Our culture
At HSBC our purpose is opening up a world of opportunity. That means celebrating our differences and building a culture where everyone feels included, valued and respected.
We believe everyone should have the freedom to be themselves at work and we encourage colleagues to be active allies and to speak up if they have concerns.
We work with our global employee networks to create an environment where everyone feels included and supported.
Creating active allyship
We provide employees with training on allyship and unconscious bias.
We encourage our colleagues to:
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Be visible and lead by example
Listen actively, without judgement and demonstrate zero-tolerance for racism, prejudice and discrimination
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Educate themselves
Commit to learning more about topics they may be uncomfortable with and acknowledge privilege
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Challenge unconscious bias
Learn how we all make snap judgements and how we can overcome hidden prejudices
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Get involved
Encourage others to become allies and share resources and knowledge though our employee networks and mentoring schemes
Learn to let go of your biases
Tips to overcome the hidden biases that impact how we interact.
What makes an inclusive culture?
Our CEO Noel Quinn on the importance of being able to bring your whole self to work.
Our employee networks
Our employees lead eight global networks to promote diversity within the bank. The conversations they have inform the actions we take as an organisation and help us to create a culture where everyone feels included.
The employee networks are part of our DNA. The first was founded in London in 1975 (‘Christians in HSBC’) and we now have more than 150 groups all around the world.
The Ability network is dedicated to leveraging the diverse skills and abilities of employees and carers of individuals with both visible and hidden physical and mental health challenges.
The Balance network supports the recruitment, development, advancement and engagement of a gender-balanced workforce within HSBC. Its work is supported by 65 ‘ambassadors’ – senior employees from across the globe who encourage discussions about gender diversity.
The Embrace network for ethnicity and race helps us attract, retain and engage a more diverse range of talent and educates on the benefits of embracing inclusion.
Our Faith network promotes tolerance and respect for all faiths and advocates the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce.
The Generations network promotes cross-generational understanding, cooperation, networking, mentoring and facilitation of knowledge transfer.
The Nurture network for working parents and carers supports a family-friendly approach across HSBC through educational activities, sharing expertise, and promoting the benefits of a family diverse workforce.
Our Pride network supports an inclusive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other non-mainstream groups on the spectrums of sexual orientation and gender identity (LGBTQ+).
This network includes a number of common interest groups which connect our colleagues on a variety of different topics, such as mindfulness, flexible working and military interest.