Diversity and inclusion
We strive to achieve the core objective that every member of our firm, regardless of background, should feel valued and included. We are creating an inclusive environment where everyone can perform at their best.
Inclusion across Close Brothers Group
Hear from some of our employees about their experiences of inclusivity across the Close Brothers Group.
Diversity and inclusion initiatives
Our diversity and inclusion strategy is championed by our Management Committee, and driven by our Inclusion Committee. We are working to raise awareness of the diversity and inclusion issues that affect our firm and to take steps to improve.
We actively support a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives. We also have several working groups, comprised of representatives from across the Close Brothers Group, that allow employees to come together to offer their thoughts and suggestions and to drive diversity and inclusion actions forward.
The Diversity Project
We formally support The Diversity Project in their mission to accelerate progress towards a more inclusive culture in the investment and savings profession.
Gender balance
We believe in giving equal opportunity to all; creating an environment without bias, where everyone can succeed, in any role, regardless of gender.
The group has partnerships with the Women in Finance charter and the 30% club, and will be working towards key targets in terms of increasing the percentage of female senior managers, monitoring the entry-level gender split, and awareness and improvement of our gender pay gap.
Ethnic diversity
We are working to improve representation and visibility of those from an ethnic minority within our business, including providing training and education on racial inequality and support.
Close Brothers became signatories of the Race at Work charter in April 2020 and has committed to their five calls to action.
In 2020, we signed up to the 100 Black Interns programme and the 10,000 Black Interns programme, an annual commitment starting in 2021 which enables us to offer young people from the black community 6 weeks of paid work experience in a number of areas across our business.
LGBTQ+
We are focused on creating an inclusive environment to allow everyone, regardless of how they identify in terms of their gender or sexuality, to thrive at work.
We do this by raising awareness and celebrating diversity through education and networking, supported by the group-wide LGBTQ+ network – Unity.
Every June our Unity network organises Pride month educational events, networking and celebrations, both in-person and online, to bring our LGBTQ+ community and allies together in support of diversity, acceptance and unity.
Close Brothers has also partnered with LGBT charity, Stonewall, who have assisted with the creation of our employee network, specialist on-site training, and review of our people policies.
Working parents and carers
We work to ensure that colleagues who are balancing caring responsibilities of any kind feel supported, and are aware of what help is on offer, such as our emergency childcare cover and flexible working benefits.
Close Brothers has partnered with Bright Horizons to offer emergency back-up care solutions for both children and the elderly, as well as ensuring our policies are positioned to best support working parents and carers.
Mental wellbeing
We recognise that mental wellbeing is an important part of our overall health and our working group is focused on challenging the stigma around mental health.
Close Brothers has a network of employee Mental Health First Aiders who are easily accessible to all of our colleagues and can provide direction and support as needed. Employees also have access to the Thrive mobile app and employee assistance programme.
Disability
We recognise that disabilities can come in many forms and can be physical, neurological and mental and are often hard to see or recognise.
Close Brothers is a member of the Business Disability Forum, a leading disability-smart organisation.
Social mobility
We are committed to improving opportunities for those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, so we can grow our workforce based on talent rather than privilege.
Close Brothers is a signatory of the Social Mobility Pledge – committed to outreach, access and recruitment, and upReach, a charity supporting less advantaged students in the UK, helping them to secure internships and permanent jobs.
