Creating a supportive and inclusive workplace for colleagues with disabilities at Barclays

Created by VERCIDA for Barclays

 

Debbie Meredith, who works in Risk Transformation, shares her disability journey and explains how Barclays has supported her to successfully and efficiently emerge from a difficult time.

 

 

I have worked for Barclays for 12 years, but nine years ago, my life changed when I became disabled. During my twenties and thirties, I loved training and competing in triathlons, but my knees became incredibly painful and I could barely walk. I had to take 14 months off for 11 knee surgeries. My triathlon days had come to an end. 

By the time I was ready to return to work, there were some changes within my team and my original support structure had gone. Despite that, Barclays was great at making the adjustments I needed to be able to do my job effectively. The Occupational Health team really supported me and my People Leader during the workplace adjustments process, as it became clear that I would not be able to manage the commute into the London office. I had to be assessed by a consultant whose office was upstairs in an antiquated building without a lift. When I visited the consultant’s office, he found me struggling with the stairs and, thankfully, was able to assess me in a room on the ground floor. The consultant did all the necessary paperwork and Barclays agreed that I needed to be classified as a disabled remote worker.

This was long before remote working became more common as a result of the pandemic. I was given an office at home, a London telephone number, an ergonomic chair and all the technology to be able to do my job. In addition, a physiotherapist visited me at home to make sure everything was set up correctly. Since the pandemic, if something needs replacing, this is delivered at pace– when my laptop stopped working, I had a replacement within 36 hours. It makes such a difference to have a simplified process to get things done.
 
At the time, video conferencing was not as widely used as it is currently and colleagues would rarely use their cameras. When I did visit the office, once every six months or so, everyone knew what I looked like as I used my camera and I was the central point of contact for so many colleagues, but I had no idea what they looked like. That said, it was good to know my colleagues knew I was able to do my job effectively as a disabled remote worker, just based on the warm reception I received when I did see colleagues face-to-face.

 

Reach, the Barclays disability, mental health and neurodiversity Employee Resource Group (ERG) is committed to supporting Barclays’ ambition to be the most accessible and inclusive bank for clients, customers and colleagues. 

I joined the Reach UK Management Team when I returned from my surgeries, but I had to take a step back for a while due to work commitments. I returned about a year ago and I’m now the internal and external business liaison for the ERG. We hold various events throughout the year and I organised the activities for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2022 which I enjoyed and enabled me to work with so many fantastic colleagues. 

There are so many great initiatives going on within Barclays with the support of Reach. This year, Reach UK is focusing on supporting parents of teenagers in Northampton with the events held virtually, so that all colleagues globally can get involved. The Barclays Technology Centre in Radbroke is under refurbishment, setting up the site to be mental health and neurodiversity-friendly, and inclusive for people with disabilities and our new campus in Glasgow was developed with accessibility at its heart with a focus on being inclusive for neurodivergent colleagues. 

We have been holding various events centred on neurodiversity, such as helping parents of children with ADHD or autism. Another focus, under our mental health pillar, has been talking about the cost of living crisis and how that affects people with mental health conditions.

There are so many opportunities for everyone at Barclays. We are aiming to be the most accessible and inclusive bank for clients, customers and colleagues in the FTSE100. If someone is applying for a job and they need additional accessibility support, they should not be shy about speaking up. 

Barclays has been amazing throughout my disability journey. I’ve had great medical assistance, supportive People Leaders and through it all, I’ve also had the Reach UK ERG –  who are some of the most supportive people you will ever come across and even though they do this on the side of their desk, they have always been there for me and so at different points in my journey."

 

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