Bosses at Handelsbanken do everything they can to make sure their staff never lose interest. “If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and you want responsibility, then Svenska Handelsbanken will give you the opportunity, but how you do it is really entirely up to you,” says general manager Magnus Uggla.

Employees give the bank an 82% positive score for believing they can make a valuable contribution to its success, they are excited about its direction (81%) and feel proud to work for the company (84%).

Founded in Stockholm in 1871, the bank has been operating in the UK since 1984. Today each of its 27 branches is run like a small business, with branch managers acting as chief executive and deciding on staff numbers and what skills profiles are required. It is up to the branch to develop the business to create an optimal fit within its local market.

Area manager Derek Burgess, who has been with the bank for 17 years, says: “When you work for an organisation such as this you feel confident in your area of responsibility. You don’t have to remind yourself of the bank’s latest approach because everything remains consistent locally.” Each branch ensures that employee needs are met, including career progression. Training is on the job, with each individual producing a development plan that is regularly followed up. Employees give the firm an 81% positive score for feeling they can make a difference within the organisation and an 82% score for feeling fully involved. People feel the firm is good for their own personal growth (an 83% positive score). “This is not a micro-managed organisation, we trust our people, give them responsibility, and they have to live up to it,” Uggla says. With responsibility comes recognition. An account manager earns on average more than £46,000 a year. Private healthcare is available for the whole family and a wellness programme within the business stands at £500 per employee annually. Furthermore, with staff making up 10% of the bank’s shareholders, many have invested in the bank’s success.

Flexible work patterns such as job-sharing and compressed and staggered hours ensure that people retain a good work/life balance. Employees give the firm an 80% positive score for not feeling under so much pressure they cannot perform well (a top five score) and an 84% positive score for their health not suffering due to work commitments.

Sue Compston, head of personnel, explains that the company does not have a long hours culture, unusual in the banking world. “I have had wives come up to me at office parties saying thank you,” she says. “They say, ‘You have given me my husband back’.”

This year the bank spent £25,000 on fun events including a summer party, tenpin bowling, wine-tasting events and paintball weekends. People find their colleagues reliable and friendly, feel confident in teammates (an 82% positive score), and say that their colleagues are fun to work with and care for each other (both 84% positive scores).

Employees say that managers truly live the values of the organisation (an 83% positive score), that they talk openly and honestly with them (82%) and also feel their bosses trust their judgment (84%).

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