Pride is what happens behind the logo

A simple way to think about diversity and inclusion is to picture a ball — maybe a Drag ball, it’s Pride Month after all. 

Diversity is being invited into the room. Anyone can extend an invitation. 

Inclusion is being asked to dance. It’s the real effort to make people feel welcome, valued and genuinely part of the conversation. 

That’s why, every June, an important question to ask is: what sits behind an organisation’s rainbow logo? 

Putting action behind Pride

At thisbank, we want our Pride logo to stand for something meaningful. Not just visibility, but action. Real, practical steps that improve the experience of our colleagues, customers and communities.  

So yes, you’ll see our logo showing support for Pride this month. But behind it, we’re also continuing the work happening across our business to create spaces where people feel seen, supported and invited to dance. 

Over the past year, we’ve quietly made several changes to help make thisbank a more inclusive and supportive place to work. 

We’ve been working on these changes for months as part of a wider effort to build a more inclusive and supportive bank. Pride just felt like the right time to shine a light on that progress and bring those conversations into the spotlight. 

That includes: 

• Enhanced parental leave support 

• Gender-neutral family policy language 

• Miscarriage support enhancements 

• Updates to ensure adoption and surrogacy are treated more inclusively 

• A new gender transition support policy 

• Reviews of recruitment and internal policy language 

• Updates to dress code guidance to ensure it is gender-neutral and inclusive 

This work didn’t start with Pride Month, and it won’t end there either. 

Supporting our communities

We’re also supporting LGBTQIA+ charities and community organisations throughout Pride Month through colleague-led and company-added fundraising and volunteering activity. 

We wanted this support to feel genuine, practical and rooted in the communities around us, not something done for appearances. That’s why colleagues help shape where support goes, alongside wider fundraising and community activity throughout the month. 

All colleagues also get a volunteering day in June to support an LGBTQIA+ cause — giving people time to give back to the communities we ultimately serve. 

Because banking shouldn’t exist in a bubble. We have a responsibility to support the communities around us, not just serve them. 

Improving the customer experience too

Inclusion matters in how customers experience banking day to day as well. 

As part of our Pride Month activity, we’re reviewing customer journeys and internal processes to make sure they are respectful, inclusive and easy to navigate for everybody. 

That includes areas such as: 

• Name and gender change processes 

• Handling sensitive customer information 

• Frontline colleague awareness and training 

Every customer deserves to feel respected, understood and treated with dignity at every stage of their experience with us. 

Sometimes the smallest operational improvements can make the biggest difference to someone’s experience. 

More than one month of the year

Pride Month matters. Visibility matters. Representation matters. 

But inclusion should never begin and end in June. 

For us, this is part of a much broader commitment to building a bank that feels human, respectful and welcoming to everyone – whether you work here or bank with us. 

We’re still learning, and we’ll keep improving because there is always more to do.  

If we’re going to show support publicly, we believe it should come with real action behind it. 

Changing a logo can be easy. Building a better bank takes real work. 

 And that’s the part that matters most.