Barclays 2010 Annual Report Download - page 147

Community Involvement
Barclays has an extensive community investment programme covering
many countries around the world. The Group provides funding and
support to over 8,000 charities and voluntary organisations, ranging from
small, local charities like The Passage, supporting homeless people in
London, to international organisations like Unicef. We also have a very
successful employee programme which in 2010 saw more than 62,000
employees and pensioners worldwide taking part in Barclays-supported
volunteering, giving and fundraising activities. Further information on our
community involvement is given on pages 24 to 26. The total commitment
for 2010 was £55.3m (2009: £54.9m). The Group committed £28.6m in
support of the community in the UK (2009: £27.4m) and £26.7m was
committed in international support (2009: £27.5m). The UK commitment
includes £22.9m of charitable donations (2009: £19.3m).
Political Donations
The Group did not give any money for political purposes in the UK or the
rest of the EU nor did it make any political donations to political parties or
other political organisations, or to any independent election candidates,
or incur any political expenditure during the year. Absa Group Limited,
in which the Group acquired a majority stake in 2005, made donations
totalling £123,295 in 2010 (2009: £213,982) in accordance with its policy
of making political donations to the major South African political parties
as part of their Democracy Support Programme. Donations are made to
parties with more than three seats in the National Parliament as confirmed
by the Independent Electoral Commission. Support for the deepening
of democracy in South Africa remains paramount for the government.
The Group made no other political donations in 2010.
At the AGM in 2010, shareholders gave a limited authority for Barclays PLC
and its subsidiaries to make political donations and incur political
expenditure, within an agreed limit, as a precautionary measure in light
of the wide definitions in the Companies Act 2006. This was similar to
an authority given by shareholders in 2009. This authority, which has not
been used, expires at the conclusion of the AGM held this year, or, if earlier,
30th June 2011. The risk of inadvertently breaching the Companies Act
2006 remains and the Directors consider it prudent to seek a similar
authority from shareholders. A resolution to authorise Barclays PLC and
its subsidiaries to make EU political donations and incur EU political
expenditure up to a maximum aggregate sum of £125,000 is therefore
being proposed at the Barclays PLC 2011 AGM.
Employee Involvement
Barclays is committed to ensuring that employees share in the success
of the Group. Staff are encouraged to participate in share option and share
purchase schemes and have a substantial sum invested in Barclays shares.
Employees are kept informed of matters of concern to them in a variety
of ways, including business unit news magazines, intranets, briefings and
mobile phone SMS messaging. These communications help achieve a
common awareness among employees of the financial and economic
factors affecting the performance of Barclays. Barclays is also committed
to providing employees with opportunities to share their views and provide
feedback on issues that are important to them. Employee Opinion Surveys
are undertaken periodically across the Group with results being reported
to the Board, all employees and to our European Works Council, Africa
Forum, Unite (Amicus section), our recognised union in the UK and other
recognised unions worldwide. Roadshows and employee forums also take
place. In addition, Barclays undertakes regular and formal consultations
with our recognised trade unions and work councils internationally.
Diversity and Inclusion
The diversity agenda at Barclays seeks to include customers, colleagues
and suppliers. Our objective is to recruit and retain the best people,
regardless of (but not limited to) race, religion, age, gender, sexual
orientation or disability. We strive to ensure our workforce reflects the
communities in which we operate and the international nature of the
organisation. We recognise that diversity is a key part of responsible
business strategy in support of our increasingly global business. In the
UK, Barclays is committed to providing additional support to employees
with disabilities and making it easier for them to inform us of their specific
requirements, including the introduction of a dedicated intranet site and
disability helpline. Through our UK Reasonable Adjustments Scheme,
appropriate assistance can be given, including physical workplace
adjustments, and relevant training and access to trained mentors is also
provided for disabled employees. A wide range of recruitment initiatives
have been taken to increase the number of people with disabilities
working in Barclays.
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