Bank of Ireland UK announces range of initiatives to promote greater ethnic diversity

Initiatives target action in four key areas including education and training, policy changes, tracking and measuring, and talent development.
Matt Elliott, Chief People Officer – “If everyone – broadly speaking – looks the same, sounds the same, has the same world view, and the same set of experiences, that is a risk for any company. When looking at both challenges and opportunities, companies need diversity of views, background, and life-experience. That’s the type of diverse community we are seeking to build at Bank of Ireland.”

7 June 2021

Bank of Ireland UK has today announced a range of initiatives to promote greater ethnic diversity within its workforce. The initiatives are designed to further support and encourage greater ethnic diversity within the Bank of Ireland Group.

Bank of Ireland strives for diversity within its workforce for a number of important reasons. These include ensuring the Bank reflects its customer base and the communities it serves, and that the Bank has a diversity of voices, viewpoints and experiences as it manages its business and plans for the future.

The initiatives being announced today are designed to take targeted action in four key areas including:

Education and training: By the end of 2021, all people managers in Bank of Ireland UK (c. 320 colleagues) will have completed Unconscious Bias training. This training, designed to help colleagues recognise often unconscious attitudes which can affect how they engage with each other, will help build a stronger, more diverse, and more inclusive organisation.
In addition, in the second half of 2021 Inclusion Diversity Training – including modules on Diversity at Work, Unconscious Bias, and Respect at Work – will be introduced as required training for all Bank of Ireland UK colleagues (c. 1,650).
Policy changes: The Bank has introduced a Recruitment Charter which sets out clearly its commitment to diverse hiring, with ethnicity monitored at application, shortlisting, and hiring stage.
Tracking and measuring: The Bank has made changes to its HR systems to record diversity data among its workforce. This will give the Bank a better understanding of how ethnic diversity within its workforce compares to diversity in both its customer base and in the communities where it does business, and will allow the Bank to track its progress over time.
Talent development: The Bank has also introduced an Ethnic Minority Talent Programme (RISE) designed specifically for colleagues whose ethnicity and race are not those of the majority group. The programme aims to equip colleagues with the skills and knowledge to support their progression into management positions. Bank of Ireland will also participate in the BBBA (Black British Business) Talent Accelerator programme, the first time an Irish company has partnered with BBBA to deliver a programme of this kind.

Matt Elliott, Chief People Officer at Bank of Ireland said: “Ensuring that we are doing more to attract and recruit candidates with diverse backgrounds is very important to Bank of Ireland. Any successful company should be reflective of its customer base and the communities it serves. That delivers better customer outcomes and a relationship with your customer over the much longer term.

“In addition, diversity also challenges ‘groupthink’ and that is especially important when we consider how we will develop our business into the future. If everyone – broadly speaking – looks the same, sounds the same, has the same world view, and the same set of experiences, that is a risk for any company. When looking at both challenges and opportunities, companies need diversity of views, background, and life-experience. That’s the type of diverse community we are seeking to build at Bank of Ireland.”

The new initiatives being introduced in 2021 build on a range of developments already in place across the Bank of Ireland Group.

In 2020, Bank of Ireland Group become a signatory to the Race At Work Charter UK which supports employers to ensure that ethnic minority employees are represented at all levels in the organisation, across all jurisdictions.

Also in 2020, Bank of Ireland UK won ‘Best Employer for Equality & Diversity in NI – Large Company (250+ employees)’ at the Northern Ireland Equality and Diversity Awards.

Note to editors

Further details in relation to a number of the programmes is below:

The RISE Ethnic Minority Talent Programme was developed in partnership with Involve, global leaders in championing diversity and inclusion in businesses to help organisations to drive cultural change and create inclusive workplaces. The inaugural RISE programme was also a collaboration with participants from Deloitte and Accenture designed to maximise the benefit for participants.

The programme consists of four modules – Enhancing Management Potential, Effective Communication, Personal Branding and Inspirational Leadership. Participants are supported as they develop and transition into more senior roles, equipping them with skills and knowledge and addressing some of the specific challenges diverse colleagues may face in their careers.

Throughout 2021, Bank of Ireland colleagues will also participate in the BBBA Talent Accelerator programme. British Black Business was established in 2014 to accelerate the progression of high potential Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) professionals from ‘the middle’ to the top of their organisations. The programme is designed to accelerate minority ethnic talent through a curriculum blending development, experiential learning, and inspiration to support career development.