Westpac boss takes a cheeky swipe at Commonwealth Bank trends now
The boss of one of Australia's Big Four banks has weighed into the working from the home debate before taking a cheeky dig at a rival now facing a staff revolt.
The Commonwealth Bank sparked outrage last week after its 49,000-strong workforce was advised they will be required to physically come into the office at least 50 per cent of the time from July.
Furious staff later lashed out at executives in a revolt against the mandate in a 'bloodbath' internal town hall meeting.
The decision was hot on the heels of NAB chief executive Ross McEwan's directive that all senior staff must return to work five days a week.
Westpac chief executive Peter King addressed the recent controversy in a staff memo later shared with the business gossip Instagram account The Aussie Corporate captioned 'Westpac clutch holding its ground on WFH expectations'.
He reassured his 40,000 staff that the bank's 'hybrid model' of splitting time between the office and working remotely hasn't changed - and that they still only had to come in two or three days a week.
Westpac has assured its staff its hybrid and flexible work arrangements won't change
'Hi everyone — if you've been keeping an eye on the news, you would have seen debate about getting teams back into the office full-time,' Mr King's leaked staff memo begins.
'I wanted to confirm our approach hasn't changed.
'We continue to run a hybrid working model, where you're expected to come into the office two or three days a week. Your team days in the office are an opportunity to work together and collaborate in person.'
Mr King noted many customer-based roles are already in the workplace full-time.
'Or if you're like me, you're mostly in the office or on the road — which I know my family prefers!' he added.
'We are committed to retaining flexibility for our people, including through hybrid working and we feel we have the balance right.
'We trust you to get your work done in a way that works for you and your team. If you have any questions about your team's working patterns, I encourage you to speak with your people leader.'
Westpac confirmed
