Read the damning email to NAB CEO from suicidal worker before Docklands tragedy - as we reveal the cruel HR method pushing staff to the brink
- Suicide leads to scrutiny of Australia's second-largest bank
- Staff report being hounded even after redundancy
- If you need support, contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
- Do you know more? Email charlotte.karp@dailymail.com.au
A former NAB worker who was hounded over a $4,700 redundancy 'overpayment' fired off a desperate email to the Big Four bank's CEO, saying 'you are driving me towards the grave'.
Mitchell* is among three ex-employees who spoke to the Daily Mail about the culture of relentless bullying after an 'AI-skilled' colleague from the fraud department took his life from one of NAB's two buildings in Docklands, Melbourne, on March 5.
While Mitchell didn't know the reason for the man's suicide, he said his experience of being mercilessly pursued by NAB's payroll left him in such despair that he emailed CEO Andrew Irvine directly in a last-ditch attempt to make them stop.
He had opted for redundancy and was happy to walk away from Australia's second-largest bank - and the finance sector altogether - after receiving his last pay cheque in October, only to be harassed by payroll for another two months.
Email chains seen by the Daily Mail showed correspondence between Mitchell and HR, payroll and eventually Mr Irvine, in which Mitchell described how 'broken' he felt by NAB after eight years of service.
A second worker from a different department, who was forced to log bathroom breaks as 'personal time' throughout their employment, told a similar story of being hounded for $2,000 in 'overpayments' after receiving a redundancy package.
A third long-serving employee revealed they attempted suicide years ago due to bullying at NAB. They said their situation worsened last year when they found themselves on the Docklands rooftop with their last will and testament in their pocket.
The only reason they didn't go through with it was because they didn't want to hurt their family.
One former NAB employee contacted CEO Andrew Irvine (pictured) after he was hounded by payroll
A NAB employee took his life at company HQ in Melbourne on March 5 (scene pictured)
Pictured: An email a former NAB employee sent to the CEO Andrew Irvine
Hounded over $4,700
Mitchell loved working at NAB for the first six years.
However, he became disillusioned around 2024 when demands increased, email communication changed from friendly to passive-aggressive, and certain managers began employing intimidation tactics against staff.
Complaints were ignored, he said, and often swept under the rug.
'One person was really rude to me and everyone else, and the first time I raised it with the team leader, the answer was, "That's what this person does - she's known for doing that,"' he said.
When a restructure was announced in July, Mitchell was one of the first to raise his hand for redundancy and was ready to walk away from the sector entirely.
He received his redundancy package in October, but was shocked when he started getting emails from payroll two days later, demanding he refund $4,700.
According to emails between Mitchell and payroll, NAB didn't calculate his negative annual leave balance before issuing his final pay, which they were required to do.
A number of NAB workers have now spoken out about the work environment (Pictured: Inside the building)
A NAB employee took his own life from the top of the bank's Docklands building (pictured)
Mitchell asked the bank to take the payment out of his 500 hours of unused personal leave, but payroll then started asking for backdated medical certificates.
'Not sure if you are aware but I cannot get a backdated medical certificate,' he replied.
'You guys are making this very difficult and very stressful for me whilst I am unemployed and currently looking for work.'
Eventually, he reached breaking point and contacted Mr Irvine, NAB's Managing Director and Group CEO since April 2024.
In the email, he explained his redundancy and the bank's pursuit of $4,700, and asked why that amount hadn't been deducted from his final pay.
'I am being asked to provide medical certificate[s] from back in April and June,' he wrote.
'This is really causing stress on me and my family that a big entity like NAB is asking to pay them that amount. They could have easily deducted that upfront from my final payout if [it] was that important.'
He said the bank had shown 'no regard for the human aspect of this, and every time I reply and provide more information I get another reply and request for new information two weeks later'.
'You are driving me towards the grave by asking me this amount and you will soon get that amount from my estate if this continues.'
The NAB building in Docklands features a rooftop terrace with an open kitchen and herb garden (pictured). It is enclosed within a shoulder-high glass barrier
After sending the email to Mr Irvine, the situation was quickly resolved when payroll dropped the pursuit.
In a further email to HR, Mitchell outlined his bullying complaints and said he was leaving finance due to his time at NAB.
'My last 12 months in [NAB] have broken me,' he wrote.
'I now hate NAB and have given up on working in banking... The more I talk about this, the angrier I become.'
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Mitchell said he only decided to go public with his story after he learned about the suicide of the other worker, because he does not want anyone else to go through the same ordeal.
'I'm not surprised at all that someone has taken their life,' he said.
Bathroom breaks as 'personal time'
A former employee from the call centre inside the Docklands office block had complaints about bullying, unrealistic performance metrics and expected overtime.
NAB experienced such a high volume of calls that there was normally about 120 customers waiting in queues by the end of the late shift, and workers could not leave until the queues were gone.
'It's extremely frowned upon if you don't do overtime - your career progression will be prevented and management will give you a hard time,' he said.
He said there were no breaks between calls, which meant there was no time to recover after dealing with angry or abusive customers.
Workers who wanted to take a break or use the bathroom would have to log that time as 'personal time', which was measured by NAB because it meant their desk did not receive any calls until they returned.
'There's an option called personal time, so if you go to the bathroom you can use the personal option, but if you're gone too long your manager will ask you why you're on personal time,' he said.
'It comes out at your review at the end of the year. They'll say they need to look at your personal time status and you're not going to remember back to what you were doing [at that] time.'
He said call centre workers were expected to send about ten customers per day to the sales team, which wasn't part of the original job description.
Their bonuses were also taken away, but remained in place for top executives.
Part of the reason he left was because was not enjoying his job anymore.
But after leaving and receiving his final pay, like Mitchell, he was told he owed almost $2,000 for 'over-utilisation of annual leave taken in advance of entitlement'.
He raised a case with NAB and the overpayment was waived.
Suicide attempts
Someone else who worked at NAB for almost a decade accused the bank of firing anyone who raised concerns about bullying.
They said outcomes did not always align with contribution, and there was a highly competitive culture where collaboration was undermined and trust was limited.
'During my employment, I experienced what I perceived to be bullying and sustained workplace pressure, which had a severe impact on my mental health,' they said.
'At one point several years ago, my mental health deteriorated to the extent that I attempted to take my own life. I required an extended period of leave before eventually returning to work.'
They raised concerns about excessive workloads and return-to-office expectations, only to find they were quickly selected for redundancy.
One former worker said they went to the rooftop at Docklands and contemplated suicide. (Pictured: Inside the Docklands building in July 2015)
They said the redundancy process was long, structured and highly impersonal.
Throughout the process, they were given the illusion of redeployment and told to apply for internal roles, only to find those roles were paused or suddenly unavailable.
'My final day reflects the human impact of that process,' they said.
'After nearly a decade with the organisation, I was not contacted by my manager, not acknowledged, and not farewelled.'
They returned all equipment and left the office without saying goodbye to anyone.
'Before leaving, I went to the rooftop garden with my last will and testament in my pocket,' they said.
'I ultimately chose not to because of my family.'
They chose to speak out about their experience in the hope the bank would take complaints seriously.
'My experience had a profound effect on my mental health, and I believe there needs to be greater transparency and accountability to ensure that employees can raise concerns without fear of negative consequences,' they said.
A NAB spokesperson told the Mail on Monday: 'NAB has more than 40,000 employees. Our latest confidential colleague engagement survey has NAB ranked in line with global top‑quartile benchmarks.
'We know we don’t always get it right, but we are committed to listening and creating an environment where our colleagues are heard on matters that are important to them.
'If a current or former employee has concerns or specific allegations we encourage them to contact FairCall, our independent anonymous whistleblower service operated by KPMG on 1800 874 979 or via email at faircallnab@kpmg.com.au.'
Regarding the specific claims made in this article, the spokesperson said: 'On some occasions colleagues go into negative paid leave balances to accommodate extended leave requests.
'If a person leaves the business with a negative leave balance NAB requires that money to be repaid and will work with the employee on an agreed repayment plan.
'Our contact centre colleagues receive paid and unpaid breaks provided throughout the day in line with our Enterprise Agreement. Overtime is offered where there is customer demand, with no obligation for colleagues to work overtime.'
Following the death on March 5, Victoria Police confirmed it attended the incident.
'Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the death of a man in Docklands on March 5,' a police statement read.
'The body of a man, who is yet to be formally identified, was located on Bourke Street about 2pm.'
*Name has been changed.
If this has raised any issues for you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 for confidential crisis support.
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