Investing in our employees.
A place where everyone can succeed.
At Northwest, we’re real people with a shared passion for helping others. We care about our customers and our coworkers and act with their best interests in mind. Together, we have the power to help people achieve their financial goals – and the opportunity to improve their lives.
Below, you’ll learn how we invest in our teams so they’re prepared to invest in our customers.
Setting employees up for success is key to our success
At Northwest, our people are our biggest asset and we believe in investing in them by providing the tools and resources that they need to succeed. We take a structured approach to growth and development that focuses both on continuing education necessary to perform current job functions, and goal setting for future growth. In addition to providing professional development opportunities, we have established quarterly education requirements based on job responsibility. Individual development plans are also provided and reviewed no less than bi-annually with managers. These professional development programs provide flexible options to help every employee learn, grow and achieve their career goals and reach their full potential.
We provide unlimited e-learning opportunities through the following portals:
- USucceed — Our progressive professional development program combines self-paced and facilitator-led modules, designed to provide employees at every level the opportunity to grow and achieve their career goals.
- Percipio — A self-paced eLearning portal with over 300 categories for personal and professional development delivered through course, podcast, video and more, available 24/7.
- We send employees, all expenses paid, to advanced professional education through specialized banking and lending schools.
- We provide opportunities for continuing financial industry education, both virtually and in person.
- Through personality assessments, training and tools, including DISC and Myers Briggs, we cultivate a common language between all team members while strengthening their understanding of themselves and their coworkers.
Developing the next generation of leaders
At Northwest, we know that mentors can make a real difference in enabling someone’s professional development. Which is why we offer our two-part iConnect Mentoring Program—
- Senior Mentoring – Members of our executive team are paired with members of senior management to broaden skills and knowledge, share valuable intellectual capital and maximize exposure, all while developing our high-potential employees to be the future of our company.
- Virtual Mentoring – This program focuses on self-discovery while providing networking opportunities and exposure to other areas of our company by pairing two employees with one mentor who was a past participant of the Senior Mentoring program.
A commitment to excellence
With a proven track record of outstanding customer service and employee experience, we’re proud of our award-winning reputation, all thanks to our award-winning teams. Year after year, we set the bar high and challenge ourselves to exceed it!
We have a lot to be proud of —
- J.D. Power Award for Highest Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking – 7 times in 11 years
- Forbes lists of America’s Best Banks and World’s Best Banks
- Best Bank in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Times Money Magazine
- Forbes list of Top 100 Places to Work in Pennsylvania
- Workplace Health Achievement Index — Silver Recognition
- Healthiest Employers Finalist in the Pittsburgh Region
- Top 500 Banking Brands, The Banker
- Power 100 (Lou Torchio), Columbus Business First
- Best Midsize Employers, Forbes
- World’s Best Banks, Forbes
- Top 100 Organizations, PA Business Central
Best Places to Work, Pittsburgh Business Times
Benefits to create a work/life balance
At Northwest, we know that job satisfaction includes striking a healthy balance between work and personal life. Northwest strives to be one of the best places to work — and that means going above and beyond to support our employees in all aspects of life. As a result, we were named as one of Western Pennsylvania’s best places to work in 2022 and was recognized on the Forbes list as one of America’s best midsize employers for 2023.
We offer comprehensive, affordable benefits to our employees and their eligible family members – as well as a tobacco-free environment. It’s just one of the ways we show our employees that they make a difference.
In addition, we have launched a Flexible Work Program, which allows employees in eligible positions to work from home for 1-3 days of their regular work week.
We provide extensive benefits to promote wellness- both in health and retirement
Within the comprehensive benefits packages, members of our Northwest team may be eligible for the followings:
- Medical benefits
- Health Savings Accounts
- Wellness programs
- Engaging wellness challenges
- Onsite clinics and health screenings along with vaccination services
- Blood donation drives
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Program, which provides access to mental health, counseling and other services - https://www.theeap.com/
- Dental and vision insurance
- Flexible spending accounts for health care, dependent care, and commuter expenses
- Life and AD&D insurance
- Short-term and long-term disability
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Holiday pay
- 401(k) Plan with an employer match
Extending care to our families
We care about the families of employees and extend our benefits to them in many ways including the following:
- Flexible work schedules
- FMLA, state-eligible and personal leave
- Nursing mothers’ program
- Military family leave
- Flexible spending accounts for dependent care
- Funeral leave
- Paid time off and holidays
- Voluntary benefits
- Home and auto insurance
- Long-term care insurance
- Critical illness and accident insurance
- Pet insurance
- LegalShield/ID Shield
- Supplemental life insurance
- The John O. Hanna Scholarship Program — awarded to college-age children of Northwest employees, which has granted over $1.2 million in scholarships over the past 17 years
Keeping our teams safe through the pandemic - We Are Committed to Our Employees' Physical and Mental Health
While the COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges, we worked tirelessly to monitor and adjust our plans accordingly to ensure our employees felt safe and had the support they needed:
- Established biweekly company-wide meetings to ensure all employees were informed
- Created a dedicated phone hotline and email address for employees to ask questions, report illnesses or share concerns
- Coordinated with local health care providers to offer vaccination clinics
- Provided paid leave for vaccinations
- Pivoted to a work-from-home model and closed branches to walk-in traffic
- Took a phased approach to returning employees to their work locations and established extensive safety guidelines
- In 2020, we committed to paying retail employees 100% of their 40-hour week, even if they were unable to work a full 40 hours
What’s like working with the people of Northwest?
We are genuine.
Friendly, caring and trustworthy, we’re a team of trusted advisors who honestly like to help people. We go the extra mile and empower each other to do what’s right for our customers and neighbors.
We are inclusive.
Embracing our unique perspectives to spark creative solutions.
We innovate.
By promoting progress, embracing change and pursuing new technology, we’re on a continuous quest to strengthen the connections we have with our customers and with each other.
We celebrate success.
Whether it be a promotion, successful project launch, a birthday or milestone anniversary, we believe it’s important to recognize achievements and cheer each other on.