software engineer

director

customer service representative

banking specialist

product manager

ATB Financial

ATB as a whole is a wonderful company and values their employees. The workplace culture, benefits package and corporate views of work life balance and client experience greatly aligned with my  personal views. I was excited for this opportunity when I was hired and thought I found my “forever” place. 

Unfortunately, my time at ATB was not a great experience, largely due to the toxic atmosphere of the branch I was working in. There were multiple occasions where employees were encouraged to be competitive and not work as a team. The manager would often say negative things about team members to me and others on the team. I confronted the manager about this and thought we had resolved the issues but the behaviour continued. There also always seemed to be conflicts happening between employees that I was dragged into despite trying to deal with things head on with management. The manager was not encouraging a healthy team environment and encouraged me at one point not to help my coworkers with general knowledge when they were inquiring because they needed to “learn for themselves and figure it out.” 

The on-boarding at my location for my position was terrible. The systems were incredibly difficult to navigate as they were very unintuitive. The internal information system had minimal information that was relevant to the tasks I was trying to complete. The most recent information on the operating system that I could find was from 2013 and was no longer relevant. I desperately tried to find the resources I needed to successfully do the job I was hired for and was left empty handed. I had no formal training. I requested training multiple times only to be told there was none available, and my manager did not know enough to support me the way I needed while I was trying to complete deals. I was thrown into my position and finally left after 4 months of struggling, feeling like I was set up to fail. I started my position with no one to ask for help and active deals on my desk that I did not have the resources to complete. I worked on weekends and stayed late after closing frequently to “catch up” because it took me a ridiculous amount of time to complete things as I was always digging for the answers I needed to do basic things, like transferring between accounts and setting up a GIC. Never mind actually completing a mortgage application. The work life balance for me was non existent, and even when I did get caught up or put in the extra time from my personal time to complete things, it was never recognized. The branch I was at had a “it’s never enough” mentality. You are expected to always be available, even on your time off. I volunteered my time for events to help with team building and really tried to encourage positive relationships between the people on our team, but it felt like someone was always speaking badly about someone else, no matter what I did. 

I could write more,  but I think the point here is understood. Overall, ATB is an amazing company and if you end up in the right position with proper management and training, you will never have to look anywhere else. However if you end up in a negative space like I did, don’t waste as much time as I did. Cut your losses and change locations or companies. The red flags at the beginning are red flags, not growing pains. 



Great people and good work-life balance. Compensation is a little on low end for raw salary, but the company has good benefits and one of the best pension contribution plans I have ever seen, with the option of everything from very conservative investment strategies to aggressive high growth strategies (which performed very well for me).

Used to be a better culture for software developers. One that embraced small agile teams and empowering engineers. But they let management consultants overhaul their processes and pull decision-making back up the hierarchy and away from teams doing the implementation. Unsurprisingly, backlog refinement became a far more painful process, Product and Infrastructure began planning changes out of sync with one another, and the organization doubled its use of the word "agile" while it was becoming decidedly un-agile (in terms of the original use of the word, as used in the Agile Manifesto, not the empty corporate buzzword it has become, when used in conjunction with frameworks like SAFe which is agile in name only). 

However, my summary above gives my feelings about the changes I've seen in the engineering side of the organization, from great to subpar. I personally feel so strongly about it because, when I started, I felt incredibly motivated by their culture and their openness to new project ideas, aided by Freedom Fridays (every other week) for working on self-directed projects. 

I developed a project which was eventually used by quite a few stakeholders, which was related to my team's main project. But getting the resources I needed to maintain and expand that project proved to be a nightmare as the workplace culture shifted, and it eventually became a major thorn in my side. I eventually lost motivation to continue expanding that project to meet the growing needs of our stakeholders (and despite being incredibly proud of it). Myself or my team was rarely allocated sprint time for it, and getting GCP cloud resources to automate parts of it was a bureaucratic nightmare which dragged on for almost a year (no exaggeration) - so I left for another company. 

Despite my disagreements, I think the CEO and CTO are wonderfully personable, and people in this organization are generally quite friendly. It is not broadly toxic (I have seen what that looks like, and ATB is not like that), but their shifting culture caught me off guard and put me in a very awkward position. In hindsight, I wish I had fought harder on this issue before leaving, including perhaps reaching out to more senior members in the organization. But I had been getting pushback from my manager and others for half a year at that point for rocking the boat. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The one good thing of working at the company has been the opportunity to collaborate with some truly professional and knowledgeable colleagues. Their work ethic and experience have been motivating and helped me grow as well. While every team has its mix, I’ve really appreciated the chance to learn from those who bring a high level of professionalism to the role.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
One of the most challenging aspects has been the company’s resistance to change. It often feels like it’s operating with a mindset and infrastructure from the past, which can be frustrating — especially when you see other financial institutions embracing innovation and evolving to meet modern demands. The lack of long-term vision and slow adaptation creates uncertainty and makes it difficult to stay motivated about the future.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is quite mixed. There are highly professional individuals who are dedicated and great to collaborate with. However, the overall culture can be inconsistent due to gaps in management practices. In some cases, lack of accountability allows certain individuals to underperform or stretch timelines without consequences, which can impact team morale and productivity. It’s a place with potential, but it would benefit greatly from stronger leadership and clearer performance standards.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day really depends on who you’re working with. There are team members who are committed to delivering high-quality work and stay focused throughout the day. However, it's not uncommon to see others disengage after the daily meetings, prioritizing personal tasks over team goals. This inconsistency can be challenging, especially for those who are trying to maintain strong standards and momentum in their work.

ATB's client care centre requires the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment. As with most call centres, there is a strong focus on metrics. And while the job itself can be stressful, management and the other employees work to support you.

A typical day at work usually consists of answering client calls and helping them with their banking, whether they are locked out of their online banking, their card stopped working, or even if they just want to check their balance. Of course, the nature of the calls is varied, and you'll need to tailor the interaction to each client's independent needs,

Management is great as they offer many resources for self-improvement, self-help, and even therapy through Inkblot, where you are given twelve free counselling sessions each year. They set clear expectations, and are patient as they understand it can be difficult picking up the required skills to be a fantastic operator.

The hardest part of the job would be to stay energized throughout the day. Some calls can be draining, and sometimes even demoralizing. Burnout is a real issue with this line of work, as it's constant, near non-stop interaction with often upset clients. There also happened to be a lot of policy changes (at least shortly before I left) which sometimes seemed nonsensical.

However, the environment within the campus, as well as the way employees at ATB interact with each other in general, is very positive. There are often events held for team-building, and many opportunities to move to another department that better suits you.

A great benefit to working in client care is what you learn. So many skills are transferable to other fields and even your personal life. An essential skill is learning how to deal with escalations, which will always come in handy no matter where you go.

One of the best companies I have had the privilege and pride in working for!

The company strives to deliver a bold, iconic and world-class experience for each and every customer. 
The company values you as an employee and you are always made to feel that you are a part of the wheels of structure and have the immediate support of your peers and management.

Wonderful work and life balance of which is of the utmost important to your well-being as an associate and team member coupled with a wonderful work diversity. 

Great work  benefits and perks coupled with insightful and helpful peers or associates makes your time at the workplace more interesting and progressive. 

Your success is determined by your performance and there are plenty of opportunities to move around and all training and support is provided to lead on your road to success.

The best part about dealing with the customers is that you are empowered by your peers and team leaders to be as influential and as 'yourself' as possible. You will not be addressed to be a different person because who you are is why they would hire you in the first place. Your character/persona and charisma will be exploited which will make your job much easier.

The ethos, I believe can be surmised as, regarding customer service, is 'not by the book, but by the heart'. 

Create lasting relationships and serve the customer's best interests and provide a suitable and tailored resolution so that each customer feels an “personal” experience.

I was laid- off with no regrets and still would highly recommend a career with ATB Financial. 

I confidently foresee many successes with ATB Financial and am positive that they will exceed all your expectations of an employer.

ATB Financial has deep roots in the local Alberta economy. This is a strong plus. Also, it offers an alternative to the larger banking platforms. However, its capital markets division has struggled. ATB Capital Markets can change the trajectory of the organization by addressing the following:

- Set a direction. The strategic direction of the capital markets unit shifted often. Low probability mandates with large macro plays were pursued, while the capital markets unit failed to leverage its core competitive advantages – local presence. This hurt the corporate identity and made it difficult to gain traction or sector depth (knowledge).

- Parent company coordination. There was too much distance between the rest of the bank and the capital markets division. More collaboration and coordination is definitely needed.

- Capital markets expertise. Management at ATB Capital Markets did not make long-term investments in people and lacked specific experience in some areas. I would describe management’s style as tactically disconnected. This translated into poor morale and low employee confidence.

- Focus and employee engagement. Leadership in the capital markets unit did not focus on a long-term course and employee engagement. The lack of focus on a cohesive capital markets strategy caused ATBCM to underperform compared to its peers. (See rankings.) The company's participation in equity/debt financings and advisory mandates were few and far between as a result. Employee turnover quickly followed.


TYPIcL Dy T WORK
How to Prepare a Response
Consider the position you are applying for and how your current or past positions relate to it. Make a list of some of the key tasks you do in a typical work week. Review your list and check off the tasks that match the requirements of the position you're seeking. Focus on those tasks when answering this question.


Take a close look at the job description, and make a list of two or three of the qualities the employer seems to be looking for in an applicant. The company may stress organizational skills or someone who gets along well with others. Make sure that your answer to this question emphasizes how you demonstrate those key qualities regularly at your current job.


The more you can connect your past experience with the job opening, the better you will be at answering the question.

Tips for Answering
You don't want to recite your workday hour by hour. Focus on a few main tasks, and describe briefly how you go about them.

If the new job requires soexamples. For instance, if you say that you work with the sales team to address pressing customer service issues, cite an issue that came up and how you addressed it.

If you have a job where every day is very similar, provide a more detailed look at one day, and explain that most days follow a similar pattern.

What Not to Say
It should be obvious that it's not a good idea to talk about non-work related activities that you do on company time, but applicants have been known to chat about how they are often late to work or they like to take long lunch breaks to work out at the gym.

Sample Answers

I am super delighted to share my experience during tow years which I worked for ATB it is a great company the 50th best employment overall alberta. 
Being an associate with ATB you felt yourself as you are in your secont home, you could get the advantage of jim, huge cafetaria, better pay grade and most highlighted the medical coverage and insurance not only for  theire employee but  the whole family as well. Meanwhile you can enjoy full paid vacation during every financial cycle year. 
Every day is a good day during your performance as an associate in ATB specially when there is some promotional offer to the client and you can how appricated they are when the heard about the offer and the business get busy. During the busiest hours of our job I learned how to handle the calls, how to give the priority for task and fine out hoe to find the right solution and get the customer satisfaction. Ofcourse I got speen in my implementation as well. 
Coworkers are awsome they are so talented and helpful, with feeling being around with them you feel like you have a great source to use for learning steps. If you have an helpful team leader and helpful coworkers any hardest part of your job turned to be easy, overall dealing with unhappy customer is tuff but as soon as you fine the technique how to handle them everything will smoother. 
Appriciation of our performance through our management team is the remarkable valued part of our job.

Working at ATB was very enjoyable especially at the start, but then the management started to be too sales driven - they began to try and force us to get referrals when people called in to check their balance etc. This really put me off and reminded me that I worked for a bank who valued profits over everything else - (i think all banks are like this to be fair). But in my opinion this isn't a good way to improve customer service, or raise profits - it just annoyed our clientele, especially the ones who were better able to read between the lines. There was only some investment products I believed were good for the our customers, I didn't want to have to persuade people to get in more debt! But if you're the kind of person that doesn't mind this then its rosy! Lower ranked managers of the call centre were great people that treated staff very well. Benefits are amazing and once you are in it's quite easy to climb the ladder up to a point e.g. to (40k-45k or more)  - a few steps up from general call centre worker. Once you get there in most positions there is less pressure to sell. ATB are very loyal and good to their staff if you tow the line. You can trade some benefits in even to get more holiday, I managed to get 3 weeks off each year plus the plethora of provincial/national holidays off too with option to work them at double time and a half!!

I am currently working part time and will be looking at finding full time employment.  I spend my day serving customers and filling their needs.  I also periodically preview my customers profile to see there is anything that we can do help save them money and to see if there are any other services that would benefit them. 

With ATB I learned that excellent customer service is key.  I don't feel that ATB doesn't train the new employees about how important that customer service is.  I see that with most new employees customer service is lacking and wish that upper management would provide the training that I had when I first started.  I love working with a team and its great when we can reach goals as a team.  

The hardest part of the job is keeping up with all the changes.  Wish there was a better way to keep up to date, maybe more meetings going over major changes.  We have longer hours that we are open to the public and there just isn't any time to have group meetings where we can throw ideas around.  

The most enjoyable part of my job is my customers and getting to know them personally and have them thank me for selling them a service that they didn't even know about but if would help them and save them money or make money.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Software engineer 3 salaries reported	$110,000 per year
Director 5 salaries reported	$141,800 per year
Customer service representative 3 salaries reported	$39,333 per year
Banking specialist 3 salaries reported	$43,667 per year
Product manager 10 salaries reported	$93,915 per year

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