{"id":368171,"date":"2026-04-07T17:28:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/368171\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:28:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:28:38","slug":"how-nab-breaks-staff-what-drove-married-father-john-to-the-banks-docklands-rooftop-with-his-last-will-and-testament-in-his-pocket-as-we-reveal-cruel-redundancy-process-that-employees-compare-to-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/368171\/","title":{"rendered":"How NAB breaks staff: What drove married father John to the bank’s Docklands rooftop with his last will and testament in his pocket.. as we reveal cruel redundancy process that employees compare to ‘death row’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former NAB<\/a>\u00a0employee has told how he found himself standing on the rooftop of the bank’s Melbourne skyscraper and, moments after getting his will signed and witnessed, contemplated taking his own life.<\/p>\n

John Horwood, 49, made sure his life insurance policy covered suicide by the time he went to the top of NAB’s Docklands headquarters on December 17 and sat there for 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

He had been retrenched after almost nine years of service, but instead of immediately showing him the door, NAB dragged the process out for two months with promises of a possible redeployment that never came to fruition.<\/p>\n

By that stage, John’s mental health had deteriorated significantly after years of bullying, verbal abuse and gaslighting by a number of senior employees, who he claims only cared about their bonuses.<\/p>\n

It marked the second time he’d contemplated suicide while employed by NAB.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first followed verbal and physical intimidation against him by a colleague, but he said he changed his mind following a call from HR.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also ultimately decided against taking his life in December because he didn’t want to hurt his wife, and wanted to set a positive example for his two children.<\/p>\n

John has now chosen to forgo anonymity to hold NAB accountable for the human cost of its workplace practices, which he argues are designed to fall within the rules and create the illusion of happy staff, but actually leave employees open to bullying.<\/p>\n

\"Former <\/p>\n

Former NAB employee\u00a0John Horwood, 49, contemplated suicide on the rooftop of the bank’s Melbourne skyscraper after being made redundant. He is seen celebrating his birthday at work<\/p>\n

\"John <\/p>\n

John had made sure his life insurance policy covered suicide by the time he went to the top of NAB’s Docklands headquarters (pictured) on December 17 and sat there for 30 minutes<\/p>\n

Daily Mail has seen written statements, emails and screenshots from John’s time at NAB showing complaints that were dismissed, a rescinded job offer after retrenchment, and evidence of his mental state at the time.<\/p>\n

‘Anonymous’ surveys<\/p>\n

John had 20 years of experience in the technology sector by the time he started working at NAB in 2017, but he said management – known as ‘people leaders’ in the bank’s ecosystem – were always problematic because there was no accountability.<\/p>\n

‘People leaders would go into round-table discussions, and you were relying on your people leader to represent you in the best light, but they don’t do that,’ he told the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

‘They’re motivated by greed and they use round tables to manipulate the system – their metrics are tied to their bonuses.’<\/p>\n

John referred to engagement surveys, which are supposed to be optional for employees, that ask workers questions about how satisfied they are in their team, and whether they would recommend their manager.<\/p>\n

The surveys are touted by the bank as anonymous, but John said managers get access to survey comments if more than eight people in their team complete the survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said managers are much more likely to get a bonus if the survey results are positive.<\/p>\n

\"Daily <\/p>\n

Daily Mail has seen written statements and emails from John’s (pictured) time at NAB showing complaints that were dismissed\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘If you’re in a team of ten people, they’ll pressure you into doing it and you’ll get called out if you haven’t completed it,’ he said.<\/p>\n

John and a number of other employees say the surveys create the illusion of a happy workplace, but in reality, everyone is too scared to fill them out honestly.<\/p>\n

Targeted retrenchment<\/p>\n

John, who rejected NAB’s offer of a $10,000 non-disclosure agreement, said he was always honest in his surveys – which is part of what he claims led to his downfall at the bank.<\/p>\n

He decided to become a union representative because he said staff were being asked to work more than 16 hours a day, and told by their managers not to log it because overtime would trigger HR enquiries.<\/p>\n

Managers were calling their staff late at night and early in the morning about deadlines, and reprimanding them when they didn’t immediately respond, he said.<\/p>\n

The Mail previously revealed NAB was placing some staffers on unfair Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) to make them quit because redundancies are too expensive.<\/p>\n

When PIPs were not being used to force people out, John said redundancies were given to anyone who spoke up.<\/p>\n

\"'Internally, <\/p>\n

‘Internally, managers know redundancy is used to target people out of a job,’ John said. (Pictured: a break area in NAB’s Melbourne headquarters)<\/p>\n

‘Someone else who was about to take parental leave was targeted for redundancy, and now he’s unemployed,’ John said.<\/p>\n

‘Others who wouldn’t work 16-hour days ended up being made redundant, but when you bring it up with the bank, they say, “You have other opportunities, there are a lot of people impacted, we haven’t done anything wrong”.’<\/p>\n

False job opportunities<\/p>\n

When John found out he would be made redundant due to a restructure in October, he was promised other opportunities would be available.<\/p>\n

He applied for nine jobs, some of which were below his skill set, and was rejected for eight. Screenshots from a conversation with another employee obtained by the Daily Mail show that he was offered one job.<\/p>\n

But that offer was quickly rescinded, and he was told the role had been withdrawn and placed on hold.<\/p>\n

‘They don’t help you apply for internal jobs. You’re on your own and you have to find them yourself,’ he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Internally, managers know redundancy is used to target people out of a job, and you’ve become a second-class citizen. It’s like you’re on death row. How are you supposed to get a job in that position? It’s a miracle I got an offer.’<\/p>\n

\"John <\/p>\n

John (pictured) decided to become a union representative because he saw that staff were being asked to work more than 16 hours a day<\/p>\n

John is one of many former employees who told the Mail about the lengthy and demoralising redundancy period, where workers are in limbo for two months wondering if they’ll get redeployed.<\/p>\n

He said the redundancy period is extended for so long to give the illusion of providing further opportunities for retrenched staff, therefore avoiding unfair dismissal claims.<\/p>\n

Most employees are so worn down by the process that they don’t want to fight the decision.<\/p>\n

Relentless bullying\u00a0<\/p>\n

John had two breaking points. One was in 2022 when a colleague became verbally abusive and physically intimidating over an email.<\/p>\n

‘He tore strips off me,’ John said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was already unsupported by senior staff who had scolded him in a Zoom meeting about the company code of conduct.<\/p>\n

The meeting was a performance review, but John said one member of staff was so aggressive he started shaking.<\/p>\n

\"John <\/p>\n

John was devastated when he found out that a worker from the bank’s fraud sector took his own life at the NAB building in Docklands (scene pictured)<\/p>\n

‘I was physically shaking because of the trauma I was experiencing, and he could see me because it was a Zoom meeting, and said I was heading for a performance rating of one, and I was thinking he was going to fire me,’ John said.<\/p>\n

‘He was going to justify using NAB’s policies as a weapon, and I lost the ability to speak, tears rolling down my face, and my wife was in the next room and she said, ‘We’re going to have to end the call here.”<\/p>\n

When the colleague later abused John, he messaged his wife about what happened, formed a suicide plan, and bought materials on the way home.<\/p>\n

Mere seconds before he went through with it, someone from NAB HR called and asked: ‘Do you have a plan?’<\/p>\n

His wife was concerned and had called NAB, before HR contacted him. They phoned an ambulance and he was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.<\/p>\n

John was surprised and grateful when NAB kept him on full pay during his two-month recovery, without deducting hours from his personal or annual leave balances.<\/p>\n

There were a number of incidents after that which led to his second breaking point in 2025, but John said the drawn-out redundancy period was the tipping point.<\/p>\n

‘I had printed out my last will and testament, got it witnessed at the post office, I had a life insurance policy that had progressed past the waiting period for suicide, and I sat on the rooftop for about half an hour. I was ready,’ he said.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The rooftop terrace at the NAB building in Docklands is pictured<\/p>\n

‘I had a lot going through my mind, but I still had a claim against the bank running, and I thought, ‘Why should I give NAB the easy way out?”<\/p>\n

John eventually lodged an unfair dismissal claim, but he was advised by the Financial Sector Union to drop it because his payout would be less than his redundancy payment.<\/p>\n

He also lodged a complaint about the bullying, and used the bank’s whistleblower service, but the outcomes – seen by the Daily Mail – found there was nothing wrong and dismissed the claims.<\/p>\n

‘They hide behind processes and make it look like everything is fair, but it’s so far from the truth,’ he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A NAB spokesperson told Daily Mail that the bank supports all colleagues to raise genuine concerns or allegations of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

They said there are ‘clear policies and independent channels to ensure concerns and allegations are taken seriously, assessed fairly, and without retaliation’.<\/p>\n

‘The concerns raised by a former colleague last year, and shared with the Daily Mail, were assessed by NAB and after an extensive process the individual withdrew their claim.<\/p>\n

‘The individual was represented and supported throughout the process by an independent third party selected by them.’<\/p>\n

The bank rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

John, like others, was devastated when he found out that a worker from the bank’s fraud sector took his own life on March 5 from the same rooftop where he had contemplated suicide in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Victoria Police confirmed it attended an incident in the CBD on March 5.<\/p>\n

‘Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the death of a man in Docklands on March 5,’ a police statement read.<\/p>\n

‘The body of a man, who is yet to be formally identified, was located on Bourke Street about 2pm.’<\/p>\n

If this has raised any issues for you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 for confidential crisis support.<\/p>\n

Get the full story on the NAB scandal with DailyMail+\u00a0<\/p>\n

Forgotten NAB suicide of a married father-of-three that haunts the ‘Big Four’ bank… as we reveal what executives privately think about toxic culture after Docklands tragedy<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n

Pushed to the brink: NAB staff claim bosses at the suicide bank where one employee plunged to his death are deliberately making life hell for workers – and the reason why will horrify you<\/a><\/p>\n

Anger, grief and finger-pointing at NAB after ‘AI-skilled’ worker’s skyscraper suicide: As questions mount about Big Four bank, staff cry: I never want to step foot in there again<\/a><\/p>\n

‘Triggering’ Teams photos and claims of other suicide attempts: NAB whistleblower speaks after bank worker plunged from 14th-floor rooftop as horrified staff watched on<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A former NAB\u00a0employee has told how he found himself standing on the rooftop of the bank’s Melbourne skyscraper…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[138,557,73689,111,43,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-368171","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-dailymail","10":"tag-nab","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-newzealand","14":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}