IN FOCUS INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITOR :
ALEXANDER HARRISON , COUNTRY CEO , SINGAPORE & HEAD OF CORPORATE BANKING , ASIA PACIFIC AND MIDDLE EAST , BARCLAYS
That ' s fantastic news . Have you found any D & I challenges unique to the Southeast Asia region in terms of rolling out some of the global policies and initiatives that come from HQ ?
There are always going to be regional and country-specific complexities , but I don ' t think there ' s particularly anything across this region that we ' ve not been able to front up and manage . The key thing for us is to always be aware of th ¬ e different maturity levels in different markets , so far as they accept D & I agendas . There are certain challenges that exist around attracting , retaining and developing diverse talent that ' s universal to all markets . But our global D & I strategy is a cornerstone of our values framework . That is enabled whichever market we ' re in , so I don ' t think this particular challenge for Barclays is there . For example , we launched a gender neutral non-primary caregiver strategy in 2017 , which previously wasn ' t in place in Asia . The primary caregiver gets a number of weeks , but the non-primary caregiver gets a number of weeks as well which has not been historically the case . That ' s just a case of removing that bias around who is and isn ’ t the primary caregiver , and removing the labels .
It ’ s also about unravelling those wrinkles that we have in global policies , which are there for historical reasons . As we ' ve already alluded to , over time as we educate ourselves and become more aware on that journey , we can look to iron these weaknesses in how we approach our employees . The next level of that , once we ' ve done that work internally , is to ensure that we vocalise that externally , through channels like the Chamber and other various support networks which we have with our communities . When a global brand like ours does something good , identifies an area that needs developing , does something about it , and comes up with a plan that implements that to the benefit of all of its employees , then we should be more vocal around that and push it out into our communities to help others on that education journey .
I find with diversity , companies are willing to share what is working , to get the best practice out there , because it ' s in everyone ' s best interest .
But that ' s an interesting point , isn ' t it ? Because I think definitely over my time in this industry , and working over various locations , that maturity of understanding is different . That ' s where I think more work needs to be done to get the global framework across countries to a level there where that appreciation of what a good D & I framework looks like is homogenous . We ’ ve discussed this in the committee in the past – the purpose of a D & I committee should ultimately be to make sure it ' s no longer needed . It just shows you the journey that we that we ' re all on , but equally we should always look back , because the journey we ' ve been on is hugely successful . The appreciation and awareness of a diverse and inclusive workforce is now understood , and I ' m not sure it was five years ago . The business case conversation has really moved on . I think we ' re at the stage now , depending on the maturity of the company and diversity within the sector , where people are ready to have those difficult conversations and how you react when one particular trigger , like racism last year , suddenly comes to the forefront . Are you ready ? Do you have the resources in place for your staff ? Or have you got to move quickly and suddenly roll something out ?
I think
[ intersectionality ] is really at the forefront of where D & I is moving towards ; really recognising that intersectionality around how people identify themselves needs to be fully understood to be a better employer and support our communities . Because when these issues become compounded , it means that some people can be hugely disadvantaged in society and in the workplace environment .
I think bias underpins all of this . The D & I agenda is not standing still . So if you think about how historically firms approach this , you would in essence have a network and that vertical would just cover that network . Gender is a prime example of this . But actually , you then start thinking , what about if your employees identify as LGBT + but also female and Black ? That ’ s when you go into that intersectionality conversation . I think it ’ s the next level of awareness and appreciation around how we approach talent development , and it will be the next evolution of D & I .
Lastly , could you elaborate on how you work with the broader community in different markets to drive the D & I agenda ?
Within Barclays , we have six broad networks , with regional and country representation . Bridge , the multigenerational network ; Embrace , the multicultural network ; Reach : the disability , mental health and neurodiversity network ; Spectrum , the LGBT + network ; Win , the gender network ; and the Working Families Network . We build country-specific frameworks , depending on the ask , the awareness and the educational need , and connect globally to make sure we share best practice , and that collaboration happens across the networks . They ' re really a framework for us in understanding our people and our communities . They raise awareness around some of the challenges that they ' re having , whether that ' s across policy changes , education , or just raising profile .
We have a citizenship framework that exists across Asia Pacific , where we look to support various charities and businesses . One of the key components of that is how they approach diversity and inclusion , so we make sure that they ' re connecting with our brand values , and what we ' re seeking to do from a D & I perspective . A perfect example of that is a social venture we ’ re supporting called Agape Connecting People . Their mission is to empower disadvantaged and marginalised people . We ' ve supported them in helping to set up a training and job placement centre in Singapore where they ' re looking to train and place people from vulnerable communities into entry level jobs .