Nationwide: 500 Swindon head office workers at risk of redundancy

Nationwide currently employs about 7,000 people at its Swindon HQ

A building society has announced that about 500 workers are at risk of redundancy as its head office goes through a "streamlining" process.

Nationwide, based in Swindon, said it expects about 200 workers to leave as it will seek to find people new roles.

The company said the redundancy consultation aims to improve efficiency and direct investment into other areas of the business.

Nationwide added that "customer-facing colleagues" will not be affected.

The building society, which is led by Debbie Crosbie, said it remains committed to running branches across the country.

The move comes a day after Nationwide revealed it was rescinding its "work anywhere policy", and would require full-time staff to return to the office for at least two days a week, from early next year.

A spokesman said: "Our strategy is to give customers greater value, better products and a distinctive customer experience.

"To do this, our systems and operations must be best-in-class and we need to be more agile and efficient."

They added: "We are streamlining some of our head office teams and expect around 200 people to leave the society.

"This will enable us to increase investment in the value and service we provide our customers.

"We have worked hard to keep the number of affected colleagues to a minimum and are ensuring we provide the right support for those impacted."