Banking on Safety: Mastering Psychosocial Safety Excellence

In a world where financial institutions often feel like faceless giants, the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) stands out as a refreshing alternative, keeping people at the heart of their business.

Since 1861, BNZ hasn’t been just about numbers—it’s been an ally in the dreams and ambitions of everyday Kiwis, nurturing financial goals, making community not just a buzzword, but a core value.

BNZ knows that a flourishing community starts with looking after its people so it’s no surprise that psychosocial safety takes centre stage.

Who knew banking could feel this good?

Rising Risks in a Changed World

We often hear about the physical risks of simply walking into work—like the chance of falling and breaking an arm—but mental wellbeing in the workplace tends to get swept under the rug. But as we come off the back of COVID-19, the demand for better mental health practices in the workplace is becoming louder.

As a society, we’ve talked extensively about the physical symptoms of COVID-19; most of us have experienced those firsthand. Yet, what many didn’t foresee, and what we certainly didn’t plan for, was the mental and psychological struggle to adjust to normality after the pandemic.

“Post-COVID, our incidents of people getting physically hurt have increased,” reflects Head of Protective Services, Lisa White.

It’s the unseen, and unpredictable long-COVID symptom—a troubling rise in customer aggression, demonstrated by increasing incidents of verbal abuse and inappropriate behaviour.

Many people are feeling worse than ever, entering the bank after experiencing financial loss or hardship—perhaps they've lost their jobs or been denied loans. This desperation often manifests as frustration directed at employees, creating an unfortunate cycle of collateral damage that they have to navigate in their daily interactions.

“None of our colleagues should have to be taught to tolerate any customer aggression,” follows Bridget Smaill, GM Health, Safety, and Wellbeing.

It was clear that a pattern was emerging and the risk landscape was shifting in ways that couldn’t be addressed with just a couple pieces of paper. That’s where ecoPortal comes to the rescue.

Safety Tech for Psychosocial Excellence

BNZ’s partnership with ecoPortal has been pivotal in the swift tackling of the rise in customer aggression and psychosocial safety of their employees.

“The impact ecoPortal has had on the reporting culture at BNZ has really been quite significant,” shares H&S Continuous Improvement Lead, Jean Tancred.

With a user-friendly reporting system at their fingertips, frontline staff can quickly log incidents, ensuring the dedicated customer aggression team is always ready to swoop in with prompt and effective responses.

But reporting incidents is just the beginning; staff have oversight throughout the whole process, allowing them to see the actions taken and how their managers are working to keep them safe.

“Frontline staff find it easy to use, but more importantly, they know that the incident is being managed,” Lisa explains, “...they can feel very confident that the issue has been picked up and dealt with straight away.”

Not only is the reporting process a breeze but it also empowers the team to proactively manage risk, fostering a culture where employees feel safe and valued.

“Psychosocial risk management is definitely a priority for our team going forward. So we're really working on what type of information we can pull from the system and how we can use that information to actually identify trends.” shares Jean.

“It’s making it really, really easy to deliver what we need to deliver,” Bridget emphasises.

As BNZ navigates the twists and turns of an ever-changing landscape, their commitment to their people and community shines brightly, serving as a true beacon of their success.

Because at the end of the day, success isn’t just about crunching numbers; it’s about how they genuinely care for the everyday individuals who bring their unique talents and abilities to keep things moving at BNZ.

And on this journey, ecoPortal is right there alongside them, acting as a vital ally by providing the tools and support necessary to create an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. Together, let’s bank on making safety a priority, one clever, collaborative solution at a time.

When you’re ready to plan the right health and safety software for your business, you can try a demo or get in touch with the team at ecoPortal.