HSBC 2011 Annual Report Download - page 246

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC
Report of the Directors: Corporate Governance (continued)
Employees > Reward / Diversity / Development / Disabled persons / Health and safety / Policy / Share plans
244
Reward
Our approach to reward is meritocratic and market
competitive, underpinned by an ethical performance
culture which aligns the interests of our employees,
shareholders and regulators. See Employee share
plans on page 245.
We negotiate and consult with recognised
unions as appropriate. The five highest concentrations
of union membership are in Argentina, Brazil,
mainland China, Malta and Mexico. It is our policy
to maintain well-developed communications and
consultation programmes with all employee
representative bodies and there have been no
material disruptions to our operations from labour
disputes during the past five years.
Diversity and inclusion
Our deep roots in many geographical regions and an
international approach inform our perspective on
diversity: ethnicity, age and gender diversity are
areas of strategic focus. We remain committed to
meritocracy, which requires a diverse and inclusive
culture where employees believe that their views are
heard, their concerns are attended to and they work
in an environment where bias, discrimination and
harassment on any matter (e.g. religion, sexuality
and disability) are not tolerated and where
advancement is based on objectivity. Our inclusive
culture helps us respond to our increasingly diverse
customer base, while developing and retaining a
secure supply of skilled, committed employees.
Oversight of our Diversity and Inclusion agenda
and related activities resides with executives on the
Group Diversity Committee, complemented by the
Group People Committee and local People/Diversity
Committees.
The role of HSBC Values in daily operating
practice has taken on increased significance in the
context of the global financial crisis with changes to
regulatory policy, investor confidence and society’s
view of the role of banks.
Staff development
The development of talented employees in both
developed and emerging markets is essential to
the future strength of our business. We have
implemented a systematic approach to identifying
and deploying talented employees across the
organisation to ensure an appropriate supply of high
calibre individuals with the skills and experience for
current and future senior management positions.
In 2011, we continued to build global
consistency across our learning curricula and to
improve the relevance and quality of learning
programmes. We have endeavoured to achieve a
standard of excellence focusing on leadership and
technical capability.
Employment of disabled persons
We believe in providing equal opportunities for all
employees. The employment of disabled persons is
included in this commitment and the recruitment,
training, career development and promotion of
disabled persons is based on the aptitudes and
abilities of the individual. Should employees
become disabled during their employment with us,
efforts are made to continue their employment and,
if necessary, appropriate training is provided.
Health and safety
The maintenance of appropriate health and safety
standards remains a key responsibility of all
managers and we are committed to proactively
managing all health and safety risks associated with
our business. Our objectives are to identify, remove,
reduce or control material risks relating to fires and
accidents or injuries to employees and visitors.
Group standards, instructions, policies and
guidance for all Health, Safety and Fire Policies are
set by Group Corporate Real Estate. Achieving
these in each country in which we operate is the
responsibility of the Chief Operating Officer of that
country with support and coordination provided by
the Health and Safety Coordinator for that country.
In terms of physical and geopolitical risk,
Global Security and Fraud Risk provides regular
Security Risk Assessments to assist management in
judging the level of terrorist and violent criminal
threat. Regional Security and Fraud Risk functions
conduct regular security reviews of all Group
buildings to ensure measures to protect our staff,
buildings, assets and information are appropriate to
the level of threat.
We remain committed to maintaining our
preparedness and to ensuring the highest standards
of health and safety wherever in the world we
operate.