HSBC 2014 Annual Report Download - page 101

HSBC BANK PLC
Report of the Directors: Corporate Governance (continued)
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harassment on any matter, including gender, age,
ethnicity, religion, sexuality and disability, are not
tolerated and where advancement is based on objective
criteria. Our inclusive culture helps us understand and
serve our diverse customer base, while developing and
retaining a secure supply of skilled, committed
employees.
Oversight of our diversity and inclusion agenda and
related activities resides with executives on the Group
Diversity Committee, complemented by the Group
People Committee and local People/Diversity
Committees.
Each executive member of the UK People Committee
sponsors an Employee Resource Group. These
employees led voluntary networks help raise awareness,
build understanding of inclusion issues and
opportunities, and provide support to help us create a
more inclusive environment, so HSBC people can better
connect with our colleagues and our diverse customer
base.
Inclusivity in 2014:
Race for Opportunity, the leading Race campaign for
racial equality, awarded HSBC with a Silver award and a
Responsible Business Award for HSBC's commitment to
racial equality in the workplace. This improved on last
year’s Bronze award, through new activities including
executive sponsorship of ethnicity, the activities and
focus of the BAME Employee Resource Group,
sponsorship of Future Leaders publication profiling UK
top 100 black students, and continued focus on
enhancing entry level pipeline and BAME career
progression.
HSBC is committed to a gender balanced workplace, with
a gender target of 25 per cent for women in senior
management roles. We were recognized with a Silver
award by Opportunity Now, for our commitment and
activities to address gender diversity - including raising
the visibility of our gender balance policies, new Career
Gym online resource which is open to all employees but
particularly focused on enabling more choice and
flexibility to support female career development, and
diverse candidate shortlists.
In Stonewall’s annual ranking of the best employers for
lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain, HSBC was
listed as one of the Top 10 Global Employers. Antonio
Simoes, UK Chief Executive Officer, was listed as the
most influential LGBT person in Business in The
Telegraph’s Out at Work Top 50, and voted Diversity
Champion of the Year at the European Diversity Awards.
Improving youth employment
HSBC apprenticeship programmes are open to all from
new starters to longer serving employees. Since the
programme started in 2011, 2000 employees have
enrolled, of whom 66 per cent are female. We believe
that a major contributory factor is meeting the needs of
mothers returning to work who want to gain
professional qualifications.
For 14-19 year old individuals, we offer 500 work
experience placements per year. We connect with 4000
schools and colleges in the UK via the Financial Sector
Skills Council, to help ensure applications are received
from students from as many diverse backgrounds as
possible.
In 2013, HSBC established the Opportunity Partnership -
a three year £30 million UK programme with four
charities (St Giles Trust, Tomorrow's People, Catch 22
and The Prince's Trust), which aims to provide 25,000
unemployed young people with training and work
opportunities by 2016. By June 2014, HSBC had assisted
9,000 people through the programme.
Through the Prince's Trust, HSBC connects with young
people not in education, employment or training, to
provide one month of training in our 'Get Into Customer
Service' programme. 65 per cent of these trainees have
gone on to achieve a permanent job with HSBC
(exceeding our benchmark of 50 per cent), and this
programme has now been extended to run nationwide in
2015.
HSBC is also a founding partner in Movement to Work, a
nationwide programme to encourage the country's
largest employers to provide training or work
opportunities to 100,000 young people not currently in
work. Antonio Simoes is one of the trustees and one
HSBC staff member is currently seconded full time to
Movement to Work’s programme office.
In December 2014, HSBC held a reception in the
Member's Dining Room of the House of Commons for
our trainees, apprentices, work experience students and
summer interns, sponsored by the Chair of the APPG
Apprenticeships, Gordon Birtwistle MP, and attended by
over 20 MPs and Peers including the Skills Minister and
the Shadow Minister for Young People.
Employees with disabilities
HSBC continues to work to create an inclusive and
enabling working environment for all employees. We
recruit, train and develop people with disabilities, and
make the appropriate reasonable adjustments to
employment terms and working environments that may
be needed for employees who are disabled or who
become disabled during their employment. We are
improving this ‘reasonable adjustment’ process, to
ensure we provide the equipment employees require in
a simpler, more streamlined and consistent approach.
We also continue our recruiting work in line with the
“two tick symbol” employability campaign, to interview
disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for
any job. This symbol is a recognition given by Jobcentre
Plus to employers like HSBC who have agreed to make
certain positive commitments regarding the
employment, retention, training and career
development of people with disabilities.
In 2014, HSBC was accredited Bronze status by the
Business Disability Forum, for performing above the
industry benchmark.
Employee involvement
To help achieve its business goals, it is vital that HSBC
involves and engages its employees.
Among various means of achieving this, coordinated
communications to HSBC employees are key. A
dedicated global team is responsible for strategy,