What's it really like inside...The Royal Bank of Scotland?

RBS's Retail Finance team answers our questions about working for a major banking services provider in the UK.

How often does finance get out into the field around the UK network?

It really depends on what type of role you have. As a department it’s important that we talk to the business every day, but there are roles here where you work in the field more often than others – such as those associated with Branch Banking.

What’s the biggest challenge that a finance team faces in retail banking in the UK?

As with many organisations of our size and scope, change is a constant at RBS. There are challenges from a financial perspective both in helping manage the business and driving the finance agenda (transformation, regulation etc). These create a wealth of initiatives which we need to get involved in, right across the business.

How are new or junior members of staff coached in the workplace?

We have a firm commitment to developing our people which runs right through the whole business. In addition to this, we promote internal mobility wherever we can to provide the right opportunities for people to develop. We also ensure that junior colleagues get the right exposure to senior colleagues to support them in this.

Our Managers have coaching built into their roles and objectives, which helps us to ensure that we deliver on this promise, and we routinely deliver a mix of on-the-job coaching alongside a structured mentoring system.

When it comes to managing your own personal development there are lots of tools that you’ll have access to such as the Finance Academy, Knowledge Pool Groups, Business Awareness Web Conferences, Learning@Work, Financial Reporting Update Workshops and many more.

What opportunities does finance get to demonstrate creativity when advising the business?

Creativity is something that wouldn’t usually be associated with Finance but at RBS it really is at the heart of everything we do. The times when it is most evident though would be when we are discussing potential scenarios. Here, Finance operates as an equal partner with the business, meaning that we get to input on all factors of the product proposition or a distribution initiative – something which isn’t always the case elsewhere.

How does the company help its people achieve a good work life balance?

We have developed several projects over the last few years (most notably the implementation of lean) to better distribute workload across the team and streamline our outputs. This has helped us to ensure that we’re protecting the work-life balance of our people as much as we can.

What roles does the finance team play in sustaining a responsible business?

Here at RBS, it is viewed as everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the products and services we offer are sustainable and ensure customers are treated fairly and our risks are fully understood and articulated. This is core to our business and is something that the Finance department plays a very active role in.  You can find out how we’re doing here and tell us what you think http://changingthebank.rbs.com/

Does everyone bank with RBS? What staff discounts are there?

In line with the Group’s policy, we ask all employees to have a RBS / group bank account when joining. This gives automatic free access to the RBS royalties gold account which has a wide range of discounts and benefits included.

‘Your Choice’ offers a wide selection of programmes, services, support and exclusive offers. You can help a good cause, get a mortgage deal, take more time off, drive a new car, shop for less, do some extra training - the choice is yours!  Visit http://www.jobs.rbs.com/uk/you-and-rbs for more information.

RBS sponsor a variety of major sporting events – do employees get access to tickets?

Sponsorship and tickets are normally used by customers not staff.

How would your colleagues in marketing support describe the retail finance team?

They would view us as exhibiting the behaviours that the Retail Bank is aspiring to, which are: I am professional, I simplify, I care and I am proactive. We have an internal feedback system to measure the performance of the finance function which we run every year. This helps ensure our team is delivering a world-class service to its internal customers.

Is there anything interesting about the inside of your office?

As with any company of our size, we have many locations right around the country and the world. We maintain a great office environment and in Gogarburn in particular we have lots of services on site for the convenience of colleagues.  Gogarburn has a campus style architecture with 6 business houses arranged around a central 280 metre internal street with various retail outlets.  We also have a Crèche as well as Health and Leisure facilities including a 20 metre pool, gym, medical and fitness suites, outdoor tennis and 5-aside courts which are open seven days a week to all RBS staff as well as family members.

How often do you get to take a lunch hour?

A full hour isn’t always easy to take, however all staff are encouraged to take a break during their working day – especially at lunch time – wherever possible.   During the summer lots of colleagues in Gogarburn try to get some fresh air and there are some very nice walks around the campus.

Why is finance vital to RBS’s retail banking business in the UK?

Finance is critical to enabling the bank to achieve its objectives whilst balancing the needs of customers, shareholders and employees.  Whenever there are tough decisions to be made you can find our team in the thick of it!
  
To find out where we could take you in your career visit www.jobs.rbs.com/retail-finance

RBS are currently recruiting for a variety of roles - apply here.

RBS Retail Finance at a glance:
• RBS Retail has the highest Net Interest Margin (NIM) out of all the major UK banks.
• RBS Retail's revenue is over £5bn per annum with a cost base of almost £3bn.
• Approximately 1 out of every 4 people in the UK is an RBS customer.
• Market leading in terms of Mortgages and Deposits growth in the past year.
• During the first half of 2012, 1 out of every 8 residential mortgages taken out in the UK was with RBS.
• In 2010 we lent almost £4bn through our first time buyer products to assist customers onto the property ladder in the UK.