Lloyds Banking Group Disability Network – the secret of success

It is hard to put your finger on the exact reason why the Lloyds Banking Group Disability Network – called Access – is so successful.

It is partly to do with having a Disability Champion Mark Fisher, who makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up – in a good way.

The relationship between the chair of a Disabled Employee Network or Affinity Group and the organisation’s Disability Champion is always important.  This particular relationship is interesting. “I don’t want the network to be a hobby” Fisher reminded the Network’s chair John Turner and the  members of the Access Network at their annual conference in Edinburgh.  And it really isn’t a hobby - for anyone.

John Turner took over as Network chair at the start of 2010.  He had a small number of key goals: he wanted to grow the membership. He needed to integrate (‘roll out”) what was a Lloyds TSB heritage Network to the enlarged organisation following the combination of Lloyds and HBoS.   He wanted to set a number of very clear tangible objectives that the new Network could deliver whilst making a difference within the Group.  And like every other Network Chair he has a busy day job too. What is interesting is you never hear John complain about the additional duties or not having enough facility time.  He doesn’t gripe.  Well, at least I haven’t heard him do so. He just delivers.

After less than two years and with Mark Fisher’s words ringing around his head John has built a significant Network that is clearly flourishing.  I had the pleasure of joining them at their annual conference in Edinburgh and in a number of other locations around the UK via video links and Live Meeting. 

Listening to his opening speech, it is clear that when John took over as chair he deliberately and without hesitation focused on a small number of key areas.  Firstly he chose to build a stronger and more resilient structure of support around him.  He has 12 well defined committee roles that range from Mentoring Coordinator, to National and Regional Event Coordinators, to Chair of the Assistive User Technology Group (a sub-group of Access established to test and advise upon assistive technology used with the Group).

He has deliberately spent time in creating a regular and newsworthy newsletter. You can set your watch according to its circulation dates - unlike my news blogs on this site.

He has supported the wider team in the delivery of a new Workplace Adjustment Scheme and a Non-Physical Adjustment Policy as well as a programme of Personal Development Programmes for their disabled employees. Lloyds has been running these groundbreaking programmes for 10 years.  Everyone who I happened to bump into who had been on the course had said they were life changing.  Phil Friend runs them with Dave Rees.

I asked a conference delegate whether Mark Fisher was one of their secret weapons – the response I got back was “he is just a weapon”.  I decided to suggest to someone else the same about John.  I got a different response “his work is no secret”.

On the way back to the airport I had the pleasure of chatting to a few of the other members of the broader team – Rob Barrett, Graeme Whippy and Dianne Keith. They work really hard on building a disability confident organisation, as does Tim Taylor.

My own view is that the true and enduring test of disability confidence can be found by meeting and talking to disabled employees and asking how it is around here.  I heard lots of descriptions that can be summarised as “Lloyds just get it”. And there were a good handful of stories of things that needed improving.  But the Network culture is a supportive and no holds barred one.  And the texture between the Access Network, Mark Fisher as Disability Champion and the rest of the business is very adult. 

I sat in the airport lounge and reflected on the day.  I came away with a strong sense of peace.  Not easy for a closet and impatient activist.  I might have to switch banks.  Or apply for a job at Lloyds.  It just feels right.  And the bits that are not right will get fixed. End of. As Fisher said, delivering workplace adjustments is simply a process.  In fact I think I counted him saying that about 12 times.

Note: Kate Nash Associates are running a new course Getting Personal on 13th March - this will help delegates understand the benefits of Personal Development training for disabled employees.