Exodus from the Halifax over bank’s woke badges
Outcry after its decision to urge staff to share their pronouns
ONE of Britain’s biggest banks has seen a mass exodus of customers after it told those who disagree with its latest woke policy to go elsewhere.
Many have told Halifax they are closing their accounts after bank staff were encouraged to display their preferred gender pronouns on name badges.
More than 150 social media users say they are boycotting the former building society after being lectured about inclusivity.
Some have cut up their credit cards while others are lodging complaints about Halifax’s social media manager who, when customers accused the bank of ‘virtue-told them: ‘If you disagree with our values, you’re welcome to close your account.’
Last night customer Caroline Ffiske, a former Conservative councillor, said: ‘It is incredibly rude for Halifax to say to customers if you don’t like it go away. It’s astonishing to have a bank behaving like a trans activist.’
The row began on Tuesday when Halifax posted on Twitter a photo of a uniform badge with the words ‘she/her/hers’ below the name Gemma and the declaration: ‘Pronouns matter’. It said the move was designed to avoid ‘accidental misgendering’.
By last night close to 10,000 people had protested on social media. One woman said she had closed her Halifax credit card account over the ‘crazy’ policy.
‘I don’t want to be having conversations about gender when I go into my bank,’ said the 50-year-old psychologist from London. ‘Frankly, I’d rather they be focused on lowering interest rates.’
Another woman said she had moved her savings account to Nat West, adding: ‘I want to do my banking and not have a nonsensical, often deeply misogynistic religion pushed on me.
‘Telling customers they should go elsewhere if they don’t share their beliefs is an incredible statement for a business to make.’
Former Doctor Who scriptwriter Gareth Roberts, a Halifax customer since 1988, told the bank: ‘ I’m a homosexual man. I’m appalled by your adoption of this homophobic, woman-hating claptrap, and by your attitude to customers making perfectly reasonable objections to it.’ Company director Anders Jersby ended his Halifax car insurance policy and said he would never deal with Halifax again thanks to ‘their antics with pronouns’.
Halifax would not say how many customers had closed their accounts this week but there was clear evidence that its defiant attitude to those who expressed their objections was backfiring.
On BBC Radio 4 yesterday financial commentator Matthew Lynn warned: ‘Companies don’t need to aggressively take positions on what are still quite divisive social issues. It probably didn’t come from the CEO – it comes from a bunch of millennial 20-somethings running the Twitter feed.
‘To tell customers that they should go and close down their accounts and go to a different bank because they have a slightly different view on this is way too aggressive.’
One man said a customer services assistant was ‘ deliberately obstructive’ after he told her why he wanted to close his account.
He added that the assistant ‘doubled down and said they’re a business of inclusiveness and equality and then closed the chat but not my account’. But another customer said: ‘To be fair, I’ve just closed my account and the staff were so apologetic. Clearly not all the Halifax staff agree with this extremist ideology.’
Several major organisations now encourage staff to state preferred gender pronouns either in emails or on badges, but Halifax is the first to suggest customers should leave if they disagree with it.
The bank has said the badge pronouns are optional for staff, but Tory MP Mark Jenkinson said the policy would put pressure on any not wishing to join in.
Halifax, which is owned by Lloyds Banking Group, did not respond to requests to comment.
IS IT the role of high- street banks to become combatants in the culture wars? The Halifax certainly seems to think so.
As part of a half-baked ‘ inclusivity’ initiative, it is providing badges for staff showing their preferred pronouns – such as he/him, she/her or they/them.
The stated aim is to avoid ‘ accidental misgendering’. And if clients don’t like it, a spokesman says, they are welcome to take their business elsewhere.
The bank claims it’s trying to ‘open the conversation around gender identity’. In fact, it only wants to converse if you agree with its ‘values’. If not, you can shove off.
Hardly a great example of inclusivity – or indeed customer service.
It’s actually the kind of passive-aggressive bullying that has become synonymous with extreme identity politics. We expect it from trans activists. But from a bank?
Who wants to have a conversation about gender fluidity when all they’re trying to do is pay in a cheque or arrange a mortgage?
And what about staff who don’t want their personal pronoun to be a matter of public debate? Will they feel comfortable refusing a badge? Will they be required to go through inclusivity training?
One thing is certain, if the Halifax keeps patronising its customers in this insulting way, it won’t need to encourage them to go elsewhere. They’ll be leaving voluntarily – in their droves.