credit manager

analyste

software engineer

banking advisor

customer service representative

CWB Financial Group

As a Wealth Associate at NBF, I found myself working for a team of advisors with demanding workloads and high expectations, but felt valued and supported firsthand, at least during the 1st year and a half, so my efforts 
 put in were well worth it. However, after 2 more productive years of continous, large work volumes, I felt drained, unappreciated and taken for granted. Some systems are not the most user friendly, and need upgrades, and some Head office departments who should be collaborating are not working together, seeing or recieving the same information, which leads to multiple emails, notifications and follow-ups and room for error.  With higher work volumes,  an Associate has far greater room for error, and advisors should and often don't see this thru the same lens. All I got was mostly nitpicking from one of the advisors, multiple distractions to resolve issues often prior to his morning hello, and demeaning comments.  This was my last straw:  listening to a list of fault- finding comments for 45 straight minutes during my last performance review ( intentionally written and pre-meditated) to make me feel awful and worthless. Very little praise and appreciation for a job well done, all after the most productive year of my career, which one would and should be proud of.
 I became anxious and demoralized doing the work I once enjoyed, lost numerous hours of sleep and focus. With great intention to improve and educate myself,  I even got resentment after devoting a couple hours of my time to continued learning. How is limiting an employee's eagerness to learn a new financial planning software or educating oneself to be more resourceful a great work culture? What a horrible experience it was, my last few months, always on edge.  I needed a change, to salvage my sanity and mental health. Gratefully, I found a new employer who fully supports me, appreciates my efforts , qualities and strengths, and years of industry experience I bring to the table. This gives me a true sense of purpose, inspires me to make a difference, and to have a positive impact in the every day lives of our clients.  

CWB has been a great place to work over the past 6 years. I have enjoyed the opportunities that have been provided to me within the organization and the movement that I have been able to achieve within my time here. I feel as though managers do not actively work with their direct reports to build a plan for future career advancement, but feel as if you are a self driven person, you are able to advance very quickly.
Management seems to be more focused on the goals of the overall organization and less focused on individuals. There have been a lot of great initiatives released in the past 6 years, but I think there is a long way to go in order for CWB to provide their employees and customers with the best options for everyday banking needs. There is still more of a focus on Commercial Banking clients, and I think that Retail Banking clients do not necessarily get the best because of this focus.
The benefits package that is provided by CWB is exceptional. Other institutions that I have worked with in the past, or have friends/family working with currently do not compare to the health/dental benefits package. The current pay that is provided to staff seems below average within the industry, but overall benefits package makes up for this to an extent.
I see that there is sometimes a divide between our Corporate Office staff and our Branch staff. This needs to be addressed before it becomes a larger issue. We are all working for the same end goal and that needs to be encouraged from both directions. If we are divided, then we cannot work together in order to serve our customers the best!

Stock matching benefit is nearly nothing. Medical benefits claims took very long time to process, very slow and they make it difficult to claim. Benefit amount given is very very low comparing to other banks. The manager doesn't like the staffs to go doctor appointments. He called me and asked why I went to appointments more than once in a month. Management and culture is superficial. They pretend to be very nice. Manager also told me that the team should be too busy to have time to go for washroom breaks. They also told me that it is not normal to work overtime, and it is our own problem not knowing how to manage our time.  Your pay meant to be for long hours of work per day and a lot of cut-off times to meet without much support from the team. They advertise it as hybrid work environment and flexible hours, but ended up forcing us going back to work in the office full time. Also they do not like you to have flexible arrangement. They try to hide the real job nature to the candidates. No support and no training as everyone either left or too busy. You will need to call an internal team to get all the support everyday.  Turnover super high and no one willing to join. The team is shrinking. They don't go through HR recruitment team to hire. It is important to find a company who has an in house HR recruiter to select you to make sure you are the right candidate. Nothing good about this company. There are much bigger and better banks out there for you to contribute and grow. Stayed away from this one. 

I've been with National Bank for a little less than 2 years and it's been a great experience. Employees and management are friendly, professional, and easy to work with. It feels like a family and for the most part people are welcoming and happy to help out if you need anything (it might sounds like a cliché but sometimes clichés can be true :) 
The bank has gone through some big changes since I've started so being able to adapt and be agile is a must. It can be a turn off for some, but I see it as the company adapting to the market, being proactive and innovative. I also like a dynamic work place so I fit right in.  
When the pandemic started the Bank was quick to act and instore safety measures and benefits for employees (PPE distribution, added wellness days, bonuses for presence required at work during the height of the pandemic, increased perks etc.). This gives you a good idea of how the company responds to a crisis and how it takes care of its employees. 
The Bank's top leaders also do a good job in communicating with all employees via conference calls on a regular basis, anyone can submit a question. They are actively seeking feedback whether it's positive or not. It decreases the distance between you and the CEO and reassures you that at any level, we are all working towards a common goal.
I highly recommend National Bank as an employer and I plan to stay here long term.

Management is often composed of people who worked on the field for a while and then bump up to managing position while lacking management skills. HR issues within are often left for employees to solve on their own whether the issue is within the department or with other colleagues.

Account officer positions are salary with no compensation for over time worked. Managers will offer to simply leave early yet resent you for doing so or mention not to do that often as it impacts the team. Overtime is expected for the team to succeed, yet no compensation was offered and the discussion regarding the legality of this practice is quickly shut down. Account officers are on the same payscale level as employee of the operations sector, that do have overtime compensation. 

If you’re overwhelmed with work, very little support is offered because your colleagues are most likely in the same position. Managers are good with toxic positivity. 

After a few years of going above and beyond, I started quiet quitting and it helped my work life tremendously, though I’m sure my manager is not happy with it.

Benefits are good, but nothing another company can’t offer aside from the possibility of purchasing stocks. 

In this current market, I’d try interviewing for a different employer.



I was employed with the National Bank for a few months as a bank teller. I received a full week of computer training (reading through the banks PI's and security procedures) and probably 4 days max. of hands on training alongside another employee. Then, thrown onto the floor with my own cash and told "good luck!". The National Bank's computer system is so,so incredibly outdated - absolutely everything needs to be typed in by hand including certain screens you wish to access - you have to type in the screen name. (Complete waste of time!) The staff was far from helpful, huffing and puffing anytime I had to ask a question or need assistance. The Customer Service Manager rolled her eyes at me on several occasions for doing things incorrectly during my first couple of weeks. The Senior Customer Service Representative was so incredibly unpleasant to deal with every single day of work. The Branch Manager hardly ever spoke to the staff or acknowledged us, there were only about 9 employees. I decided to resign because the environment was so poor & the minimal to zero training made going to work an awful experience.

I stayed here way too long. I already have 10 years of experience in banking and I am still being taken for granted.

The only problem about the National Bank of Canada is their inability to compensate their younger professionals. The baby boomers will retire eventually, sooner or later, and the place will be for us. But they are far behind compared to other financial institutions in terms of salary. My similar position pays 60-70k (without bonus) in another company, whereas I am being paid much lower. 

With 10 years of experience, and 4-5 years in an Analyst/Management role, I should not be this vastly underpaid.

As explained up-top, it is a great place to start your career, but you should apply elsewhere when your manager gives many excuses of why you can't get a raise. My raise never matched inflation, and it is harder every year to keep up with my basic needs such as groceries, bills, mortgage, and car payments. I do not splurge on non-necessary goods and services, and my family and I (2 kids, my husband, and myself) have not been able to afford international flights. Our 3 weeks of vacation is used for home improvement or local road trips only.

It is very sad as I am wasting my youth not travelling.

Managers micro manages everything you do. Systems are outdated, they go down a lot.  The work environment is terrible, they make you come in early two times a week for meetings that are 80% of the time not usefully or relevant. Managers are all buddies and treat the  rest of the staff like slaves passing off all the work they don't want to do so they can spend more time chatting. They love to focus on the negative and never tell you when you are doing a good job. They talk badly about clients that don't have a high credit score or they just don't like. They degrade their employees that work under them. Working as a team doesn't happen in this location. No room for advancement at that location either. They hire their friends with out even giving proper interviews. They take the social fund money that comes out of your pay and put it towards stuff they want to do and don't involve the rest of the staff. Branch Manager, and Branch supervisors need to learn how to treat  all staff fairly.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The upper floors (Gym and top view of St-Jaques Building).

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Middle management is in the way, "feeling" the way. Product Owners don't own the backlog. Teams are extremely slow despite being Agile, with 40% of a team's baseline being lost to poor requirements. The entire AI and teams Quality Process is garbage, making it feel like a kindergarten class with a new toy. 2 days in the office when people are remote or on days with no meetings makes no sense.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Culture is legacy - blame culture. Nobody takes responsibility for their actions and blames the person over them.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Information flows down, not up. Managers take meetings early in the day while devs take them before lunch. You can see how this cascades into decision failure.

Canadian Western Bank 2009-2016 was a great place to work hard and get recognized. Its small enough to get noticed and large enough to move forward in your career. I noticed some negative reviews but you can never please everyone. I found that if you want to show up just in time and leave right on time and do the minimum you can get by and nothing more would be expected of you. However if you wanted to give more you could still have a great work life balance and get noticed for your extra efforts. In my career(s) this is by far the best place I worked. You might be asking then why are you no longer there? An unsolicited offer for a new challenge came along at an equally great company or I would still be happily giving my all for a fantastic company. I know they are currently struggling with a change in core banking solutions and with the economy but I say its a great place to be now and in the future.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Credit manager 362 salaries reported	$57,931 per year
Analyste 4 salaries reported	$72,500 per year
Software engineer 12 salaries reported	$85,917 per year
Banking advisor 44 salaries reported	$58,947 per year
Customer service representative 1 salary reported	$19.00 per hour

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