Technology has wrought huge changes in the banking industry in recent years and customers now go online to do many of the things they once did at a local branch. When customers do go to a branch, it’s often to discuss big issues that are happening in their lives and how their bank can help.

“One of the things we have understood from our customers is they really want to have really skilled, capable people to give them options around financial solutions and then to give them some great advice,” says Marsden, “and it’s the great advice bit that we haven’t necessarily been doing so well in — it has been pulling down our customer advocacy. So what we have been doing is really investing in our frontline capability.”

The focus has been on empowering local business teams to do the right thing by their customers and, despite the recession, the bank has increased its spend on learning and development. That started by boosting the level of business acumen among its local leaders — ‘turning local branch managers into bank managers’, as the bank puts it. Lender accreditation, product knowledge training and improving sales and service disciplines for frontline staff have also been a focus. “It’s about improving the customer experience by helping our staff think about things customers are looking for when they’re wanting good service. It sounds basic, but we have underinvested in that in the past.”

Other workplace paybacks from the gamut of sustainability measures implemented by Westpac include increased staff engagement levels and “tremendous response” to positions advertised by the bank.

“Part of being a high-performing organisation is attracting great talent,” says Marsden, “and it [sustainability] pays dividends in us attracting really top talent to our organisation.”

North Shore City Council cites setting up its corporate sustainability team as an example of workplace success, with the team’s work driving a wider cultural shift in the organisation. The council’s sustainability manager, Michael Field, was a corporate sustainability consultant before starting at the local authority almost three years ago. As the guy often brought in by companies to fix sustainability strategies and initiatives gone wrong, Field says he learnt plenty about what not to do.

Field describes the council as a “decentralised” organisation — operating like dozens of individual businesses under one banner — and that “makes it very difficult to engage in a corporate programme that’s organisational wide”.

Key to the success of the council’s sustainability team, therefore, has been getting its work endorsed by the highest levels of the organisation. Field reports to the CFO for example, and both the corporate sustainability policy and management plan drawn up by the team have been endorsed by the council.

“Everyone’s employment contract states quite clearly that it is a condition of their employment that they follow all policies and procedures of the council,” says Field.

Getting buy-in has then largely been down to good communication, he says. Attending team meetings, holding training sessions, communicating through the intranet and running visual programmes reminding staff to do things like take the stairs and turn off computer monitors are among the ways the team has driven home sustainability messages.

And it’s working, says Field. Compliance rates with the council’s energy efficiency and waste minimisation programmes are up around 80%; staff are feeding back suggestions on how to further the council’s sustainability efforts. “It’s that always touching base,” says Field, “and always reporting back.”

Workplace finalists

• Auckland Regional Council
• CarboNZero Programme
• Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua
• North Shore City Council
• Urgent Couriers (winner)
• Westpac
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