We heard from a variety of speakers including Lord Holmes, who opened our week with his personal reflections as a Paralympic gold medallist, Director of 2012 Paralympic Games and Inclusion advocate in Parliament. Other speakers gave us their own expert insights on diversity and inclusion, prompting us to think differently and explore new ideas. These included topics such as ‘How to have inclusive conversations’, ‘Unleashing the power of diversity’, and ‘The impact of volunteering on the individual, society and the economy’.
Last year we launched our Inclusion Strategy which brought together our work on diversity, community and wellbeing. It is a framework which encourages colleagues to continue to develop a culture at the Bank where everyone can contribute their best work and bring their whole selves to work. This year we have begun to explore cognitive diversity, looking at what it means to us, why it matters and how we can make the most of it in the future. We launched a survey to gather colleagues’ views on inclusion at the Bank and will use the results to guide our future inclusion work.
We have also taken the time to look back over our inclusion journey – starting in 1694 when we were established all the way through to the current day. We have highlighted donations made to various causes, including in 1912 to those affected by the sinking of the Titanic; the appointment of our first in-house counsellor; the launch of all our successful employee networks; and the recognition we have recently received for our inclusion initiatives.
