Disability
Our goal is to create an accessible and inclusive business where people of all abilities will want to bank and work.
We are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive environment where we make the most of the exceptional talents that people with a disability, mental health or neourodiverse condition can bring to our organisation.
We support those with a disability or health condition by providing the equipment and adjustments that enable them to excel. We also aim to provide accessible products and services for all our customers whatever their requirements may be.
We have been awarded gold status by the Business Disability Forum for our work towards creating a truly inclusive and accessible environment for all of our customers, clients and colleagues.
Read our white paper to find out more about our journey to becoming a disability, neurodiverse and mental health confident business.
Our disability agenda is critical to our business strategy. We are committed to driving change to promote positive outcomes for individuals with a disability, mental health and/or neurodiverse condition, and to fostering an environment in which everyone feels included and empowered. It is vital that Barclays is as diverse and inclusive as the communities that we support and serve.
CEO, UK Corporate Bank, Head of Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility and Sponsor for the Disability Agenda
Working at Barclays
Barclays can provide support for those with a disability, impairment, health concern or mental health condition in the workplace. These adjustments can be short-term arrangements or more long-term, and can include:
- specialist equipment (like assistive technology and ergonomic furniture)
- adjustments to your workstation
- adjustments to your role/performance targets
- altering working practices using flexible working or regular breaks.
We encourage everyone working at Barclays, or thinking about joining us, to tell us what support and adjustments they need to be their best at work. We have developed a Workplace Adjustments Passport that enables colleagues to keep a record of their agreed workplace adjustments, making for easier conversations as they progress through their career in Barclays. We also believe in equipping line managers with disability confident training and support, encouraging people to feel able to disclose non-visible conditions, and promoting awareness of different disabilities, as some of the steps to creating an inclusive working environment for people of all abilities. We see this as an important step for both colleagues and their line managers in creating an inclusive working environment for people of all abilities.
Mental Health
Our Mental Health Awareness e-learning is mandatory for our entire workforce. We also believe in equipping line managers with disability and mental health confident training and support. We regularly check in with all line managers to ensure they are supporting colleagues’ wellbeing.
Flexible Working
We equip all colleagues with the ability to work flexibly. Flexible working is a powerful enabler in terms of levelling the playing field for disabled colleagues and those with mental health conditions. It empowers every individual to adapt their work life, and work more flexibly in ways that best suit their individual needs.
Making business accessible
At Barclays, listening to and learning from our customers, clients and colleagues is fundamental to our business approach to accessibility. By working to develop new products and services that meet the needs of people with a range of abilities, we can improve life for everybody. Our focus on disability is core to our business and the business decisions we take.
Leading technology through products and services
Barclays is committed to inclusive design, creating new products and services that address the needs of the widest possible audiences, irrespective of age or ability. We were the first major high street bank to deliver audio functionality to over 80% of our ATM’s. We introduced a range of high-contrast colour schemes for our debit cards to help customers read the information more easily, have developed sign video for our deaf customers and bPay by Barclaycard to help people with sight loss and dexterity issues.
Digital accessibility
Our main digital channels, including mobile banking apps and websites, have been or are being accredited for accessibility by AbilityNet, a leading UK accessibility charity.
We’ve also created simpler guides for those new to digital banking. To help encourage and educate our suppliers, partners and corporate clients we’ve published a supplier guide to accessibility.
Internships and Apprenticeships
Barclays is committed to scaling up internships for people with disabilities and mental health conditions and has initiated its own programme to drive this forward: Able to Enable, open to people of all ages. We work with external partners to identify eligible candidates to increase diversity through Barclays Apprenticeships. Building on our Able to Enable channel, we have created a high-touch support system for people on the autism spectrum who want to join Barclays as an apprentice. We developed the process in our main technology hubs in Radbroke and Glasgow, including developing training for assessors, pre-briefing material for candidates and autism-friendly guides to ensure visits to our sites were as anxiety-free as possible.
Reach – the disability, mental health and neurodiversity resource group
Our employee resource group (ERG), Reach, is open to all colleagues who either have a disability, mental health or neurodiverse condition, or support those who do, as well as those who have an interest in this agenda. Members of the ERG provide career development support and opportunities for education and networking, as well as sharing insights from our colleagues with disabilities to help us to identify new ways of making our products, services and facilities accessible to everyone. They also mentor new colleagues when they join the organisation.
Recognition
We want people of all abilities to thrive at Barclays and remain committed to making the most of the talents disabled people bring to our organisation.
Our recognitions include:
- Scored 100% in Disability:IN Disability Equality Index 2023
- Matt Hammerstein, Chief Executive of the UK Corporate Bank and Head of Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility, joined “CEOs are IN” Disability Equality Index Campaign. The campaign commits to benchmarking Barclays' disability inclusion journey with the Disability Equality Index together with over 164 CEOs urging Fortune 1000 companies to advance disability inclusion
- Barclays is one of the Valuable 500 members, which is a non-profit organisation with 500 CEOs whose companies have put disability inclusion on the leadership agenda and made a commitment to action
- Scope and Barclays are working together to support hundreds of young disabled people across England and Wales. This partnership will fund the creation of new services, supporting disabled young people to develop their skills and confidence.
