Barclays Private Bank is sponsoring the Award for Employer of the Year at this year’s Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence.

Barclays Isle of Man country manager, Graeme Sullivan, tells us why this category is so important to him.

Employment benefits and workplace culture are constantly evolving, seemingly at a greater rate than ever over the last 10 years, and especially after Covid.

In part this is an acknowledgement that there is a talent shortage.

Being a good employer – and being known as one – is an important element in attracting and retaining the people a business needs to prosper.

But there is another key reason which explains why Graeme Sullivan is so passionate about creating an environment that supports and empowers his staff: ‘I want to make Barclays the best place to work in the Isle of Man because, if we look after our colleagues, then they will look after our clients and the rest follows,’ he says.

Graeme – he and his colleagues are all on first name terms – leads the way on workplace culture for the colleagues he works with.

He relocated from Dubai two years ago and immediately put in place a ‘People Charter’ with the support of colleagues, which began with a £10 million regeneration project at the bank’s Eagle Court HQ in Circular Road.

Graeme says: ‘That was a big statement of commitment to the Isle of Man as to how seriously we take our presence here.

‘What was once quite an old-fashioned building is now a fully refurbished, state-of-the-art world-class campus with colleagues at the heart of the design.

‘The feedback I hear nowadays is that people like working from home, but also value time spent with each other as colleagues, so we’ve tried to bring some of the comforts of home into the office.’

This does not, however, mean that everyone is obliged to be in the office five days a week, nine till five.

Barclays sees the benefits of balancing flexibility for colleagues with the importance of working together in their physical locations.

There isn’t one approach everywhere, however, Graeme acknowledges the work that has been done to facilitate more flexibility where it is possible: ‘We’re proud of the technology we’ve invested in that allows people to work more flexibly.’

The working environment in Eagle Court has been transformed with breakout areas alongside the traditional office desks.

These allow staff to relax during their breaks in quiet spaces filled with plants and comfy sofas or ramp it up playing on games consoles or football tables.

The ‘People Charter’ also covers initiatives around sporting and social get togethers for colleagues and community support, including local initiatives and volunteering: the sort of things that also help build a cohesive team.

With all these measures in place, Barclays won the Award for Employer of the Year at last year’s Awards for Excellence.

So, it is very apt that this is also the category they are sponsoring this year.

‘We are a local bank and we do serve our local community, but we also have our global reach and the power of the Barclays franchise behind us, drawing on this is key to how we help our clients grow and protect their wealth.’

Barclays offers private and overseas banking, credit and investment solutions to its clients through Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiary companies.

Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No. 122702) and is a member of the London Stock Exchange and Aquis.

Registered in England. Registered No.1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.Barclays Bank PLC, Isle of Man Branch has its principal place of business at Eagle Court, 25 Circular Road, Douglas, Isle of Man and is licensed by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority.

- There are still some sponsorship packages available for November’s Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence. For more information email [email protected]