Nationwide Group is Australia’s largest provider of towing, transport and emergency roadside assistance services. It has operations in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and WA with a workforce of over 600 people. Each year, Nationwide Group moves around 400,000 vehicles, provides emergency roadside assistance to 350,000 customers and stores over 30,000 vehicles nationally. RACV is the majority shareholder of the group. The group is comprised of three companies. Nationwide Towing & Transport operates in the towing and road freight transport industries, providing towing, transport and storage solutions to automotive clubs, state police and road authorities and national and international corporations. Nationwide Roadside Services and Eastern Van Services both operate in the emergency roadside assistance industry, building patrol vans and providing emergency roadside assistance on behalf of leading automotive clubs. Nationwide provide towing services to state police, road authorities and state and local governments, and transportation services to plant and equipment hire companies, mining operations, agricultural businesses and the construction industry.

Operating for over 30 years, Nationwide leads the industry in safety, quality and technology. Nationwide’s employment and engagement model is focused on fostering innovation. Nationwide has made improvements to its fleet and customer service that have been adopted by its competitors, improving the industry overall. The business has sizeable customer service, information & communications technology and health & safety teams, reflecting its commitment to these areas. Nationwide Group has responded by choosing not to operate in the ‘smash towing’ market, and by exceeding Australia’s highest regulatory standards. All representatives completing towing, transport or emergency roadside assistance work must hold relevant licences and have appropriate experience and qualifications, and receive comprehensive training, including load capacity regulations, fatigue management, health and safety. Customer service and dispatch staff are also trained in transportation load regulations, fatigue management and health and safety. Nationwide Group has reached its standing in the industry thanks to its focus on innovation, quality and leadership.

Nationwide Group is committed to supporting and empowering its people. The company’s mission, vision and values are demonstrated by all levels of the business, from senior management to frontline representatives. They were developed by staff through surveys and consultation, and align the business’ commitment to its people and its purpose. The company has embedded its mission, vision and values into all areas of the business, and all companies within the group hold the same mission, vision and values.

Nationwide’s mission is to lead, innovate and succeed by providing a safe, reliable and profitable service. To achieve this, organisational leadership looks to best practices across multiple industries to shape strategic objectives. Practices such as camera monitoring systems, self-directed training packages, external accreditation and system and process auditing have all been developed following evaluation of leading businesses in different industries. By continually observing business practices outside its own industries, Nationwide leads these industries in safety, customer satisfaction and development of its people. The values of the business reflect its commitment to its people. To maintain its focus on health and safety, meetings are opened with a safety moment, highlighting potential health or safety risks to the business or industry, or technological or practice opportunities identified by staff or from external businesses.

Company culture is based on teamwork and continuous improvement. Internal communication reflects the company’s values of teamwork, commitment and culture. Nationwide Group is dedicated to building a workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to exceed customer expectations safely and efficiently. Recruitment focuses heavily on engaging highly skilled and experienced candidates, and identifying gaps in knowledge during the recruitment process. External recruitment advertisements include the company’s mission, vision and values, which are also included in position descriptions. Position responsibilities include adhering to company values and supporting the company mission and vision.

Nationwide maintains best practice certifications in health, safety, environment and quality, and has a dedicated health, safety, environment and quality team. A comprehensive training program is provided for Nationwide’s workforce, and a dedicated learning and development team is responsible for developing ongoing training and assessing its efficacy. Four training programs have been developed to ensure key areas of the business are skilled and able to respond to the needs of the business and its customers. A tailored wellness program is also offered to all Nationwide employees. The program is funded by the company and is designed to increase knowledge about health matters, explore fun ways to improve nutrition and increase physical activity and fitness. It aims to improve general wellbeing in individuals’ personal and working lives.

All Nationwide staff also participate in ongoing professional development. Staff are encouraged to identify gaps in knowledge, career progression or professional interest goals and create plans with their managers to address these. Mentoring and cross-functional teamwork is encouraged to develop skills internally. These initiatives have had significant impact on Nationwide’s operations as retention of representatives has increased significantly. Ongoing learning and development initiatives have also had positive impacts on company culture and practices. Nationwide Group has developed multiple systems and programs to monitor and improve company performance. Continual and holistic performance management has been identified as a major contributor to developing a high performing and engaged workforce.

Nationwide’s commitment to culture and ongoing efforts to support employee wellbeing and engagement have led to high levels of employee retention, engagement and satisfaction. Projects targeting improved employee benefits have been established, and flexible work arrangements are being introduced throughout the business. In December 2019 less than 1% of the company’s workforce exited, and company turnover is steadily declining. Employee survey results demonstrate individuals feel supported by their team and manager, see the importance of their role, and would recommend working at Nationwide.