Photo credit: HSBC
A voluntary beginners course will be offered to 23,000 HSBC staff members, with a goal to help make colleagues and customers feel welcome and included.
The accredited e-learning program, developed by awarding body Signature and delivered through a partnership with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), is designed to teach staff basic vocabulary and everyday phrases.
Driven by inclusion and practical experience
The initiative originated when Christopher Stafford, Channels Support Manager at HSBC UK, welcomed a deaf colleague to his team. Wanting to "bridge the communication gap" and ensure they felt "at home," Stafford began learning BSL independently, sparking broader interest across the organisation.
As a bank spokesperson explained: "We’re proud to be the first UK bank to offer a BSL for Beginners training. It helps remove unnecessary barriers to communication in everyday interactions, including in our branches, so customers and colleagues feel welcome and included."
The voluntary one-hour course provides foundations so staff can "introduce themselves, ask someone how they’re doing, and use a set of basic everyday signs."
"This e-learning course doesn’t replace the need for professional BSL interpretation," the spokesperson clarified. "It’s positioned as a practical step to improve inclusivity, not a substitute for interpretation."
Real-world impact across branches
With over 800 employees already taking the voluntary training, the real-world benefit is already showing on the front lines.
The spokesperson added: "The BSL for beginners training we have received at our branch has been really helpful... It has helped me to communicate with deaf BSL customers with greater ease... I have been able to help three customers since having the training and I could see that it made them more comfortable being at the branch."
To reinforce learning, HSBC UK has also launched monthly "BSL Cafés" where staff meet over lunch to practice signing in an informal setting.
Highlighting the wider mission, Harriet Oppenheimer, Chief Executive of RNID, noted:
"One in three people in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, so it is vital that we all play a role in becoming more deaf-aware... HSBC’s commitment marks an important milestone, and we hope to see many similar shifts across the sector."