Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has scored 88% in Business Disability Forum’s Disability Standard, a world-renowned tool used to measure accessibility and inclusion in the workplace.
The score makes RBS one of the top performers for disability and accessibility in the UK and one of only a handful of organisations to attain Silver status in the Disability Standard since it was launched in 2004.
The bank achieved perfect scores in three of the Standard’s ten criteria, Adjustments, ICT and Commitment, with assessors describing the organisation’s approach to employee’s workplace adjustments as “one of the strongest we have ever seen.”
RBS went even further by developing its own corporate disability-smart language and identity, taking the focus away from the term ‘disability’ and instead focusing on the practical side of adjusting ways of working.
The bank was also found to be a leader in terms of its work to ensure services ‘bought-in’ from other companies still met the requirements of disabled people.
Ewen Stevenson, RBS Chief Financial Officer and RBS Disability Sponsor, said:
“The BDF Standard is an important measure for us. Whilst our Silver status is a very welcomed recognition for our efforts to date, I do think it is key to recognise what is really important – making RBS a better and more inclusive bank for all of our customers and colleagues.
“Achieving Silver status is clear evidence that we are moving in the right direction, and I look forward to us achieving further progress in 2017.”
Bela Gor, Legal Director at BDF, said:
“RBS’s achievement of Silver in the Disability Standard is evidence of the dedication and hard work of teams across the business. What is particularly remarkable is the improvement in the score from 2014/15. It shows that RBS is making real progress.”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
