Names & Job titles of team members:
Dave Shaw- Diversity and Inclusion Manager Coral Taylor – Head of Diversity and Inclusion
Please provide an overview of the work your team delivers:
At HSBC UK, we value difference. Including people with a variety of experiences, attributes and voices allows us to increase empathy and understanding of customer needs, innovate in product and service design, and attract and retain the widest range of talented individuals to work with us. We believe that if we put Inclusion first, then diversity will follow. To achieve this, we are actively removing the barriers that impede us and building a better business for our colleagues, customers, and the communities we serve. Difference exists in everyone – each of us is unique and diverse. Our age, our ethnicity, our gender, and many other diverse characteristics, combine to form a unique individual experience and outlook. Acknowledging this complex intersectionality that we all experience is important. This helps us to communicate better, to face challenges together, and to reap the rewards together.
Because when we are inclusive of everyone, we are better for everyone. We aim to be inclusive for everyone, but this does not mean that we treat everybody the same. We have been on our Inclusion journey for many years and we know that a ‘one size fits all’ approach does not work and so, as a result, we have learnt to be flexible in our approach to meet different needs. We also know that some people have more barriers to overcome than others and, for this reason, we choose at times to dial up our focus and attention in support of particular groups of colleagues and customers.
Our strategy is simple: We aspire to deliver our 3Rs of Inclusion: Representation. We are focused on Representation, aiming for our colleagues to reflect the diversity of the UK population at all levels. Respect. We treat people with Respect, driving an inclusive culture where all people feel that they belong and are able to reach their full potential. Reputation We are building a positive Reputation as an inclusive business which our colleagues can be proud of and that our customers and members of the wider UK community can trust.
We are totally focused on delivering good outcomes. For us, success is not determined by the number of activities undertaken, but by the tangible positive impacts that we make for our colleagues, customers and communities. Our approach to Inclusion is, unsurprisingly, inclusive! We work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders including our business lines and business functions, employee-networks and external parties, to help develop and deliver our Inclusion plans. Our strategy is flexible. Our UK-wide plan is supported by multiple bespoke plans which consist of interventions to address different business needs. What is more, we know that in this constantly changing environment, the plans we make at the start of the year may not be fit for purpose by year end. To remain relevant, we are hyperaware of changing circumstances, regularly checking multiple
data points and adapting our plans in response to emerging evidence and trends. We know we are making a measurable difference. We are increasing our workforce diversity, delivering ground-breaking initiatives and winning external awards. However, whilst pleased with our progress, we acknowledge that there is still much more for us to do if we are to achieve our aim to become a truly Inclusive Bank.
Please list any significant achievements made by your team since its inception:
Supporting colleagues with disabilities: with a centrally ring-fenced budget providing 3,367 adjustments in 2023.
Recruiting those with most complex needs: creating 12 meet and greet roles at our UK and Global Headquarters Supporting “Scope” to create virtual employment learning for people with disabilities, helping 228 people in Q1 2023 Leaders accountable for inclusion: exceeding all 2023 Inclusion goals Breaking social mobility barriers: 1,428 young people supported through our employability partnership “Inclusive” is a top 10 word used by colleagues to describe HSBCUK 82% of colleagues in our annual survey, report feeling able to be themselves at work Employees are engaged with the inclusion agenda: Our 17 ERGs have over 19,000 members Over 30,000 colleagues have completed inclusive customer training UKs first Menopause friendly accredited employer Free period products for colleagues at all sites Inclusive uniforms, designed for multiple faiths, genders, disabilities and life stages Use our position to support others such as sponsoring Birmingham Pride and Diwali where 600+ colleagues attended Supporting 30 Black students from deprived backgrounds to attend Cambridge University, in partnership with #Merky
2000+ survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking opened a
2000+ Survivor Bank account
3500+ No fixed address accounts opened in partnership with Shelter and
3500+ others
5000+ refugee bank accounts opened by people escaping conflict in
5000+ Afghanistan and Ukraine
2.5 million+ accessible bank cards provided, supporting customers with disabilities as standard Every branch provides a safe space for people to escape domestic abuse Top 10 employer at the Ethnicity Awards 12th in the Stonewall Index Only Gold BDF employer in 2022 with a score of 95.8%, the highest score awarded by BDF since standards were revised
19,100 members belonging to our 17 Employee Resource Groups First UK employer to be menopause friendly accredited Carer friendly accredited for the support we provide colleagues with caring responsibilities
2 new ERGs supporting social mobility and the difficult journey some people face in their desire to have a family 82% of colleagues who feel able to be themselves at work, according our Snapshot employee survey FREE period products are available to colleagues at all sites
30,000 colleagues trained to inclusively support customers
3,367 workplace adjustments made in 2023 to support colleagues to do their jobs
52,490 children took part in our Money Heroes education programme
1,428 young people supported through our employability partnership Every branch provides safe spaces to people escaping domestic abuse
What impact has your team had on the organisation?
Our impact is evidenced by the above achievements which we drive through our inclusion strategy. This results in:
• Marketing embodying inclusion within Brand messaging such as the Richard Ayode “Beyond Borders” campaign.
• Corporate Banking supporting ethnic minority customers, through sponsoring UK Black Business shows attended by 9,000+ people, and developing innovative mentoring to support hundreds of Black and Ethnic minority entrepreneurs.
• Retail banking providing inclusive products and services for customers at times of vulnerability.
• Communications team messaging in place so that HSBC UK can respond to any query from external media positively
• Recruitment actively opening up employment opportunities to over 500 people with disabilities
• Benefits team creating BUPA coverage for gender dysmorphia
• Colleagues across HR supporting with publication of gender and ethnicity pay gaps, delivering mandatory inclusion training for all colleagues, requiring all recruiting managers to complete inclusive training.
Inclusion is a key theme in every single aspect at HSBC UK from marketing to internal policy writing and all of this stems from the UK Inclusion team and the work they do to drive inclusion forward.
Please provide an endorsing statement from someone who can support this nomination (Max. 500 words) David Barnes UK Head of Audit “It is both my pleasure and my honour to sponsor the UK Ethnicity programme.
Since I took up the role in March 2020, I have seen significant progress on our ethnicity commitments across all areas of the bank. There’s still much work to do but as a bank, we are focused and committed to making long-lasting positive changes.”
Cheryl Bosi UK Head of HR
“The challenges in recent years have been enormous, but they’ve also created opportunities to do things differently. We’re investing in our people, culture and communities to remove barriers, innovate and create opportunities for people to grow and succeed.”
Sandy Sahota Co-chair Embrace
“Being a Co-Chair is a demanding role and can often consume my time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I see the difference my actions are making.
It’s great to be closely aligned to senior leaders as together, we make positive change. Embrace has empowered people to have a voice. Members love that we talk about matters that they resonate with. It gives colleagues a safe space to talk and shows them that the business is serious about ensuring we have an inclusive workplace.”
Ian Stuart CEO
“How we do business is as
important as what we do.
If you don’t have societal purpose
at the centre of what you’re
doing, your customers will walk.
I fundamentally believe that we
must evolve to serve the interests
of our customers, and the many
communities and groups of people
that we impact.”
