Lifestyle changes driven by COVID requires new hiring models.
In a recent interview with Westpac Banks’ internal magazine, Paul Bari CIO Consumer and Business said, he would look to “press go on an “experiment” to create a new “hub” of software engineers for the bank on Queensland’s Gold Coast”.
In a LinkedIn post Bari confirmed the move stating it was “launching a new engineering hub on Australia’s Gold Coast – the premier lifestyle location in Australia – and we’re looking for talented engineers to join it”.
According to Bari stated this is one of the first times an organisation of Westpac’s size and industry has merged lifestyle and engineering as a unique employee value proposition in Australia. However it won’t be the last as “real investment in regional Australia, specifically in south east Queensland”.
“Our hypothesis? If you provide people great work and an excellent environment combined with a lifestyle, they’re more likely to join, stay and grow,” he said.
“The idea is to build a new kind of model where we focus on a combination of lifestyle as well as work, a 360-value proposition if you like,” says Bari, confirming job ads have been placed for an initial 20 software engineers to join the hub,” he said.
“If it works, we’ll expand the number of roles and, over time, look to replicate it in the next biggest centres – places like Adelaide and Perth, and potentially across the Tasman.”
According to previous surveys by Westpac, in the year to September 30 2020, the net number of people moving out of Australia’s capital cities reached new highs at more than 36,000, up from 22,000 in same period the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The September 2020 quarter alone saw a net 11,200 people move out of capital cities, the highest quarter in the 20 years of records.
Bari believes these types of moves driven by COVID, means there will be initiative to “build a new kind of model where we focus on a combination of lifestyle as well as work, a 360-value proposition if you like”.
“If it works, we’ll expand the number of roles and, over time, look to replicate it in the next biggest centres – places like Adelaide and Perth, and potentially across the Tasman,” he said.
Bari started his role as CIO in July this year, having come from a long stint at Denmark bank Nordea. He has also worked for Standard Chartered and Barclays Investment Bank.
Tags: CIOemploymentWestpac
