personal banker

senior personal banker

customer service representative

software engineer

analyst

NatWest

The typical day begins with 3-5 hours of meetings which either consists of passive aggressive discussions without any guidance or a contest of who's the loudest and this consists of arguing and blaming others down the mic on zoom without any professional conduct and after this is done there's a 1 hour lunch which then proceeds into doing some tasks which higher ups take credit for or don't give you any credit for, in office managers are less passive aggressive and rude for some reason but they still play favourites.

The training is poor and management and many employees are rude and unprofessional in their mannerisms and conduct. 

I have learnt more about the banking and finance industry in general.

The management talk a good game of support but provide no support whatsoever when needed instead blame employees under them and throw them under the bus. There are also quarterly lay offs company wide. The positive here is you aren't micromanaged.

The hardest part of the job is being told to do work without access or completing tasks without any support. Raising issues and concerns doesn't do anything as you get told its not relevant or not important but when an issue around this arises managers will try to blame you. An example of this is being told to do work on a system which needs a login to access and then managers getting angry its not being worked on even though you have explained you can't access it without credentials countless times and then they suggest you try to access it without them and this is only possible by borrowing other colleagues accounts which is often not possible as they are being used by them or hacking the system which is crossing many different boundaries that it shouldn't

Managers gaslight by telling you something in call or in person but then say they didn't say it later but they won't provide an email or MSG trail for this which is unprofessional. 

Managers are pushy regarding sick days by crossing boundaries and being rude on the phone and try to avoid following company policies at times so make sure to read up on policies if something doesn't sound right. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is the 1 hour lunch break.

My advice and feedback to managers

Guide and respect employees more when they ask for help and they will respect and help you equally.

Being higher up than someone in a company doesn't make you any more important than other workers less senior than you so take equal responsibility for projects and get more involved regarding gathering resources and setup when needed instead of telling people to hurry up and blaming them.

Working at home and in office both need to be done in a professional and friendly manner.

This is my personal experience at NatWest however I have heard it is better in other departments and NatWest does talk a lot about promoting positive work culture but its the opposite in the Software area.


I left NatWest earlier this year and have moved into a new role. I've just heard from old friends that they are now closing their Southampton centre and making everyone redundant - although this has had no impact on my review. I have a new job which I'm happy in, and it has made me reflect on my time at NatWest and how unpleasant the experience was.

Start with the positives - it allows you to have a work life balance where you don't take the work home with you. The shift work can be a bit unstable but you can go home and switch off.

Now, you should look beyond the tripe of the advert and putting the customer first. This is simply not true, and if you believe in great customer service, this isn't the role for you. What the management ONLY care about are the targets set from above and how many customers you can get over the phone to take out the bank's products. If you have helped a customer manage their finances and solved a problem - no one will care unless that involves you getting them to take a loan out. They monitor you like a child and you're expected to be in code for every little thing you do. You are treated like a robot and are not trusted to do your job. If you are doing post call work for more than a few minutes your manager will question what you are doing. You are just expected to be a droid, taking call after call, using the same script with every customer (so much for a personalised service). My manager would literally sit there for the whole shift, listening to the team's calls and going absolutely crazy if you don't mention a product. Nothing else matters.

Silly targets are set and If you don't hit your targets, then beware! The condescension and treatment from management you will get is nothing short of appalling. Excessive pressure on target setting is why the customer journey is so bad, because every individual is so focused on achieving their own stupid targets. Be it customer service who need to keep their average call time down, so they dump customer's on your line who shouldn't be there - which further agitates the customer when you explain it to them. It can also be the branch/telephony staff who reprocess a loan application with no need, just to get the tick next to their name - with no concern for the second credit score against the customer! This behaviour is rife in NatWest and is purely down to the pressurised target setting. I genuinely feel sorry for any customer who uses the NatWest telephony service, because it could be so much better.

Job security and advancement are not present. The role firmly falls in the category of "dead end" and management put on superficial career days with no intention to build or develop you for further roles. The company is always looking for ways to reduce costs - by closing branches/centres - and outsourcing roles to India. Just search how many roles they have advertised in India compared to the UK!

The personal banking arm is one dysfunctional machine and NatWest is not a company you should consider working for.

I Worked for Natwest Ealing Broadway as a Senior personal banker for years, At first it was fun with lots to learn but after awhile it became frustrating as they are always under staffed and care not about the customers, the cues were long and never ending, new management would not come out to help, instead they would joke and laugh together having tea and cake at the back office while watching you on the CCTV screen laughing at you suffer while the cue is shouting at you for only having 1-2 staff on the tills while there are 4 tills in total, the two other tills were always empty 90% of the time and management would only jump on them to make it look like they are helping a little or at end of the day when they want to go home on time in last 20 mins. If you are good at sucking up, being fake and talking badly behind staff members backs to make yourself look good this jobs for you. Felt like I couldnt trust hardly anyone there,  Your a slave in a suit trying to hit unrealistic targets that never end with no bonus when you do hit them. Your forced to ask EVERY customer questions trying to sell them products they don't care about hearing it even if theres a long cue and everyone can hear everything your saying with no privacy. Soul draining and Natwest are closing branching due to the very thing you promote INTERNET BANKING. You can get let go so don't think you are safe there, they keep cutting company running costs every year loyal staff are being let go after 25 years working with them for no reason. Your expected to come to work ready for the stressful brainwashing morning meeting at 08:40am when you are only paid from 9am-5pm and we never finished on time always 30 mins late UNPAID. If you get promoted its not worth the hassle, they just give you tons more to do with little to no pay rise. Working in food supermarket pays more and less stressful. I would think long and hard before joining as it looks better then it really is. The genius people that run these banks are the ones laughing, everyone else is making little money waiting to be made redundant. Hope this helps someone.

Started off with training which could have been more efficient and organised, started helping customer a few days into my first week. Training is also provided in external branches which is very interactive and fun.

The beginning period is down to you on how quickly you become comfortable with helping customer with queries and finding the best solution for them. After a period of time you may end up being till trained which is actually the best part (in my opinion), faced no trouble with working on tills. 

The challenges of working in the bank are that customers are not comfortable with using machines, online/mobile banking however many of them come to terms and actually end up using both services. Branches are being requested to avoid using all tills and influence the customers to use the other options in order to "to reduce queuing". 

Once you start working for the bank you the realise how non-beneficial it can be towards the future of face to face branch banking, customers and staff. The main reason is to reduce costs for the company by closing down branches that do not make enough money from loans, mortgages etc; hence why we have to introduce online banking to customers. 

Many of the customers who do not agree to these changes will end up having a massive go at you which can be embarrassing, but most of the time you won't be bothered by it. You just really have to listen to them, explain the reasoning behind the changes to cashiers, general queries and bank closures.

Targets: Mobile... mobile... online... online.... mortgages... loans. Mobile and online can go 3 ways:
- Someone will want to have it, mainly middle aged or younger.
- Someone already has it
- Customer will get angry because they have been asked before and claim that banking was better in the past than it is now.

Colleagues were amazing, great to work with and are very helpful. If you work in an area with rowdy customers, but have great colleagues then it makes the job less worse hahaha.

8.15am start to complete branch opening process.
Printing off of appointments for the day
Research of appointments re opportunities and assistance
Preparation of paperwork for appointments
Dealing with incoming emails
9.30am conducting of appointments within strict FSA etc rules and guidelines and building of strong, lasting relationships with customers.
12.00 - 14.00 one hour lunch and one hour updating customer information, making sales calls to generate appointments, dealing with customer issues and queries etc.
14.00 - 16.30 conducting of appointments
16.30 - 17.00 updating of customer information, correct completion of paperwork, pre - calling customers with appointments for the following day, completion and sending of daily reports and figures.
In addition, required to fill in for cashiers at counter, cover enquiry desk, successfully complete industry set tests within allocated timescales in order to remain fully compliant and authorised, attend training when required.
Manage time and workload effectively and efficiently
Daily team motivation
Conduct of, and contribution to, weekly branch meetings.
Ensure that product and competitor knowledge is current
Co - workers were excellent and a pleasure to work with
Management was often lazy and poor with threat and fear used as motivators on a daily basis.
The hardest part of the job was dealing with the negative view that existing and potential customers have of the banking sector.
I enjoyed most, and still do, the face to face contact with people at all levels and from varied backgrounds, building a rapport and helping them with any difficulties or requirements they might have empathically, professionally and effectively.

•	I am responsible for the day to day running of a busy branch on East Finchley High Street and manage a team of six, as well as regularly working with other key sellers.
•	I am responsible for every aspect of the branch, predominantly the control and I ensure that operations within the branch are performed in a regulatory manner.
•	Other duties involve regular performance management discussions with the team members which involve coaching, development and carrying out observations. I ensure that company policies are adhered to at all times and document any deviation from this to maintain a strong control environment.
•	As the Branch Manager, I instil focus on making sure that the customer has an excellent and memorable experience when they visit the branch. This has been proven through the results of my Customer Experience Tracker and I am proud to be part of the local community within East Finchley.
•	My team regularly receive feedback and support to help them achieve their targets and to be the best that they can be at their role; including supporting and guiding one of my team members to gain a successful promotion. 
•	My branch has a sales target which needs to be met each month; part of my role is ensuring that all team members are motivated enough to hit their individual targets and that the branch performs to company expectations. A large part of my role involves keeping everyone engaged and the morale in the branch high to ensure these targets are delivered and that the team remains engaged at all times.
•	I have high standards and endeavour to ensure that excellent customer service is delivered at all times, dealing with and resolving complaints promptly and ensuring that customer needs are met and expectations are managed.
•	I hold regular sales meetings with the key sellers within the branch, and work together with the whole team to achieve success in all the target areas.

A typical day at work involves me reconciling internal accounts. Managing the cashiers and the way in which the counter is run whilst ensuring all processes and procedures are being adhered to as well as customers been served efficiently. I manage the ATM machines by checking they are always in service and that money is readily available at all times. I have to organise our money remittances to the cash centre and make sure we have enough cash to run our branch. I deal with all cash related complaints and queries and must ensure that the customer is delivered a fair outcome. I am required to spot check the Cashiers' work to prevent fraudulent transactions going through. I am in control of monthly staff rotas and organising lunches on a daily basis.

This role has taught me to prioritise workloads, delegate jobs and multi-task without compromising on quality of my work.

Management are rarely supportive so I have had to learn to overcome certain obstacles on my own whilst remaining professional at all times.

Overall my co-workers and I work well as a team. However, I often find they are too laid back for the busy branch we work in so I find ways to get them motivated and feel the urgency to get jobs completed.

The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing branch audit results which is mostly influenced specifically on my job.

If you are someone who wants to do things well and gain confidence in your work, then don't apply. The usual type of response from the higher ups is: 'that's just how it is'. They loose staff all the time and the people in charge are simply those who have held on long enough and have learned not to care. They talk a good game and ask for suggestions; however, it's just brand management. You have to put in lots of your own time to stay on top of emails and changes as they don't allot you time to do so. You are managed like a robot as they keep stats for everything you do.  There's lots of talk about looking after vulnerable customers, but when it comes down to it:  it is the people who finish calls quickly and pass customers back and forth without reaching an actual solution that get appreciated because their numbers look good. It's not a job for those who want to take pride in their work.

The managers just don't understand how to do the basics of their job at all. Refuse to support staff, they think supporting you is just sitting next to you and listening to calls, then they go away without anything to say. If a customer gets irrate and demand a supervisor/manager, they refuse to speak to them as well and don't support you through anything. I had holidays booked from my interview which was agreed then but then was never actually booked when it came to the date and they huffed and puffed about having to sort it out. I had a few appointments for therapy as I struggle with mental health and when they found out what my appointments were for, all my manager cared about was if it would stop me from coming to work. Was never warned about needing to reach sales targets as this isn't something I wanted to go into and never would've applied for the job if I knew about reaching targets by selling and pushing customers into things they don't want, however this is now an intergral part of the role. Wish I didn't hate the job/management as much as I did as the perks and salary are decent - but after months of recieving no support and watching the management team sit and do nothing but play on their phones or take personal calls all day, I can confidently say that this is the worst job I've ever had.

I was given the Mayers Briggs psych-profile test by the recruitment agency which told them I was an INFJ. The section head told all the staff (Which was illegal) and then NOT to tell me.

I had unbelievable amounts of grief from all the jealous insecure boys who knew they could say implied comments and get away with it.
One of the members of staff who pretended to be my friend worked out he could blackmail the section-head into a better paid job by walking into their office and telling them to give them the job or they would tell me what he'd done.
After this another tried it but was refused and then started to threaten and harass me with funny phone calls, Lies to all my school friends, This person was found to be Autistic and a sociopath, But when he thought he was going to passive aggressively threaten me again in front of everyone he ended up suffering a heart attack because of the stress of being found out.

My life was destroyed before I even left school, and the irony is The main 2 culprits referred to as Exibit "A" and "B" could have been rich beyond their wildest dreams due to my abilities if they had supported me instead of wrecking my life.

But again this came back on their children as they couldn't tell them the truth and their children acted differently because of the lies they told them to cover it up.

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