Our values define who we are as an organisation and what makes us distinctive. We believe in acting with courageous integrity. We are:
Dependable
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Standing firm for what is right, delivering on commitments, being resilient and trustworthy
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Taking personal accountability, being decisive, using judgment and common sense, empowering others
Open to different ideas and cultures
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Communicating openly, honestly and transparently, welcoming challenge, learning from mistakes
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Listening, treating people fairly, being inclusive, valuing different perspectives
Connected to customers, communities, regulators and each other
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Building connections, being aware of external issues, collaborating across boundaries
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Caring about individuals and their progress, showing respect, being supportive and responsive
Working at HSBC
Video: HSBC staff around the world explain what they enjoy about working for the bank.
Our values reflect the best aspects of our 150-year heritage. They are critical to fulfilling our purpose of helping businesses to thrive, economies to prosper and people to realise their ambitions.
The scale of our operations makes our values all the more important. We serve around 38 million customers worldwide, ranging from individuals to the largest of companies. We are committed to conducting our business in a way that delivers fair value to customers, strengthens our communities and helps ensure a properly functioning financial system.
We employ more than 225,000 people, and provide opportunities for professional development and personal growth. Our people speak 144 different languages in total, reflecting our diversity and reach. We value diversity as essential to who we are and our ability to fulfil our purpose.
Our training programmes support a culture that is grounded in our values. The ‘At Our Best’ training programme, for example, reinforces the habits required for a strong culture, such as asking for feedback and being mindful of one’s emotions.
We want to recognise and reward people for doing the right thing. Every employee’s conduct during the year is taken into account during their performance appraisal. We also encourage employees to recognise the efforts of colleagues whose behaviour and actions exemplify our values.
We want everyone at HSBC to use their own judgement and make decisions for the right reasons. Sometimes, the best course of action is unclear, but we hope by focusing on the interests of our customers and the communities we serve, we will also do what is right for HSBC. In 2016, we published a Charter setting out some guiding principles to help everyone across the organisation understand and evaluate the possible implications of the decisions that they take.
HSBC has succeeded for more than 150 years because of its focus on long-term relationships. I am determined to ensure we do business in a responsible, sustainable and ethical way
John Flint
HSBC Group Chief Executive
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HSBC statement on human rights
The HSBC Group’s Statement on Human Rights is approved by the Conduct & Values Committee on behalf of the Group Holdings Board and reviewed regularly.