Best SME DE&I Innovation (Gender Equity) Award Shortlist
news published date 9 September 2024
Since 1989, Barclay Simpson has been dedicated to recruiting for specific professions, building long-term relationships grounded in its core values of Integrity, Insight, Collaboration, and Respect. These principles guide the company’s culture, its EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) strategy, and its actions, making it a leader in inclusive recruitment.
Barclay Simpson’s three-pillar EDI strategy focuses on its role as an employer, its community relationships, and the services provided to clients. As an employer, the company promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion through clear career paths, merit-based promotions, and open employee engagement forums. It also supports mental well-being through training and access to resources and has long embraced flexible working to foster inclusivity and work-life balance.
In its community efforts, Barclay Simpson offers free EDI masterclasses on topics such as neurodiversity, disability, bias, age, race, and gender. It supports WIBF’s ACT programme with mentors, partners with Neurodiversity in Business (NiB) to share recruitment insights, and works with Spark! to help disadvantaged youth and those with SEND prepare for interviews and explore career options.
In its services, all recruiters complete Inventum Group’s Inclusive Recruiter training. Barclay Simpson has also invested in accessibility technology for those with sight, neurodiversity, and dyslexia needs, and uses advanced analytics tools to provide data-driven EDI insights to clients, helping them drive their EDI agendas effectively.
This year, Cynergy Bank’s People and Culture team, along with champions from the I&D Network and the wider colleague base, have engaged with various programs and schools to integrate diversity and inclusion efforts with social mobility initiatives. This comprehensive approach aims to create a more meaningful impact on equality within the financial services sector.
The initiative focuses on expanding and diversifying the talent pool by encouraging women to pursue careers in financial services. By proactively partnering with schools and external programs, the initiative demonstrates a long-term commitment to nurturing talent from an early stage.
What sets this initiative apart is its innovative approach to increasing women’s representation in the industry while also addressing the intersectional challenges faced by women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. This dual focus highlights the Bank’s progressive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).
The initiative was chosen due to the strong drive from colleagues to enhance the Bank’s social mobility efforts from an I&D perspective. While the Bank has a history of community engagement, the past six months have seen a significant contribution, with the positive internal impact recognised and appreciated across the organisation.
For Women in Mortgages (WiM), innovation lies in its creation and structure. WiM was established in response to the 2021 AMI Viewpoint Report on “Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in the Mortgage Industry,” which highlighted the lived experiences of mortgage professionals. WiM consists of over 130 volunteers from more than 90 companies, offering an impressive diversity of thought and perspective.
The WiM mentoring scheme, which is cross-industry and free for users, now boasts over 300 active participants. Executive buy-in has been strong, with more than 20% of mentors holding c-suite positions. This support has been crucial in driving the programme’s success.
WiM has also seen significant growth in its reach, expanding its LinkedIn following by over 1,450 people this year, helping the network connect with a broader and more diverse section of the industry.
The content on the WiM website has also been expanded to feature personal stories and experiences on topics such as mental health, infertility, and neurodiversity. Additionally, WiM launched a mini research paper, We Need to Talk About Diversity, which explores the benefits of diversity in recruitment and retention, providing guidance for firms looking to improve. WiM also produced a range of D&I factsheets offering insights and practical workplace accommodations.