HSBC was the first firm in the Crown Dependencies – Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man – to sign up to the LGBT+ ‘Ally’ scheme, thanks to the efforts of an internal volunteer-led employee group called HSBC Pride.
An ‘ally’ is a term used by the LGBT+ community to describe heterosexual and cisgender [those whose sense of personal identity and gender correspond with their birth sex] individuals who are sympathetic to the challenges they face, such as equal civil rights and discrimination.
Under HSBC’s scheme, employees can be trained to become ‘allies’ who help to ensure that the working environment at the firm is inclusive for all their colleagues, regardless of their sexual orientation.
A statement released by HSBC says: ‘They will be open to listen or speak to anyone who wishes to discuss their personal experience, as well as being encouraged to stand up for any misunderstandings on the subject and educate their fellow colleagues.
‘HSBC Pride, which started the scheme, is a volunteer-led employee resource group that seeks to ensure that LGBT+ employees and their allies can perform to the best of their abilities and fulfil HSBC’s strategic goals in an open, inclusive and supportive environment.’
Claire Slonimski, who is the head of middle office for corporate banking at HSBC, said that she hoped that the scheme would also help create a more inclusive environment for the bank’s customers and the local community.
‘For a business to be effective, its employees need to be absolutely comfortable in their own skin and HSBC prides itself on providing an open, inclusive and supportive environment where everyone feels they can be their true self at work,’ she said.
‘The Ally programme is an important part of this, and we hope that it will create not just a more supportive environment for bank employees, but for its customers and the wider Channel Island and Isle of Man communities too.’
