Domestic abuse and caregiver needs have been mentioned for the first time as some of the biggest personal wellbeing concerns of bank staff in the UK, according to the latest study from the Bank Workers Charity.
Worries around financial security, as well as children and young people’s mental health remain the key issues for bank staff since the BWC published its first Banking Wellbeing Pulse report in 2024. Two years later, the charity’s second edition reveals that finances still dominate their workload, fuelling 64 per cent of all cases.
The charity — which offers support to current, former and retired bank staff in the UK — has assisted 10,182 individuals in the two years since the last report.
Domestic abuse support has become more common, in part due to changing attitudes and support from within banks. Paul Barrett, head of wellbeing at BWC, said more people have been comfortable coming forward to report cases since domestic abuse was redefined under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to include coercive control, economic abuse and emotional abuse, in addition to physical violence.
The charity has seen cases beyond abuse in relationships, to abuse after separation, and cases where the abuse is perpetrated by several people. Barrett cited cases where BWC has supported people leaving financial abuse and coercive control at the hands of their parents, and assistance to a bank employee whose teenage daughter was being abused by her partner.
The rising number of referrals is also a result of the training efforts within banks. Lenders have helped to refer staff experiencing domestic abuse to the charity after the individuals have confided in their line manager.
TSB introduced mandatory safe spaces training in 2021 for all customer-facing staff, which has been completed by almost 11,000 employees. Line manager training, introduced in 2022, has been completed by 1,500 employees. Over 800 domestic abuse survivors, including bank staff as well as customers, have accessed a £500 emergency flee fund to fund essentials after they leave an abusive relationship.
“The fact that a bank like TSB is training and educating their people about abuse so they can support customers, gives abused employees the confidence to override the stigma and seek the support they can already see their customers accessing,” Barrett said.
Over the last financial year, 300 carers have been given support. As well as financial assistance, the charity has provided relationship counselling to couples where one partner provides care for the other. Legal help can be provided for carers of ageing parents in providing support on power of attorney when the person is no longer able to sign documents or take care of themselves, as well as support on wills and probate, said Barrett.
The charity has also helped carers later in life who are caring for an elderly partner, and helped connect carers experiencing loneliness with support groups and respite care.
BWC provided £2mn in financial aid for UK bank staff in 2025, with £1.1mn in direct financial support and £900,000 in grants from other organisations or unclaimed benefits. Last year, the charity supported 5,000 current, former and retired bank workers, with around 60 per cent of those receiving help currently bank employees.