,341 courses were delivered face-to-face to over 6,000 employees across Australia, via enrolments through the Academy's Catalogue (to September 2009). This equates to 25,720 training days, and represents 55% of all learning programs.

The remaining 45% of all learning programs (27,304 training days), were completed through online role based and compliance learning programs.

Providing flexibility and choice for our people

Ensuring our people have flexibility, choice and support is a cornerstone of life at NAB, and these principles formed the basis of the Australian Enterprise Agreement (EA) we negotiated with the Finance Sector Union (FSU).

We agreed to a 15 month EA that provides guaranteed pay increases for pre-management, clerical and front line employees (known as Groups 1 & 2) in 2009 and 2010.

We've also ensured provisions have been built into the EA to support the deployment process for employees who are affected by change, in order to ensure they are well supported to secure a new opportunity.

In addition, the EA will help promote a productive culture and support our reputation as an employer of choice by making sure employees are able to manage the things that are important to them.

For example, we know that having a proper break and taking time to relax and refresh is a vital part of maintaining health and wellbeing. To support this, the EA includes a new provision in leave management that means employees will now be required to take their four weeks of annual leave each year, including at least one 10 day block of leave.

Further, the new addition of Lifestyle Leave now gives people the opportunity to 'purchase' extra leave for things outside work such as travelling, becoming a grandparent or pursuing a hobby. Other employees with long-service leave entitlements may now take their leave more flexibly, or choose to cash some of it out.

The new agreement, considered to be responsible and appropriate for the times, was endorsed by employees via a confidential ballot in September 2009. Certified by Fair Work Australia, the new Agreement is in place until the end of December 2010.

Diversity in the UK

Following the success of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) network launched last year, two new network groups have been set up by our Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank operations to focus on Disability and Mature Age workers.

The Disability Network aims to reach out to the estimated 20% of the UK working population that experiences some form of disability. Our UK Diversity Lead Julie Wade says: "People with disabilities have unique perspectives and insights that can add real value for employees and customers alike. We hope this network will be as much of a success as the LGBT network in supporting employees, while also helping to overcome any misconceptions about disability."

Project Vintage has been set up to work on attracting, retaining and developing employees who are aged 50+, recognising that these mature age workers have a wealth of high-quality skills, talents and experience to offer.

The project has established a new network and will create a career extension program to help promote flexible leave arrangements, implement innovative working solutions and offer financial planning advice for mature age workers. Participants also have the opportunity to pass on some of their skills and experience by mentoring younger or less experienced employees.

Culture Jam

In July 2009, over 5,000 BNZ people were invited to take part in the biggest online conversation the organisation has ever held.

The purpose was simple – to agree on the behaviours that will drive our success now and in the future.

Business units spent 72 hours thinking, sharing and discussing BNZ culture. Many more hours behind the scenes were then spent digesting the feedback and defining the behaviours.

Staff then voted on the top eight outcomes in order to identify the behaviours that matter most to BNZ's success. The three top behaviours describe a distinct way of acting, thinking and behaving – they are: Listen, engage and deliver; Own it, do it; and Make it easier. The behaviours have been launched across the organisation and work is underway to embed them into core people programs as part of BNZWay.