The new way NatWest Group is making work better

This
interview
is
part
of
the

Inside
the
Mind
of
the
CxO
series,
which
explores
a
wide
range
of
critical
decisions
faced
by
chief
executives
around
the
world.

Savvy
leaders
recognize
that
a
positive
employee
experience
helps
enable
business
strategy.
That’s
why
just
over
two
years
ago,
Jen
Tippin,
group
chief
operating
officer
at
the
UK-based
bank
NatWest
Group,
sought
to
elevate
the
company’s
employee
experience
to
the
same
standard
as
their
customer
experience.
Tippin
and
her
team
knew
small
adjustments
wouldn’t
be
enough;
they
needed
to
be
more
ambitious.

“Our
goal
was
to
create
a
human
resources
model
that
doesn’t
just
react
to
employee
needs
but
anticipates
them,”
Tippin
explained.
“We
wanted
to
be
set
up
to
add
value
at
every
stage
of
the
employee
life
cycle.”

The
result?
A
new
“goals
and
journeys”
structure
and
way
of
working
that
aims
to
simplify
processes,
eliminate
silos,
and
improve
the
employee
experience.
Unlike
traditional
HR
models
that
separate
functions
like
hiring,
talent,
training,
and
performance
management
into
isolated
functions,
the
goals-and-journeys
approach
brings
HR
personnel
together
to
focus
on
what
matters
most
to
employees.
A
“goal”
represents
an
experience
end
to
end,
such
as
joining
or
moving
around
NatWest,
and
works
to
improve
it.
Each
goal
includes
“journeys”
that
represent
how
employees
and
prospective
employees
experience
the
moments
that
matter,
such
as
being
interested
in
a
job
at
NatWest
or
their
first
day
at
work.

Now
in
the
early
stages
of
implementation,
NatWest
Group’s
multiyear
transformation
is
already
delivering
results
to
the
organization
and
its
61,600
employees,
including
freeing
up
more
than
350,000
hours
for
employees
over
the
course
of
one
year.
Shared
capability
teams
in
areas
like
reward
or
performance
management
now
collaborate
with
goal
teams
to
bring
deep
expertise
across
the
model.
An
enhanced
AI-driven
chatbot
called
AskArchie
has
increased
query
resolution.
Those
changes
and
more
are
proof
the
approach
is
helping
the
company
meet
both
strategic
goals
and
day-to-day
employee
needs.

Tippin
recently
sat
down
with strategy+business to
share
the
behind-the-scenes
challenges,
innovations,
and
cultural
shifts
that
have
accompanied
NatWest
Group’s
transformation
so
far.
The
following
is
an
edited
version
of
that
conversation.

S+B:
Why
was
it
so
important
for
NatWest
Group
to
focus
on
the
employee
experience?
JEN
TIPPIN:
Post-pandemic,
we
noticed
trends
like
the
“great
resignation”
and
an
even
bigger
focus
on
employee
experience.
We
wanted
to
critically
examine
the
“moments
that
matter”
throughout
the
time
that
someone
is
with
the
bank,
from
recruitment
to
onboarding,
performance
management,
learning,
development,
and
even
exits
or
retirements.

Many
of
our
colleagues
are
also
our
customers,
so
if
we
can
provide
them
with
a
positive
experience
as
employees,
that
often
translates
into
a
better
experience
for
customers.
To
achieve
our
goals
and
support
our
customers,
we
need
brilliant
people
who
feel
valued
and
empowered
in
their
roles
every
day.

S+B:
What
approach
did
you
opt
for?
TIPPIN:
We
had
used
a
goals-and-journeys
approach
to
enhance
our
customer
experience,
and
that
led
us
to
consider
a
similar
approach
to
elevate
the
employee
experience.
We’ve
been
working
in
this
way
for
our
customers
for
many
years,
starting
with
our
retail
business
and
then
extending
it
to
the
rest
of
the
bank.
We’ve
seen
the
benefits
of
examining
the
customer
experience
from
an
end
to
end
perspective—understanding
pain
points
and
identifying
areas
for
improvement.
By
bringing
that
approach
to
how
we
support
our
employees,
we’ve
been
able
to
get
closer
to
their
actual
experience,
empowering
them
to
address
issues,
take
ownership,
and
improve
the
overall
employee
experience.

S+B:
Where
did
you
start?
TIPPIN:
We
took
our
time
to
really
test
our
thinking.
We
needed
to
define
our
goals
for
the
employee
experience,
establish
the
journeys
we
had
in
mind,
and
more.
We
spent
a
significant
amount
of
time
experimenting
in
different
areas
to
get
the
design
right.
For
example,
we
launched
a
goal
to
revamp
performance
management
early
so
we
could
test
the
model,
understand
the
necessary
capabilities,
and
figure
out
how
to
set
up
other
goals
for
success.

We
also
created
a
model
optimization
team
to
ensure
we
stayed
true
to
our
design.
This
team
was
crucial
because
it
empowered
the
goals-and-journeys
teams
to
take
full
ownership
of
their
processes
while
also
fostering
a
community
to
share
best
practices.
This
careful
approach
helped
us
see
benefits
more
quickly
than
anticipated.

S+B:
What
are
some
of
the
steps
NatWest
Group
took
to
embed
this
model
effectively?
TIPPIN:
First,
we
established
clear
guardrails
and
standards,
which
provided
our
teams
with
set
frameworks
and
parameters
for
the
work.
These
standards
helped
people
understand
processes,
boundaries,
and
expectations,
mitigating
risks
and
making
the
entire
model
easier
to
follow.

Additionally,
we
translated
our
people
strategy
into
tangible
outcomes
within
HR.
That
formed
the
basis
of
our
annual
objectives
and
key
results,
guiding
design
choices
and
helping
us
prioritize.
For
example,
we
run
“big
room
planning”
every
quarter
to
determine
the
most
critical
focus
areas
for
the
next
quarter,
ensuring
that
essential
skill
sets
were
allocated
to
high-impact
areas.

S+B:
Can
you
give
us
an
example
of
an
area
NatWest
Group
has
reimagined
and
what
that
process
has
been
like?
TIPPIN:
Performance
management
has
been
a
big
focus.
We
had
a
30-year-old
performance
management
framework
that
was
very
process-heavy
and
outdated,
relying
on
cascaded
goals
and
rigid
performance
ratings.
In
redesigning
this
through
the
goals-and-journeys
method,
we
engaged
thousands
of
colleagues,
experimenting
with
how
we
set
goals,
run
check-ins,
and
make
decisions
on
performance
outcomes
and
rewards.
Feedback
on
creating
meaningful
goals,
quality
feedback,
and
coaching
has
significantly
improved
as
we’ve
made
changes.

S+B:
How
does
NatWest
Group
gather
and
incorporate
employee
feedback
into
its
new
model?
TIPPIN:
Looking
at
things
through
a
colleague’s
eyes
has
been
one
of
the
highlights
of
moving
to
the
new
model.
That
includes
listening
to
their
experiences,
what
matters
to
them,
what’s
painful
to
them,
and
getting
their
feedback
on
new
ideas. 

We’ve
built
employee
feedback
into
many
of
our
experiences.
Our
employee-led
networks
and
college
experience
squads
provide
insights
on
diversity,
disability,
gender,
LGBT+
issues,
and
more.
In
performance
management
alone,
6,000
colleagues
have
been
involved
in
experiments.
We
also
conduct
pulse
surveys
and
twice-yearly
in-depth
surveys,
which
give
us
a
detailed
view
of
sentiment
and
experience
across
the
bank. 

We’ve
even
shelved
ideas
when
they’ve
not
met
the
reality
of
what
our
colleagues
really
care
about.
And
that’s
great,
because
we’re
listening
and
experimenting
before
investing
too
much
of
our
time.

S+B:
Could
you
walk
us
through
a
specific
experiment
where
employee
feedback
helped
shape
improvements?
TIPPIN:
One
of
our
goals
was
to
revise
performance
management.
We
call
this
our
Perform
Goal. We
initially
thought
we
could
launch
all
the
changes—goal-setting,
check-ins,
rewards,
and
calibration—in
one
big
rollout.
But
feedback
showed
us
that
this
approach
would
be
overwhelming.
So,
we
adjusted
and
rolled
it
out
in
a
series
of
chapters,
giving
people
time
to
adapt
and
build
the
skills
needed.
This
longer
journey
was
necessary
for
such
a
significant
cultural
change.

S+B:
You’ve
mentioned
that
uncovering
pain
points
has
been
an
important
part
of
this
process.
Can
you
give
us
an
example
of
how
you’ve
used
that
information?
TIPPIN:
We
made
improvements
to
our
recruiting
process
based
on
pain
points—it’s
now
faster
through
simplification
and
automation.
Creating
a
job
requisition
is
now
6.5
times
faster,
allocating
a
recruiter
is
now
automated,
and
by
removing
steps
from
job
offers,
these
are
now
being
returned
nearly
twice
as
fast. 

Another
area
is
in
onboarding.
Line
managers
and
new
starters
have
told
us
they’d
benefit
from
improvements
to
our
onboarding
process,
wanting
more
automation
and
a
simpler
way
to
get
ready
for
Day
One.
So
we’ve
asked
colleagues
to
experiment
with
us
on
a
digital
experience
that
can
help
make
this
happen.
We’ve
already
identified
that
this
could
reduce
the
process
steps
needed
by
50%,
and
we
expect
to
see
the
results
of
the
experiment
by
the
end
of
the
year.

S+B:
You’ve
rolled
out
an
AI
chatbot
to
help
quickly
answer
some
employee
queries.
How
did
you
decide
on
the
right
balance
between
digital
and
human
interaction?
TIPPIN:
We’re
very
conscious
of
that
balance.
Although
we
run
many
experiments
with
AI,
including
generative
AI,
we’re
focused
on
providing
the
right
experience.
Our
approach
is
to
recognize
moments
that
matter—those
times
when
human
interaction
is
essential.

Many
customers
enjoy
digital
channels,
but
some
prefer
face-to-face
interactions
for
complex
or
sensitive
issues.
We
want
technology
to
enhance
interactions
without
replacing
the
human
touch
where
it’s
most
needed.
For
example,
generative
AI
helps
remove
repetitive
manual
processes,
but
our
priority
is
always
to
strengthen,
not
eliminate,
human-to-human
connections.
And
our
AskArchie
chatbot
incorporates
humans

and
technology.
We’re
working
hard
to
improve
the
quality
and
scale
of
the
help
AskArchie
can
provide,
but
if
he
can’t
currently
help
a
colleague
resolve
a
query
then
he
knows
when
to
hand
it
over
to
a
member
of
the
team.

S+B:
How
has
streamlining
through
digital
tools
helped
you
focus
on
essential
human
interactions?
Do
you
have
an
example
you
can
share?
TIPPIN:
Absolutely.
Streamlining
has
freed
us
up
to
focus
more
on
other
capabilities,
including
skills
development,
for
example.
Two
years
ago,
we
began
offering
all
61,000
colleagues
two
days
annually
for
learning
future
skills—whether
that
be
in
data,
digital,
or
something
else.
Our
upskilling
and
reskilling
programs
help
colleagues
transition
to
growth
areas.
Our
strategy
has
become
sharper,
and
new
technology,
like
GenAI,
gives
us
a
more
holistic
view
of
a
colleague’s
skills,
enabling
better
succession
planning
and
talent
pipeline
development.

S+B:
What
kind
of
cultural
shifts
have
you
observed
since
adopting
this
model?
TIPPIN:
Transformation
doesn’t
happen
overnight.
Moving
to
the
goals-and-journeys
model
required
new
mindsets
and
behaviors,
which
we
supported
through
targeted
development
programs,
coaching,
and
accreditation.
We
also
introduced
personas
to
help
employees
relate
to
these
new
ways
of
working.

A
major
cultural
shift
has
been
how
we’ve
embraced
experimentation.
Now,
there’s
no
such
thing
as
a
failed
experiment—every
result
provides
valuable
data.
We’ve
trained
our
top
170
leaders
to
lead
with
this
mindset,
helping
them
learn
from
each
other’s
experiments.
This
culture
of
experimentation
encourages
innovation
and
learning,
even
from
setbacks.

S+B:
What
specific
improvements
have
you
observed
since
implementing
the
new
model?
TIPPIN:
We’ve
seen
a
marked
improvement
in
employee
experience.
Our
engagement
survey,
“Our
View,”
shows
positive
results,
particularly
in
areas
we’ve
been
focused
on,
such
as
performance
management.

Last
year,
our
simplification
work
has
given
back
385,000
hours
to
our
colleagues
allowing
them
to
focus
even
more
on
our
customers
and
their
own
potential,
and
we’re
on
track
to
exceed
820,000
hours
in
2025,
all
of
which
directly
correlates
with
higher
employee
satisfaction
and
engagement.

Our
Family
Friendly
policy
program
achieved
a
48%
improvement
in
first-time
query
resolution,
enhancing
the
employee
experience
significantly.

S+B:
Looking
ahead,
where
do
you
see
this
model
a
year
from
now?
TIPPIN:
My
vision
is
for
us
to
reach
the
next
level
of
maturity.
I
want
to
see
goals
fully
embedded,
our
objectives
and
key
results
advanced,
and
our
foundational
improvements
in
place.
We’ll
continue
to
experiment
and
refine
the
employee
experience,
ensuring
it
supports
both
our
colleagues
and
our
business
objectives.
Transformation
happens
through
lots
of
continuous
small
steps.
We’ll
know
we’re
on
the
right
path
when
we
start
hearing
colleagues
reflect
on
just
how
easy
it
is
to
work
here.