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Caroline - Corporate Responsibility
Hi I'm Caroline and I'm Head of Corporate Responsibility at Nationwide. Corporate Responsibility is all about our values and our beliefs, and its how we operate as a business. So everybody widely knows we're a responsible business and my role is to make sure in everything we do - with our products and our services and our community work - we are being absolutely responsible. We're focusing heavily on financial capability and housing as our core themes.
Obviously there's a close connection to what we do as a business there. So we're looking at people with financial difficulties, people who are struggling with debt and helping them to understand how they can get out of that. And in the housing arena, we're looking at people who need affordable housing, or sheltered housing in some form. And we're also helping homeless people as well.
This morning I've been in a local primary school working with very young children and helping them with in a really fun way with interactive games to understand money. So we've been playing quizzes and understanding different currencies and what different money can be used for, and how some people abuse different money as well, but its in a real fun game way, so lots of noise, lots of loud things going on, lots of kids having a lot of fun, so its a terrific way to start my Friday morning. What we hope to get with the children is just for them to be a little bit more savvy with money. Maths is a fantastic subject but it doesn't actually teach you a life skill necessarily. So what we're trying to do with the kids in starting them really young, because they're exposed to money at a really young age now, is to actually understand money and how you can use it sensibly, how you can save it, what interest means, what different currencies mean. So really trying to actually help them with life skills.
Money active is a really exciting three year programme with the Citizens Advice Bureau. We've partnered up with them as experts in the community. And what we're actually doing over the three years is getting out to as many disadvantaged communities as we can to help them better understand money and what they can do usefully with money, and how to avoid getting into debt.
I love so many aspects of my role. Probably working with the children is the most uplifting part of my role, because everyone says they're like sponges, it's so true. And they call me Miss Hallat, which is brilliant. Respect for the first time in my life. What I love most about my job is the variety. So, I get to work with community groups, with schools, with disadvantaged people, with environmentalists. And all of it is really about helping people improve their lives or improve their skills, so its a really uplifting role.
A career in Corporate Affairs
How would you like to work for a division that is guardian and advocate for the Nationwide brand?
One that deals with members, journalists, government, the communities in which we operate, and more than 16,000 employees every day of the week?
Where you are responsible for ensuring that the voice of Nationwide is heard loud and clear with those that matter?
Where no day is the same, where every phone call can bring a new opportunity, where you can make a difference?
Then welcome to the world of Corporate Affairs.
How we are structured
Corporate Affairs is organised into four key areas:
I&CC – Internal & Change Communication
The Internal & Change Communication function is responsible for articulating the business vision, strategy, goals, values and plans in a way that involves, motivates and inspires employees to deliver in a high performing organisation.
Our priorities are:
- Improving leadership communication
- Ensuring understanding of the business strategy
- Building employee advocacy
Corporate Responsibility
Corporate Responsibility is our commitment to be responsible with members’ money, as an employer, with the products and services we offer, and how we interact with our community and environment.
Nationwide commits 1% of its profits to the Corporate Responsibility agenda, as approved by Members at the 2007 Annual General Meeting, with a strategic focus on four key areas: community, finance, housing and environment.
We work and support communities in these vital areas via partnerships including Citizens Advice, Nationwide Education, Macmillan, Shelter and Skill Force, where we are making a real difference to peoples’ quality of life.
Media Relations and Member Engagement
The Media Relations and Member Engagement function manages and protects our reputation within the media, as well as creating an engaging member strategy that makes members feel valued. Our priorities are:
- To use our position as the world’s largest building society to ensure share of voice
- To protect our brand and reputation in the UK’s media, even in difficult times
- To create a greater sense of long-term member ownership and loyalty through a series of member engagement initiatives such as Member Zone on www.nationwide.co.uk and the AGM
Public Affairs & Policy
Based in London and at the Society’s head office in Swindon, the Public Affairs & Policy team lobby government, the civil service, regulators and other policy makers to protect and promote Nationwide’s commercial interests, and ensure that internally the Society is kept informed of key political and policy developments.
In particular, the Society is keen to share its views on the impact of policy and regulatory initiatives, the economy, the building society sector and the mortgage, housing and savings markets.
What we expect from you
As well as a passion for communications, our people are expected to:
- think business
- inspire people
- build trust and be collaborative
- raise the bar
- spot the future, shape our vision and help us get there
- show professionalism and accountability
- be passionate every day
- energise themselves and others around them
- listen and respond well
- show tenacity, ask the right questions and push for new
- ideas and ways of doing business
Where you would work
You would be based at our Swindon head office. However, some roles may involve travel across the UK, including to our other sites, and ‘out of hours’ availability.