Meet our people

Celebrating socio-economic diversity

Posted by Olivia Lyons, about 1 month ago

5 min read

Your background shouldn’t determine your future. And yet, for too many people in our society, it does.

Social mobility happens when, during a person's life, they experience different outcomes to those that their parents or carers had. This could mean a different income level, a different occupational class, or other differences, such as housing or education.

At NatWest Group we’re taking action to help people from all backgrounds thrive in work. It’s a responsibility we have as an employer, as well as in society too. By encouraging social mobility, we’re able to attract a diverse range of fantastic people, making us stronger as an organisation and a truly inclusive bank.

In financial services there’s still a disproportionately higher percentage of employees who come from professional socio-economic backgrounds (45%) when compared to the UK average (37%). In NatWest that figure is 47%.

What impact does this have?

As an industry, and as a bank it means we don’t necessarily represent our customers, and we may not meet their needs as well as we could do.

For people working here, it could mean they feel out of place or even feel like they have to behave differently to fit in or access opportunities.

By addressing socio-economic inclusion, we’re becoming better for our customers, and a better place to work.

Colleagues Adam and Dale share their own stories about growing up and their experiences working here.

Adam, Client Journey Manager, Private Banking

Adam joined the bank around twenty years ago, having never previously considered working in banking, and loves the role he has today.

“I remember having very little money growing up. We only went out twice a year to restaurants and we had maybe two overseas holidays in total. At quite a young age I took on responsibility for things like cooking and shopping. Dad didn't work, and mum had a clerical job that was poorly paid. Dad was ill and lost his job to his health which then led him to alcoholism.

“In sixth form I had to balance many things for the family, and I didn’t go to university – for a number of reasons this was never really on the cards. Around the age of 17 I had to work to pay the family mortgage. This led me to skipping some school lessons to pick up overtime. And I stopped playing some sports to go and work instead. Eventually my parents sold the house to pay off crippling debt and have rented since.

“School for me was functional. I was relatively smart and enjoyed sport. Therefore, I never put as much effort in as I needed to. Outside of school, Scouts gave me amazing opportunities to get away from responsibilities at home and learn other skills. I felt that I was never going to progress in further education outside of state school, so I got my GCSEs, a couple of A-levels and diverted my attention to getting a ‘real job’.”

It was a chance opportunity that led to Adam coming to work here.

“I was working in a supermarket when a friend of mine recommended I apply to RBS Group under the referral process that was available at the time. It meant he would receive money if I was successful, and we agreed to split it. I honestly hadn’t considered doing anything in banking before this and I was only lured by the money.

“I was told relatively early on in my career that because I hadn’t gone to university, this was a sign of people who cannot be bothered in life. I was told not to expect great things in banking and that ‘people like me never got too far’. Thankfully I took this as a great opportunity to prove a few people wrong!”

Later in his career, Adam encountered a similar experience again.

“My expectations of working for Coutts was ‘would someone like me fit in?’. And this doubt was further embedded when another colleague expressed that ‘someone like me would never work for Coutts’. Fortunately, I have proved another person wrong and have been successful so far.

“While I cannot imagine having the wealth many of our Coutts clients have, in reality their needs are similar to anyone else’s. Clients are looking for simple, effective, and reliable banking. And of course, some Coutts clients come from backgrounds like mine too.

“I love the role I do now. Being part of a great team and in a position where I can make changes for our clients is brilliant. I also appreciate the position I have in managing people. The bank would be nothing without good people (and clients!) and helping them with internal and external pressures is incredibly rewarding.”

On the whole, Adam loves his working life here.

“I’ve been here for 20 years now, and there is so much I haven’t touched yet in terms of learning and development. I’ve found a career I’m passionate about and I’m always ready to learn more. While some people have been discouraging as I mentioned, most of my colleagues couldn’t have helped me more. They’ve taken chances on me, and I’ve therefore been keen to impress and deliver for them, our clients and for me.

“My advice for my colleagues is – take people as individuals, understand that life isn’t simple and for many people just getting to 18 can be a tough, so give people a chance.”

Dale, Team Leader, Customer Contact

Dale joined NatWest Group through the Through Sport & Business (LTSB) apprenticeship scheme three years ago when he was eighteen years old.

“I came out of school having grades that I would say weren’t the best. I was looking for a career but was unsure what I could do. The LTSB apprenticeship scheme gave me opportunities I didn’t realise were even possible with the grades I had.”

LTSB prepares and places young people who face disadvantage into meaningful careers with major firms, such as NatWest Group.

“Since coming into the business I was given the time and support I needed to learn, and I’ve completed my apprenticeship, all while making a start into a full-time working career.

“One of the challenges I faced coming into the role was communicating in a professional environment with people older than me. This is something I had to adapt to quickly due to being in a customer facing role. The induction process and support from my manager helped me do this and my confidence has grown hugely.

“I made sure to do everything I can, and more, within the role and have recently been seconded into a Team Leader position, something I never believed I would be able to achieve given my circumstances before the LTSB scheme.

“The support from my managers and senior leadership have played a very important role in developing me into the position I am in today. Although I am currently on secondment, this is something I hope will become permanent. I want to be an example to others who aren’t from a privileged background. I want to show them that not only can they get their foot in the door, but they can also develop into any role they wish.”

So what are we doing to make a difference?

We’re proud to be partnering with Progress Together to better understand best practice and be part of a community advancing social mobility within our industry. And in order to gain insights that are helping us to identify where we, as an organisation are and where we need to focus our efforts, we’ve added questions to ‘Our View’, our internal colleague satisfaction survey. We’ve also established a one bank working group bringing together influencers from across the bank to ensure there’s a focus on driving social mobility throughout the organisation.

Find out more about how we support our colleagues.

Inclusion