Employee Stories

Marc Leaver

Empowering colleagues and confronting unconscious bias

Fostering a culture that empowers colleagues and confronts unconscious bias is crucial in creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.

As a People Leader, I strive to create an environment in which employees feel valued, empowered and heard. Encouraging open dialogue and active listening allows the team to voice their ideas and concerns without fear of judgment. I believe in building a culture of experimentation and encourage employees to innovate, challenge the status quo and collaborate. Mistakes will happen along the way – it’s critical we support colleagues, learn from the outcomes and do better next time, rather than fear the consequences.

I am an advocate of flexible working and give my people leaders the freedom to manage their teams scheduling, work hours, location whilst ensuring appropriate measures are in place to demonstrate productivity and output. Those who feel empowered at work, deliver stronger performance, greater job satisfaction, and deeper commitment to the organization.

Marc was really supportive during my transition back from maternity leave; we had regular catch ups on managing the workload and if I needed to work non-standard hours.  His understanding of the adjustment involved made things a lot easier.

Susie Preston, Head of Europe Governance

Acknowledging and appreciating individual strengths fosters confidence and motivates colleagues to excel. I like to regularly send ‘thank you notes’ and awards to colleagues to recognise them for a job well done.

“Marc has been a great supporter and has provided me with new opportunities within the bank which has allowed me to grow my knowledge, network and as a person.  He encourages you to have your own ideas and thoughts and will provide senior support and guidance where needed.”

Sarah Evans, Head of CASS & Transformation

Educational empowerment is also important and in SCB we provide various trainings, courses, and other educational channels to encourages employees to develop new skills.

“Marc has given me the opportunity to join the Improvement Practitioner L4 programme (UKDP) to gain new skills and knowledge to run small projects and play a key supporting role in the continuous improvement journey. I am grateful for his tremendous support and encouragement on my self-development journey.“

Monika Butler, Business Analyst

To maintain strong working relationships, I actively seek input and constructive feedback on my leadership skills and welcome my team’s thoughts as to where I can improve.  I’m fortunate to have a diverse team where colleagues demonstrate diversity in thought, objective thinking, and strong engagement. Advocating for diverse hiring practices, challenging stereotypes at senior meetings and promoting fairness and diversity helps cultivate a fair and inclusive workplace, and benefits everyone involved.

“Marc lives by his values of creating a diverse and inclusive workplace – within the team, we have over 50% female representation and a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. Marc recognises people for their skills and talents and fosters a workplace where team members are given the mandate to perform their roles with confidence, to challenge the status quo and are empowered to make decisions.”

Sana Altaf, AG Supervisory Programme Executive Director