Inclusion and Diversity

Our focus is on inclusion first, and from this comes diversity.

We are working to build a truly inclusive business – opening up a world of opportunity for our people, our customers, and the wider communities we serve. Our actions are focused on making HSBC UK a place where all our people feel valued, respected and supported to fulfil their full potential.

Building a more inclusive culture

HSBC UK’s inclusion strategy is focused on three Rs: Representation, Respect and Reputation.

We’re investing in our people, culture and communities, as well as improving our data to remove barriers, innovate and create opportunities for people to grow and succeed.

Learn more about HSBC UK’s Inclusion Strategy (PDF 13.7MB)

Learn more about HSBC’s global approach to inclusion and diversity

Our inclusion policy

• At HSBC UK we require our people to treat colleagues, customers and members of the community with dignity and respect. We are creating an inclusive business
• We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination, bullying, or harassment on any ground, including age, race, caste, ethnic or national origin, colour, mental or physical health conditions, disability, pregnancy, parent or carer role, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or other domestic circumstances, employment status, working hours or other flexible working arrangements, or religion or belief
• We understand that colleagues and customers with disabilities may require different ways of working and we provide reasonable adjustments
• Where appropriate, we take proactive and positive steps to ensure diverse talent has access to our employment opportunities. In all cases we are committed to recruitment and progression based upon capability

Fair and inclusive recruitment

How we hire directly influences how diverse we are. We are focused on ensuring our hiring processes continue to be fair, transparent and inclusive for all. This ensures we attract and hire the strongest candidates including those from diverse talent pools and provide a positive candidate experience.

• Our recruiting managers receive training on how to counteract potential biases when recruiting, and we take steps to ensure that we recruit people from a broad range of backgrounds across the communities in which we operate
• We have expanded our recruitment partners to include specialist firms, improving the diversity of shortlisted candidates and hires
• Job applicants who let us know that they have a need for additional support have the option to speak with our dedicated Candidate Care Consultant, who can provide help throughout the recruitment process

Learn more about a career with HSBC UK

Addressing barriers to opportunity

We want our leadership teams to better represent the communities we serve. To support this, we are focused on ensuring our development and promotion processes continue to be fair and equitable. We have programmes in place for underrepresented groups to help their progression opportunities.

Our actions:

• We measure the diversity representation of colleagues in our talent programmes. Where we find underrepresentation, we take action to address it, including establishing accelerator programmes for women and ethnic minorities to address historical barriers to progression
• We have a wide range of mentoring programmes including a global mentoring platform, a diversity mentoring scheme that helps people find support and mentorship outside the traditional routes and programmes, and a reciprocal mentoring programme which partners diverse employees with senior leaders
• All of our colleagues have opportunities to learn throughout their career at HSBC. HSBC University, which offers all employees opportunities to train, learn skills and obtain qualifications in-person and online

Learn more about HSBC’s global inclusion commitments and actions

Valuing difference in our workplaces

We want everyone to feel included, valued and respected at work. We’re removing potential barriers and building an inclusive environment where difference is celebrated and colleagues choose to stay and develop their careers.

Our actions:

• Our inclusive policies support employees through different life stages and promote better work-life balance. We are embedding hybrid working across the majority of our roles
• Our colleagues have 24/7 access to our free, confidential assistance service that provides employees and their dependants access to support for a wide range of issues including relationships, bereavement, anxiety, work related issues, and support around financial or legal concerns and family care services
• Our workplace adjustments team is available to assist any colleague with long term health conditions or disabilities to access assistive technology or equipment to help them do their job
• We provide an attractive maternity/adoption/paternity policy: primary carer (maternity/adoption) leave of 26 weeks fully paid, secondary carer (paternity) fully paid leave of two weeks, fully paid or shared parental leave (primary and secondary carers may share up to 52 weeks of leave and up to 39 weeks of pay if eligible)
• Our new parents programme offers support before, during and after parental leave and a guarantee for returning parents to work part-time

Improving inclusion know-how

We want all of our colleagues to be consciously inclusive in their interactions with customers and each other. Throughout their career, HSBC UK colleagues have access to a wide range of learning opportunities to help them to increase their awareness of inclusion.

Our actions:

• Our Global Induction programme, mandatory annual training and leadership development opportunities ensure our colleagues continually improve their knowledge and understanding of HSBC’s culture, values and ways for working
• Further training is provided to our customer facing colleagues to help them learn how to support diverse and vulnerable customers
• Throughout the year, our colleagues can to access a range of inclusion educational opportunities provided online via HSBC University or via our Employee Resource Groups

Learn more about how we’re making banking more accessible for our customers

Sharing our progress

We’re building a more accurate and transparent view of our diversity profile so we can effectively target our actions and measure our progress.

Learn more about HSBC in the UK’s Gender and Ethnicity Pay Gap and Representation reporting

Employee Networks and Resource Groups

The expertise and experiences of our employees is a valuable resource, and we have a great deal to learn from each other.

Our 17 Employee Resource Groups are part of global voluntary networks that bring together colleagues with shared characteristics and common interests. With their shared passion and lived experiences of 18,000 members in the UK, they champion education and awareness programmes, facilitate open discussion on workplace improvements and actively guide our senior leadership.

Groups in the UK include those focused on ability, age, ethnicity, faith, gender, LGBT+, and working parents and carers. Additionally, a wide range of employee communities have been formed, including those focused on flexible working, mindfulness, the military, Chinese society and culture, and Executive Assistants.

Learn more about HSBC’s global Employee Networks

Working with others

HSBC UK works with a wide range of organisations who share our commitment to inclusion and diversity, improving and amplifying the impact of our initiatives and programmes for our people, customers and the wider communities we serve.

We also measure ourselves against the high standards set by experts and industry benchmarks so that we can continuously develop and improve.

Birmingham Pride
With deep roots and headquarters in the West Midlands, HSBC UK is exceptionally proud to be a headline sponsor of Birmingham Pride – the UK’s largest two-day LGBTQ+ festival.

Business Disability Forum
HSBC is a proud partner of the Business Disability Forum (BDF). HSBC UK uses the BDF’s Disability Standard to measure and improve on performance for disabled colleagues, customers, service providers and stakeholders more broadly.

Carers UK
Through our work with Carers UK we have achieved the Carer Confident Standard. This certificate of achievement is presented to employers who have demonstrated that they have built an inclusive workplace where carers are recognised, respected and supported.

Disability Confident
HSBC UK is a Disability Confident Employer within the Department for Work and Pensions Disability Confident Scheme. Through our dedicated workplace adjustments programme, we make reasonable adjustments available to colleagues who need them.

Down Syndrome Association
HSBC UK is working with Down Syndrome Association’s Workfit programme to help job-seekers overcome barriers to employment. In 2021, we welcomed six new colleagues into three-month paid work experience placements at HSBC UK branches in the Midlands and South East.

#Merky Foundation
HSBC has pledged £2m to the #Merky Foundation to support 30 new Stormzy Scholars at the University of Cambridge over three years (2021-23), helping remove barriers to higher education as part of our wider commitment to support racial equality in the UK.

Menopause Friendly Employer
HSBC UK is one of the employers in the UK to receive Menopause Friendly Accreditation, recognising our efforts to build awareness and understanding around menopause and take the wellbeing of our colleagues seriously.

Race at Work Charter
HSBC UK is a founder signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter and its 5 commitments:

• Appoint an Executive Sponsor for race
• Capture ethnicity data and publicise progress
• Commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying
• Make clear that supporting equality in the workplace is the responsibility of all leaders and managers
• Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression

Stonewall Workplace Equality Index
HSBC is a proud and active supporter of customers and colleagues across the broad spectrum of diversity of sexuality and gender identity. We assess our achievements and progress on LGBT+ equality against the 10 areas of employment policy and practice set out in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.