20


women in business


Pursuing the female gender issue


Barclays is committed to continuing to promote equality and diversity, and has long recognised that there is a correlation between women in senior roles and financial performance, writes Tina Abbey of The Business Magazine


Barclays champions leadership development opportunities and diversity training programmes not only within its own organisation, but also to its external clients and recognises that there is still more to be done.


Research reveals that mixed groups are better at problem solving and there is little doubt that women are often superior to men at multi- tasking, teambuilding and communicating. For businesses that want success in the 21st century, these are essential skills.


However, while the bank is a majority female organisation with 51% of its staff women, it is imperative that more women are given the opportunity to take on senior roles.


Jagdeep Rai, who joined Barclays 21 years ago and is now head of business and corporate banking for Heathrow, Guildford and West London, has by default, taken up the female gender issue.


“I didn’t intend it – it just happened and now I am passionate about the subject and I want to try and assert exactly what the real issues are that hold women back. There is so much help and support today to assist women in getting ahead and I question what our perception is of the so-called ‘glass ceiling’.


“Although the finance and banking world is still male dominated, I really don’t think there is a big problem at the top. I see it more as a great opportunity, particularly with men increasingly demonstrating that they want to be part of the dialogue on securing equal opportunities. There is fantastic job potential for women today and this has not always been the case.


“My experience has taught me that women have a real confidence issue. They just don’t believe in themselves in the same way that men do. They tend to underestimate their abilities while men will overestimate theirs.


“I ask these women what skills they lack to help them get to the next stage in their career. They


need to ask themselves: 'Is it technical knowledge, problem solving or leadership skills?'”


Rai says women are much smarter at breaking down what is required, but the confidence problem holds them back. Often, if they are confident their behaviour is misconstrued. It is well known that if a man makes a stand, he is perceived as assertive and if a woman makes the same stand, she is often seen as bossy. While this is typical stereotyping, it is also a cultural issue that lies deep within the female psyche and is one of the biggest impediments to women’s success.


She believes that in the middle and lower ranks there is a periphery of talented females under the radar, who with the right encouragement and training would easily make the grade to hold senior roles. Rather than the glass ceiling, Rai believes the real problem is the ‘sticky floor’ syndrome where talented and accomplished women hold themselves back.


“In many ways women create their own obstacles to success and I was a prime example.“


As a woman and of Asian descent, Rai says it never entered her head that one day she would hold a leading director position within the bank. It was her male mentor at Barclays who first encouraged her to apply for a relationship manager role and who helped her to identify her career aspirations.


“He obviously saw my potential when I didn’t and pointed out I had skills that can’t be taught – skills that were vital to being a successful relationship manager. He told me that I knew how to build relationships and what I didn’t know, the bank could teach me. I said I couldn’t possibly apply and he asked me what I was frightened of – what did I have to lose? And if I failed, what did it matter?


“Essentially he helped me to believe in myself and I never looked back. I feel I now have a real responsibility to help develop and mentor women where I can so they have the same


Jagdeep Rai


opportunities to succeed. I want to show them how to be assertive and to have more self-belief.


“We need to support women to help them understand their strengths, to feel comfortable with themselves and to support their ambitions. We need to do much more work to get women into middle management and there are several solutions to tackle this issue.”


Rai says it requires practical advice, authentic and honest feedback on performance, dynamic working practices and specific training to target areas of skills shortage. Additionally, there is a need to encourage women to network more effectively as this is an area they often neglect. There is also a need for more female role models that women can aspire to. This is why Rai, as a successful woman in a male dominated environment, feels so passionate about the subject.


Details: Jagdeep Rai 07775-545251 Jagdeep.Rai2@barclays.com


w Business THE M A GA ZINE TM


Barclays is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiaries. 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). Registered in England. Registered number is 1026167 with registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. February 2016.


businessmag.co.uk


IN BUSINESS 2016


omen womeninbusiness.biz


The views expressed in this article are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Barclays Bank PLC Group nor should they be taken as statements of policy or intent of the Barclays Bank PLC Group. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no responsibility for the veracity of information contained in the third party guides or articles and no warranties or undertakings of any kind, whether express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information given. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no liability for the impact of any decisions made based on information contained and views expressed.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – JUNE 2016 TM


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32