Toronto banker finds work-life balance with ATB.
I wanted to work for a company that believed in a balanced work and family life. I wanted to know this company had good values and would hold their employees accountable to those values.
But when we wanted to start our family, it just didn’t make sense anymore. Aside from the expense of raising a family there, Toronto just doesn’t have the community values that were important to us.
I was lucky to be working for one of the top financial institutions in Canada and I asked to be transferred to a rural location—a place where I could be part of a community and play an influential role. I was told my name would be added to the list of employees with the same request. A list the size of the Toronto phonebook! My name would remain on it until I retired.
So we moved to the beautiful community of Whitby, 64 kms outside of Toronto, and I began to commute. For twelve years I spent three hours a day commuting and $450 each month for the privilege. And then something happened. My wife told me our daughter was having her 12th birthday. I was seriously shocked. How did that happen? How could she be 12 years old?!
I did the math. I’d been out of the house from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 or 9:00 every night, five days a week for years. My weekends were filled with doing the things I couldn’t get done during the week. I didn’t see my daughter growing up. I didn’t know my family anymore. And they didn’t know me.
Something really needed to change.
I had to get a new job. I wanted to work for a company that believed in a balanced work-and-family life. I wanted to know this company had good values and would hold their employees accountable to those values.
I started my search online and soon came across ATB Financial. It was a provincial financial institution that offered the same solutions as the big Canadian banks. The only difference: They were Albertans taking care of Albertans. I had discovered a community-minded bank!
I sent my resume and soon heard back. The respect I felt from the human resources department was immediate. ATB Financial flew me to Edmonton to meet with hiring managers that were interested in my skills. One month—and a few telephone interviews and reference checks—later, I was flying back to Edmonton with my family. I was headed to a community of 7,000 people called Peace River. Finally, I was going to be working in my own community. Commute time was three minutes and one stoplight from home to work.
Working for ATB Financial in Peace River turned out to be even better than I had expected. The branch-staff consisted of long-time members of the community.
I’d meet people in the street I had never seen before, and they’d all greet me with a “Hi, how are you doing today?” I was shocked. These people smiled and were happy and didn’t want anything from me.
A major surprise to me was the respect that ATB had in the community. People would tell me how ATB saved their family farm or how ATB trusted them enough to lend them money when no other institution would. Man, I was proud! I felt so good helping someone fulfill a dream and then running into him or her in the grocery store or at a community function.
Most importantly, I can spend time with my family again and create the life that I always meant to.
So, if you’re not sure it’s possible to find that work-life balance that everyone talks about, I’m here to tell you it is. There’s a company that’s truly committed to helping you and your community. It’s ATB.