Barclays

Barclays believes that success will come through inclusion, and that applies to employees, customers and the communities in which we operate. That is why the principles of equality and diversity are built into our strategy and our business activities.

This is not a matter of political correctness: it is a significant part of the answer to the business challenges that Barclays faces. Our equality and diversity programmes not only differentiate Barclays from its competitors, they also strengthen our business performance. They make it possible for us to recruit the best people from the widest talent pool. They build employee commitment. They support innovation by tapping into different perspectives and experiences. They help to attract and retain customers.

Appealing to the widest possible customer base is good for business, and Barclays is working to reach untapped markets by making its products and services accessible to an increasingly diverse society. For example, Barclays is committed to improving access to its services for people with disabilities, giving them equal choice and control when it comes to managing their banking.

The same principles apply to our employees. Last year we started rolling out equality and diversity training programmes for employees. We also reviewed all recruitment and selection processes to ensure that we are attracting and retaining the best candidates from all backgrounds. We enhanced flexible working arrangements (including part-time and job-share working, career breaks and paid carers' leave) to help promote better work-life balance, and we adopted a more robust approach to dealing with inappropriate behaviour such as bullying and harassment.

To signal Barclays determination to achieve world-class policies and practices in this area, all members of the Group Executive Committee signed an Equality & Diversity Charter, which sets out our vision and principles and gives a commitment to measure and report progress.

�In our quest to create value, we are fortunate that Barclays has some priceless intangible assets. Apart from the quality and diversity of our business, there is also the power of our brand, the talent, dedication and creativity of our people, and the breadth and strength of our community involvement. These foundations underpin our financial performance and represent the building blocks for the future.

Our customers, large and small, share with us many of their most important decisions. They rely on our integrity, our professionalism and our experience to help them make the right choices and to implement those choices faithfully. We must therefore sustain that trust by adhering to the highest standards of conduct and delivery.

In this section, we look at how our pursuit of shareholder value leads to benefits for our customers, our employees and the communities in which we operate.�