Bank of Ireland has been awarded the Gold Investors in Diversity EDI Mark accreditation by the Irish Centre for Diversity due to its equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) commitments.
To achieve the Gold Investors in Diversity EDI Mark, employers must conduct an in-depth assessment of EDI practices, including diverse and inclusive leadership, recruitment, retention and progression, and how impacts are recorded and monitored.
The gold accreditation recognises Bank of Ireland’s actions, policies and processes to continuously improve EDI across the organisation. It gained bronze accreditation in 2020 and silver in 2022.
Bank of Ireland provided evidence of EDI practices to achieve the accreditation, including the introduction of its Family Matters policy earlier this year. From day one of their employment, employees can access a seven week top up of parents’ leave, 13 weeks’ paid leave for partners which includes paternity plus parents’ leave, foster care leave, and paid fertility and surrogacy leave.
Last year, it also introduced up to 10 days of paid menopause leave for employees experiencing menopause-related symptoms. Its active colleague networks were also recognised in the accreditation process, due to their support of policy improvements in relation to gender balance, LGBTQ+ inclusion, family, accessibility, multiculturalism, and intergenerational issues.
Myles O’Grady, group chief executive officer at Bank of Ireland, said: “Having a diverse and inclusive workplace is really important to us at Bank of Ireland because it improves how we deliver our strategy, serve our customers and innovate for the future. Our ambition is to be one of the best places to work, with different talents, skills, backgrounds and perspectives working together to make Bank of Ireland better and stronger for the future.
“It’s also extremely important to us that our 10,000 colleagues reflect the diversity of our more than four million customer base, so that they can better understand their needs and serve them. Progress takes time and is hard won, and there is always more to do, but I’m proud of the progress teams right across the bank have made in recent years.”