UK

Around 500 jobs at risk at Nationwide in head office shake-up

Around 470 workers at Nationwide Building Society are set to face redundancy (Nationwide/PA)
Around 470 workers at Nationwide Building Society are set to face redundancy (Nationwide/PA)

Nationwide has said around 500 workers are at risk of redundancy as part of an overhaul of head office operations at the building society.

The firm, which is led by Debbie Crosbie, said the redundancy consultation is part of a “streamlining” to improve efficiency and help it direct investment to other parts of the business.

Swindon-based Nationwide said it ultimately expects 200 workers to leave, following a process which will seek to find workers new roles.

The company said “customer-facing colleagues” will not be affected by the shake-up, as it reiterates its commitment to running branches across the country.

Nationwide
Nationwide rebranded in October for the first time in 36 years (Nationwide/PA)

It is understood the building society will not move roles offshore as part of the changes to head office.

A spokesman for Nationwide said: “Our strategy is to give customers greater value, better products and a distinctive customer experience.

“To do this our systems and operations must be best-in-class and we need to be more agile and efficient.

“We are streamlining some of our head office teams and expect around 200 people to leave the society.

“This will enable us to increase investment in the value and service we provide our customers.

“We have worked hard to keep the number of affected colleagues to a minimum and are ensuring we provide the right support for those impacted.”

The move also comes a day after Nationwide said it was rescinding its “work anywhere policy” and requiring staff to return to the office for at least two days a week for full-time employees from early next year.