• Santander UK named one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2021 which recognises UK employers’ efforts to work towards gender equality
Santander UK has been in recognised in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2021 for its efforts to work towards gender equality.
The Times Top 50 Employers for Women is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established listing of employers striving for gender equality in the workplace. Run by the charity Business in the Community – The Prince’s Responsible Business Network – for more than a decade, the process identifies companies which make gender equality part of their business strategy and are trying to bring it to life at all levels of the organisation.
The award recognises the range of ways that Santander is working to achieve equality for women at work particularly in the context of the pandemic including initiatives such as:
• Extensive family friendly policies and a flexible working policy which encourages colleagues and managers to work together to deliver a positive balance for work and home life particularly during the recent pandemic;
• Gender balanced recruitment shortlists for senior management positions where possible and female interviewers on panels to avoid any bias;
• An employee-led ‘Women in Business’ network, with a membership of over 3,000 colleagues providing career support, networking opportunities, including virtual events, and a community to exchange experiences and discuss support particularly on new ways of working;
• Partnership with Peppy – supporting over 500 colleagues registered for and receiving ongoing expert clinical advice to support their menopause journey; and
• Continued publication of a Pay Gap report alongside a targeted Gender Action Plan to help continue to reduce the pay gap.
The accolades follow another prestigious award for Santander as an employer this year, with the bank receiving the Top Employer certification by the Top Employers Institute. Santander is also now registered as an Endometriosis Friendly Employer and a signatory of Working Families #FlextheUK campaign.
Tim Hinton, Santander’s Gender Sponsor and an Executive Director said: “At Santander we’re committed to being a genuinely inclusive and diverse organisation so it’s fantastic to once again be named in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We know there is still much more to do and there are new challenges that have been raised by the pandemic, but we remain committed to further progressing towards gender parity and everyday inclusion at Santander."
Charlotte Woodworth, Gender Equality Campaign Director, Business in the Community, said: “COVID-19 has shone a light on how far we have to go on gender equality: by having to pick up things like the bulk of extra caring responsibilities, women have been disproportionately affected by lockdown. We congratulate the many employers who have maintained their efforts towards gender equality at this time, often introducing innovative policies to support their workforce during this period. This year’s application process for The Times Top 50 Employers for Women was the most competitive one we have seen in five years. Employers like Santander UK haven’t forgotten women at work and they are committed to making gender inequality a thing of the past.”
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Notes to Editors
About Business in the Community and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women
Business in the Community is the oldest and largest business-led membership organisation dedicated to responsible business. It was created nearly 40 years ago by HRH The Prince of Wales to champion responsible business. It inspires, engages and challenges members and we mobilise that collective strength as a force for good in society to:
• Develop a skilled and inclusive workforce for today and tomorrow;
• Build thriving communities where people want to live and work;
• Innovate to sustain and repair our planet.
Each year, Business in The Community invites companies with a presence in the UK to apply for The Times Top 50 Employers for Women by detailing what they are doing to work towards gender equality in their organisation. The list is selected by gender equality experts at Business in the Community through a competitive and robust application process. The list is published by The Times. It is unranked and in alphabetical order.
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 31 December 2020, the bank had around 21,900 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in Europe and the Americas, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Its purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising over €120 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2025, as well as financially empowering more than 10 million people over the same period. At the end of 2020, Banco Santander had more than a trillion euros in total funds, 148 million customers, of which 22.8 million are loyal and 42.4 million are digital, 11,000 branches and 191,000 employees.
Media Enquiries
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