My mentor, my mentee, and me
Inside NatWest Group
Working here
Posted by 17 days ago
,5 min read
Eleni Katsoulis essentially has three jobs; she works in Internal Audit, leads our Carers Network, and cares for her father who has several health complications and mobility issues.
She joined us six years ago and worked in various areas of the bank before realising her skill set was aligned to audit.
‘When I was in my first role with the bank, my manager knew I cared for my dad and told me about a webinar that was taking place for people in a similar situation to me,’ Eleni explains. ‘The webinar was facilitated by the Carers Network, and I really resonated with a lot of what was said, so I signed up for their newsletter. When I’d join a webinar or attend an event, I’d always take a note of the facilitator and the speakers and drop them a note after, so I built quite a good network.’
The Carers Network is a one of several pillars under our wider HomeLife Employee Led Network, and it was a Co-Chair of the HomeLife Network who asked Eleni to formally join the HomeLife Committee.
‘Everyone else was older and tended to be caring for their partner or elderly parents,’ says Eleni, ‘So there wasn’t anyone representing people who were at the very start of their careers and trying to balance the challenges that brings with caring for someone.’
After two years of being on the committee, Eleni became the leader of the Carers Network and described what that entails.
‘I’ll take a steer from what’s going on across the country,’ explains Eleni. ‘We have an affiliation with external charities and organisations such as Carers UK which campaigns for carers’ rights and offers support to carers across the country. They’ll share a theme each year for Carers Week, and I will build on that, adapt it to suit the bank, and then work with volunteer carers in the committee across different locations to bring it to life.
‘I collaborate with our events lead to set up webinars and events, and work with our comms team to outline what needs to go in the next newsletter and online posts. Carers Week is full on in terms of planning and delivery, but because we have relationships with charities and organisations, we have access to all sorts of events and resources and it’s my responsibility to review all of that and identify any gaps where we might need more for our network. During the week, we always have an event with one or both executive sponsors too which is great. And I also facilitate a “Carers’ Café” every two months which is a peer support group where people can come along, talk to others, and share their experiences.’
This is a huge responsibility, and Eleni explains how she manages all of this on top of caring for her father and a full-time job.
‘I’m so grateful for the flexibility I have in my role,’ she says. ‘I’m trusted to get the work done and although I’ve had emergencies where I’ve had to take unplanned leave, my manager completely understands. She tells me she’s there if I need her, but to concentrate on my dad when I must. A while ago I found my dad unconscious and had to get an ambulance to the hospital. I was supposed to be facilitating a webinar and guest speaking on another that week, both about supporting carers in the workplace. It was something I felt quite strongly about and although I knew I didn’t have to, I did it from a private area in the hospital.’
Eleni’s incredible efforts and contributions have not gone unnoticed by her peers. She’s been invited to parliamentary receptions as well the inaugural Carer Positive Scottish Employer Awards where NatWest, who hold the highest ‘exemplary’ accreditation as a Carer Positive Employer, were nominated for seven awards.
‘We were awarded Best Employer for Communication and Awareness Raising as well as the Carers Champion award’ Eleni recalls, ‘and we came highly commended in another category. There was also a Judge’s Choice award that we hadn’t known about until that night which we won! And off the back of those awards, one of our executive sponsors invited me to the Coutts banking hall in London for a dinner with the Senior Leadership team as a thank you. Also, in 2023, the bank hosted the Business Disability Forum’s Annual Conference in Bishopsgate which I was invited to and attended as a guest speaker on a Carers panel. I met some really amazing people!
‘It’s wonderful when I get feedback after I’ve done a webinar from people who really appreciated it. Someone wrote to me to say they cried the whole way through because they hadn’t even realised that what they did made them a carer. And when I was presenting from the hospital, somebody wrote to say, “if this isn’t a real-life example of what caring is like, then I don’t know what is.”
‘It was also through the Carers Network that I got into audit, so it’s been mutually beneficial. Early on, I asked the HomeLife Network Co-Chair if I could pick her brain about my next career move. She made me list everything I liked and didn’t like about my previous roles and suggested that I move into Internal Audit based on my answers. I researched as much as I could and read that Internal Audit was the conscience of a company which I thought sounded right for me. I kept an eye out for jobs and secured an audit role two months later, even going onto attain an Internal Audit Practitioner qualification.’
‘I don’t do any of it for the recognition,’ Eleni says, ‘but it takes a lot out of you, so it really is nice to be recognised. And the fantastic external organisations we work with make such a difference. The work they do actually impacts legislation. They push bills through parliament and use the way we do things as an example for other companies which shows we’re ahead of the game and that we champion carers’ rights in the workplace.
‘That’s why I always recommend the bank as an employer to my friends. It’s been so accommodating to my situation and is amazing at encouraging open conversations, so you have such a trusted relationship with your manager. And it works both ways; when you feel like you’re supported during those important moments, you’re more inclined to give back.’
Along with all our employee-led network leaders, Eleni contributes to a culture in which we can balance our working lives with everything else that means a lot to us. A huge thank you to Eleni for everything she does!
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