Great Southern Bank

1y

Here's 3 simple steps to have fun with your colleagues: 1. Buy an animal making balloon kit (make sure you have a balloon pump!) 2. Inflate and then twist and turn your balloon as appropriate 3. Laugh a lot! Our Castle Hill branch team followed these steps and had a great time making balloon animals for their Fun Friday activity. Branch Manager Jessica Panarello says she’s been making them since she was young and knew the team would enjoy learning something new. “I remember I got a book from book club at primary school one day and I just started learning how to make them. My little brother asked me to make crazy things for him, so I taught myself for him.” “The team always come up with something super creative to do on Fun Fridays. This time it was how to create a sausage dog balloon animal. We called them Hank and Harla as they are my two sausage dogs. I showed the team once and then they continued to make their own. Even on their lunch break they kept trying. It was a lot of fun!” What a great team activity that facilitates fun and connection through creativity! #GreatPlaceToWork #FunFridays...Show more

Here's 3 simple steps to have fun with your colleagues: 1. Buy an animal making balloon kit (make sure you have a balloon pump!) 2. Inflate and then twist and turn your balloon as appropriate 3. Laugh a lot! Our Castle Hill branch team followed these steps and had a great time making balloon animals for their Fun Friday activity. Branch Manager Jessica Panarello says she’s been making them since she was young and knew the team would enjoy learning something new. “I remember I got a book from book club at primary school one day and I just started learning how to make them. My little brother asked me to make crazy things for him, so I taught myself for him.” “The team always come up with something super creative to do on Fun Fridays. This time it was how to create a sausage dog balloon animal. We called them Hank and Harla as they are my two sausage dogs. I showed the team once and then they continued to make their own. Even on their lunch break they kept trying. It was a lot of fun!” What a great team activity that facilitates fun and connection through creativity! #GreatPlaceToWork #FunFridays

Asking RUOK not just today, but every day. 💛 Our team goes the extra mile to ensure that every customer feels seen, heard, and supported. That couldn't be more true of Louise Roberts from our Mt Gravatt branch. While today is RUOK Day, she checks in with customers every day and was able to help a family through a difficult housing situation recently. With compassion and understanding, Louise provided guidance on support services available, including linking the family to our partner Mission Australia, to help them navigate a challenging time. Louise says she builds relationships to enable these moments by openly sharing her own experiences, enabling customers to ask questions and asking questions herself to find ways to connect and help. "The change you can make for others in one conversation is so important. I talk to my customers like I already know them because walking into a bank can be confronting for some people. I often draw visual examples to support them in asking extra questions. If they mention things that I know about in our conversation, I'll share back what I know. That's where genuine connection is built,” she says. Thank you for asking the important questions and listening with empathy, Louise. Everyone has their own unique story and we aim to create safe and supportive spaces in our branches for customers to share theirs. By fostering deeper connections, we can build a community that genuinely cares for one another. #RUOKday #HereToHear ...Show more

Great Southern Bank on LinkedIn: #ruokday #heretohear #customerexperience #empathy

What was the best advice you were given at the end of high school? Our Brisbane office was a stop on a major trip to Melbourne for the boys from Clontarf’s Goondiwindi Academy this week as they celebrate their upcoming completion of year 12. 🎉 Through corporate partnerships like ours, the Clontarf Foundation is improving the education, life skills and employment prospects of young Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander boys. Over lunch, the boys shared the great outcomes Clontarf is achieving including 80% school attendance, over 900 boys completing year 12 nationally last year, and around 80% of school leavers remaining employed after their first year. Hosted by our Sustainability Manager Brooke Murray the boys were joined by several team members from different areas of the business for a chat. Our cyber team presented some handy tips for how to avoid scams, and Talent Acquisition Specialist Anna Madill shared some fantastic career advice on creating networks and being genuinely yourself during interviews. The boys were excited to be catching some football games during their trip and thankful to our sponsorships team for lining up a tour of the Carlton Football Club facility while in Melbourne. We’re so glad we could be part of such a milestone Clontarf Foundation! Share the best career advice you received at the end of high school and we’ll pass it along. ...Show more

Great Southern Bank on LinkedIn: #clontarffoundation #reconciliation #rap

Simple sustainability ideas come from everywhere… and this one comes from our Toowoomba branch! Branch Manager Haylie Goulding saw an opportunity to reduce our environmental impact with a simple but powerful idea - the Great Southern Bank Uniform Xchange. She says the new 'buy and swap' group created on our internal communications platform Workplace provides team members the option to recycle or exchange their uniforms and support our commitments to climate action (Read more on our commitments here: https://lnkd.in/gVUdjv6a). "When I first started at Toowoomba branch there were some old uniforms in the storage room, and it got me thinking about recycling and our climate action goals. I wanted to see if we could provide our branch teams with the option to exchange their uniforms instead of them being discarded and potentially ending up in landfill." "While we've only just started the group, I'm hopeful we'll be able to minimise waste and also create a mindset in our branch team members to check the group before sourcing a brand-new item." We recognise the importance of reducing waste and the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Thank you for taking the initiative to bring your idea to life Haylie, we appreciate your commitment to encouraging repurposing and recycling. Does your workplace have a uniform exchange option? #ClimateAction #UniformExchange #Recycling #EnvironmentalImpact...Show more

Great Southern Bank on LinkedIn: #climateaction #uniformexchange #recycling #environmentalimpact

Did you know 2 out of 3 young LGBTQ+ people experience harassment due to their identity? It's a worrying statistic that was shared during our Wear It Purple Day morning tea in the Brisbane Hub this morning, hosted by our Pride Tribe Executive leaders Tracey Lake and Naushad Ahmed. Wear It Purple Day raises important awareness of and celebrates diversity and inclusion in LGBTQ+ youth, empowering them to be proud of who they are. In addition to wearing purple, this year we raised awareness through a short Mentimeter quiz and by holding a virtual scavenger hunt where team members were encouraged to share the purple in their lives. Pride Tribe Ally Dave Dreimann from our Melbourne Hub says it's important for individuals and businesses alike to be visible in their support for our youth. "Being young and LGBTQ+ is really hard. We know that visible advocacy and support can make it easier. Dressing in purple is a fun way we can show LGBTQ+ youth that they are not alone and that they matter.” "As one of the largest customer owned banks in Australia, Great Southern Bank can reach a huge audience. If one LGBTQ+ youth feels some hope because of seeing us in purple, we've contributed to the bigger change we aspire to see in ensuring every young person knows they are safe and supported to be who they are." Were you wearing purple today? 💜 #DiversityandInclusion #WearItPurple #GreatPlacetoWork...Show more

Great Southern Bank on LinkedIn: #diversityandinclusion #wearitpurple #greatplacetowork