Culture and conduct
We believe that the stronger our culture, the better the choices our people will make – and the stronger our business will be for all our stakeholders.
Running a responsible business
We are committed to responsible delivery of our products and services, governed by our code of conduct, fair treatment of our customers and strict adherence to all relevant legislation and regulation.
Complaints
It is important that our engagement with our customers is open and honest and that we treat them fairly to make sure they are not harmed, exploited or misled. Barclays continues to ensure that our customers’ needs and priorities are understood before making recommendations and that the communications we provide allow informed decisions to be made.
Publishing complaints data on a more regular basis help us to be more open with our customers about the problems our customers are having, more quickly
Tax
We continue to make substantial tax payments across the jurisdictions in which we operate, both in terms of taxes paid and taxes collected.
In 2019, Barclays was ranked as the fifth largest UK taxpayer, in terms of taxes paid, in the most recent PwC Total Tax Contribution survey of the One Hundred Group (100 Group). The 100 Group represents members of the FTSE 100 along with several large UK private companies. Over the last decade, we have consistently been ranked as one of the top five largest UK taxpayers, paying over £14bn of taxes in the UK.
Data privacy and security
We know how important our customers’ and clients’ data is to them, and we have robust policies that govern how we manage it. We also ensure employees only have ‘need to know’ access to personal data, and ensure strict controls on third-party suppliers’ access to our data. All Barclays businesses and functions are required to comply with our Group-wide Privacy Policy and Global Privacy Standard.
Whistleblowing
It is important that Barclays maintains a culture where anyone feels they can speak up if they see our high standards are not being met. Barclays is pleased that a significant majority of our employees feel it is safe to do so.
Responsible lending
We believe that transparency of information in our products and services is key to empowering consumers to make good financial decisions. We carefully consider the requirements of all our stakeholders during the development of products and services. This includes a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, giving customers the ability to take control of their finances in a manner convenient to them and the promotion of financial capability.
Financial crime
Barclays recognises that economic crimes have an adverse effect on individuals and communities wherever they occur. We are committed to conducting our global activities with integrity and respecting regulatory, ethical and social responsibilities to protect customers, employees, and others with whom we do business; and support governments, regulators and law enforcement in wider economic crime prevention.
IT resilience
As our organisation becomes more digital, technology plays an increasingly important role in how we deliver for our customers and clients. The stability and resilience of our systems has a direct impact on the quality of our service. We make significant investments in our infrastructure to guard against risk ranging from large scale data corruption, to hacking and third-party failure.
Political contributions
Barclays is politically neutral and does not engage in party political campaigning or make party political donations. We do engage with Government on issues relevant to our business and ensure that any communication undertaken is honest, comprehensive and accurate.
Our 2020 ESG Report
Barclays recognises that the focus on the societal impact of businesses and performance on wider Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors has increased in recent years, with growing interest from a range of stakeholders including investors, clients, policy makers and regulators.
More ESG information