Heritage Building Society was formed in 1981 by the merger of Toowoomba Permanent Building Society and the Darling Downs Building Society. In 2011, Heritage Building Society changed its name to Heritage Bank. Heritage Bank is now Australia’s largest customer owned bank with almost $9 billion in consolidated assets.

Heritage Bank offers 61 physical branches in Southern Queensland. They provide online, mobile and telephone banking services along with a nationwide network of ATMs, allowing customers to access a full suite of banking products.

One of the four key goals in their business strategy is to ‘attract and grow passionate people’. While focusing their business on transformation, they have remained committed to building a team of people who are passionate about their customers and the Heritage culture. They embed this passion by making People first the definition of their company culture.

Enhanced workplace practices such as job share, flexible working arrangements, the encouragement of diversity and gender equality along with generous leave policies are all components of their HR strategy that build on their strong employer brand and lay the foundation of a supportive and attractive working environment.

Their training and development services are nationally recognised as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). As such, they can provide staff with the opportunity to complete a Certificate IV in Banking Services and a Diploma of Management. Over a thousand qualifications have been provided to their employees since the program began. They also provide a generous study assistance program, reimbursing 75% of course fees to the employee and providing study and exam leave.

The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Pathways Program gives staff members who hold a Heritage qualification the unique opportunity to receive direct entry into, and fast-track a Bachelor of Business and Commerce or Business Administration degree. Dependent upon the existing qualification and the chosen degree, the staff member can obtain up to 16 course exemptions. Senior Managers and Senior Executives can also obtain entry to a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). To support participants, HR has implemented a range of support systems including enrolment advice sessions, peer and study groups, comprehensive FAQ’s and ‘How to’ guides.

In addition to supporting educational development, Heritage has established a talent development program whereby bespoke high potential talent development programs are created to support the needs of organisation. These programs include partnerships with Women in Banking and Finance (WiBF) and the opportunity for staff to apply for grants to complete specialised courses, such as those offered by the Melbourne Business School.

These initiatives form a core part of their Employment Value Proposition (EVP) and assist greatly in the attraction and retention of top talent. Feedback from the Heritage staff rank satisfaction with opportunities to complete qualifications at 89%.

In their annual staff engagement survey, the 2016 Employee Engagement was one of their highest performing KPI’s, at 89% favourable and 91% of employees reporting that they are proud to work for Heritage Bank.

For further information about Heritage Bank go to heritage.com.au