Responsible business
Responsible employer
We strive to be a values-led organisation that attracts, develops and retains the best talent.
![People on a conference](https://www.columbiathreadneedle.com.au/uploads/2021/01/7900c68bee135a77e11bc894ae49eb7b/responsible_employer_we-strive_to_be_850x400.png)
Our Values and Code of Conduct
We have a fiduciary duty to our clients as managers of their financial assets. Our commitment to our clients is reflected in our Values and in the Code of Conduct which all employees formally sign, acknowledging how we must always act. We expect to be held accountable to our Values, as set out below, in all we do.
Client focus:
We think strategically and creatively to drive innovation in order to best serve our clients and other stakeholders.
Excellence:
We operate at the highest standards to deliver excellent results and manage risk for our stakeholders and the company.
Respect:
We are ethical, principled, respectful, collaborative and inclusive. We support our communities.
Integrity:
We actively identify opportunities to improve and are accountable for earning and keeping our stakeholders’ trust.
Our Global Code of Conduct includes adherence to specific client-related standards:
- Demonstrating a desire to deliver quality outcomes to clients:
- We strive to deliver outstanding client service through collaboration with others and maximising contributions.
- We are committed to building professional relationships to enable best outcomes.
- Everything we do is for our clients.
- Demonstrating a quality service to clients by effectively managing firm-wide risk:
- We actively consider the client’s best interests at all times.
- We recognise that risk management is everyone’s responsibility.
- We actively manage conflicts appropriately seeking best results and collaborating effectively for the benefit of our clients. Every employee’s performance is measured against our Values of Client Focus, Excellence, Integrity and Respect, with the Values reflected in appraisal and personal development plans, and an explicit link to our annual incentive reward cycle. This ensures we are rewarded not just for what we do, but how we do it.
Ensuring a diverse and inclusive culture
- Education and training, including unconscious bias training for all hiring managers.
- Recruitment guidelines to ensure selection and hiring processes are inclusive with a focus on achieving balanced representation on candidate lists and throughout the process.
- For senior hires, at least one woman must be part of the interview panel.
- Improved maternity and paternity policies.
- Active promotion of shared parental leave, encouraging male employees to take advantage of the opportunity.
- The ability to purchase additional holidays, supporting more flexible working.
- Mentoring to support career progression for more junior and mid-level employees.
- Support for and participation in industry-wide returners programmes.
- Regular employee events with internal and external speakers to showcase successful, diverse role models.
- Employee Networks: Pride & Allies (LGBT+), BEN (Black Employee Network) and Aloud (Women’s Network).
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Gender balance: our path to 50/50
Read our latest WIFC annual update. Our gender pay gap reports can be found at the bottom of this page.
Attracting, engaging and developing our people
Supporting employees throughout the pandemic
Employee volunteering
Around the world, employees of Ameriprise Financial including Columbia Threadneedle, generously donate their time and talents to volunteer service. In EMEA, employees are entitled to take at least one day for volunteering, with a full calendar of activities offered. We look for opportunities where the talent and professional expertise of our people can add support through skills-based and other volunteering projects, and where employees have the chance to develop new skills and network within the business, and for teams to collaborate more effectively across departments.
In 2019 over 300 Columbia Threadneedle employees volunteered, working with a wide range of charities and community organisations:
- Preparing hot meals for the homeless with Ace of Clubs.
- Planting more than 400 trees in London with Trees for Cities.
- Hosting fun-packed activity days with Manorfield Primary School learning about teamwork and enterprise.
- Organising sports days for teenagers with Access Sport including BMX cycling and hockey games in Olympic Park.
- Supporting over 250 under-11s to learn how to code with the Institute of Imagination.
- Providing much needed maintenance and gardening support for Thrive and Stepney City Farm
For more information about volunteering see Columbia Threadneedle Foundation.