The country’s leading banks are enforcing stricter standards around workplace behaviour. In 2025, more than 500 employees were let go due to serious infractions of internal policies. Thousands of others faced formal warnings, lost bonuses or missed out on promotions. Despite a firmer response from employers, data shows a longer-term improvement, with misconduct steadily decreasing across the major institutions in Australia’s financial services sector.
The industry has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years following several major regulatory investigations. In 2025, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, ANZ and Westpac each reported distinct approaches and outcomes in managing internal issues. Most breaches were minor, involving delays in completing mandatory training or careless data handling. However, more serious matters such as harassment and improper use of communication platforms led to stricter penalties.
Commonwealth Bank recorded nearly 2,000 breaches in 2025, a drop from the previous year. About 184 staff members were terminated, mostly due to attendance failures, though there were also instances of sexual misconduct and bullying. NAB identified over 7,300 breaches, the majority being minor, but still removed 116 employees and made a number of demotions. ANZ reported 1,569 incidents, resulting in 127 dismissals. Westpac, with fewer overall breaches compared to the year before, dismissed 134 staff.
Macquarie Bank, though not one of the big four, remains a prominent financial institution and saw a slight rise in misconduct incidents during 2025. It dismissed 53 employees for breaching policies related to workplace conduct, risk controls and misuse of technology. This points to a broader trend in which firms are monitoring employee actions more closely while updating systems and work culture.
The overall message for the industry is cautious optimism. While the number of breaches is gradually falling, recurring problems in specific areas suggest deeper issues within organisational systems. Experts in ethical leadership believe banks must see these incidents not just as individual failings, but as indicators of underlying problems that should be addressed to prevent financial or reputational harm.
