As we continue our profiles of those employers who have made the shortlist for the Personnel Today Awards 2024, we look at those who caught the judges’ eyes in the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award category for smaller employers.
4most Europe Ltd
In 2019, a small group at 4most established a D&I group which intended to bring fair and equitable treatment for individuals from diverse backgrounds. They wanted to address conscious and unconscious bias and celebrate underrepresented groups, marking the start of D&I integration into 4most’s workplace culture.
In 2020, 4most conducted its first internal D&I survey to understand its demographic composition and employees’ experiences. Themes such as fairness, opportunities, and belonging were explored. The 2021 survey added a focus on wellbeing, leading to improvements in mental health support. By 2024, 4most had grown into a medium-sized global business, with D&I becoming a key part of HR’s remit.
However, there was a recognition that some areas required improvement, such as the inclusiveness of the recruitment process. 4most examined its hiring systems and developed enhanced internal training and adjustments in job specifications to remove biases. The company also introduced policies supporting neurodiverse employees, as well as enhanced maternity, paternity, and mental health support.
These changes were well received, with increased employee engagement and a more diverse applicant pool. In 2023, 91% of employees agreed that completing the employee survey was valuable, and there was a notable increase in female applications following the neutralisation of job specifications. The leadership team now comprises 50% women. The company has been shortlisted for awards and now boasts a steadfast commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
IRIS Software Group
In 2023, IRIS launched its diversity and inclusion strategy with a vision that diversity across the IRIS family enables the business to be innovative and market-leading. IRIS is particularly committed to gender equality, with women now making up around 50% of its workforce, supported by initiatives such as its returnships policy, designed to help parents, especially mothers, transition back to work after a career break. The policy offers flexible, part-time roles and coaching for confidence-building. So far, it has successfully welcomed 16 women, including two in India, into the workforce.
To further increase female representation in senior roles, IRIS has implemented targeted development plans and is committed to ensuring equally qualified female candidates are considered for management positions. These efforts have led to an increase in the percentage of women in leadership roles from 32% to 36%.
The company is now extending its D&I efforts beyond gender equality into other areas. The company participates in the 10,000 Black Interns programme, for example, and has established partnerships with organisations like the Prince’s Trust to help young people build a career in the tech sector. It is dedicated to social responsibility and has been listed as one of the top 75 employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index. There has been an increase in employee retention and a 6% rise in employees who agree with the statement “I am proud to tell others I work here”.
Just Group PLC
Financial services company Just Group has worked hard in recent years to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion. Its journey began in 2018 when its executive committee decided to take action on diverse representation, initially focusing on increasing female representation in senior leadership. By the end of 2023, Just successfully met its target of 33% women in senior leadership roles, up from 18% in 2018. Just has now set a new goal of reaching 40% by 2026, reflecting its ongoing commitment to gender parity.
The company’s diversity team has achieved this by implementing a detailed action plan that has expanded to address various diversity strands, including ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and socio-economic background. Regular reporting to the executive committee, leadership accountability, and targeted development programmes for female talent have been crucial in driving progress. The company’s Women’s Network and Menopause Champions have also played significant roles in supporting female employees undergoing life transitions such as maternity leave and menopause.
Just has seen higher scores for inclusion and belonging compared to industry benchmarks in its employee engagement survey, reflecting the hard work and initiatives it has put in place. Women at Just are consistently as engaged as men and on some measures are more engaged. One programme, called Just Meet, pairs colleagues together to build mutual connection and understanding, and 97% of participants would recommend it to a colleague.
RSPCA
Animal charity RSPCA is on a relatively new journey of equity, diversity and inclusion. It launched its first EDI plan in October 2023 with a view to building a more inclusive culture and leadership. Although it is difficult to show tangible outcomes at this early stage, EDI has become embedded in RSPCA’s processes and objectives.
A key part of this was helping employees to understand the role of EDI in helping the charity to support animals and engage with local communities. It held a series of listening sessions to hear what mattered to colleagues and what they would need in terms of personal development and to engage in difficult conversations where needed. RSPCA also wanted to engage ‘yet to reach’ audiences, recognising it was significantly under-represented in terms of minority ethnic communities.
RSPCA has also introduced inclusive hiring training for all hiring managers, overhauled language in its adverts to mitigate against unconscious bias, and revised role requirements to give more weight to non-traditional routes and transferable skills. It exceeded its 2024 recruitment target for minority ethnic candidates (at 5%) and 98% of colleagues nwo understand the importance of EDI for the charity. It has also driven a 1.4% reduction in its gender pay gap after a review of benefits and improving policies around flexible working.
Skyscanner
Travel company Skyscanner believes that travel is not just about reaching destinations, but discovering fresh perspectives and diverse cultures. Its diversity, equity and inclusion journey is embedded into its organisation through a dedicated team of three full-time employees. Across the company there are over 40 volunteers within its employee networks, employees are set firm commitments and measurable targets on DEI, and the team reports progress quarterly to the executive board.
Personnel Today Awards
One of its key achievements is in promoting women in tech through its partnership with Code First Girls, creating more opportunities for women in the digital industry. Its commitments this year have included an internal data gathering exercise called ‘Count Me In’, which encourages employees to share their diversity data so the company can better support them. Skyscanner has also enhanced its employee networks – for example its Race network now also supports religion and cultural inclusion, and its disability network supports neurodivergent colleagues.
The company has identified four focus areas that will deliver impact in terms of hiring, anchoring its efforts in better supporting women, people from racially diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. It will establish a diverse graduate pipeline to ensure it develops future inclusive leaders. To support this, it has enhanced its benefits packages and has driven improvements in employee engagement.
TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express (TPE) is an inter-regional rail operator with a mission to provide a premium rail service across the North and into Scotland. Despite achieving the Inclusive Employer’s Standard (Silver), the company operates in a traditionally male-dominated industry, with limited representation of ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals. However, in the last 18 months, TPE has made significant progress in advancing its EDI strategy.
In 2022, TPE appointed a diversity and inclusion manager who has driven a number of positive changes, including mandatory face-to-face induction training for all new employees. The executive team is dedicated to workforce development, supporting various programs aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion. These programs have led to an increase in promotions and opportunities for women and ethnic minorities – there has been a 67% increase in ethnic minority colleagues receiving a promotion, and a 75% increase for women.
TPE actively promotes inclusivity through campaigns and initiatives, such as the Women in Rail Mentoring Programme and the Week of Inclusion, which featured the launch of the Unity train wrapped in the Pride Progress flag. The company also supports employees through awareness sessions on issues like mental health, endometriosis, and menopause. TPE’s efforts have resulted in a more diverse workforce, with increases in female, ethnic minority, and LGBTQ+ representation. Engagement among employees has also improved, with the engagement index score now at 70% positive engagement, an increase of 31% since 2022.
West Midlands Safari Park
West Midlands Safari Park (WMSP) is an award-winning attraction, welcoming over 750,000 guests each year. With over 50 years of history, the park is home to around 103 different species, which visitors can see from their cars or in walk-through areas.
As part of its commitment to inclusion, WMSP recently rebranded to enhance its employee value proposition (EVP). Feedback from guests and employees highlighted the need for greater diversity, equality, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI). Over 20% of guests identify as having a disability, including neurodiversity, leading the park to heighten its focus on this with employees. A feedback survey had also shown a desire among employees to provide more training opportunities and support them to acquire more transferable skills.
Following a round table event between managers and employees, several ideas were put forward, which formed the basis of the ‘Safari 3’ priority objectives: develop colleagues and raise awareness of neurodiversity in the workforce; ensure colleagues have a voice; and create a management development programme including a focus on unconscious bias and inclusive language.
In addition to these pledges, the park has introduced Makaton (signing) training for staff to improve communication with guests. Additionally, an employee engagement group was established to ensure colleagues’ voices are heard. These efforts have led to a more inclusive environment, as reflected in the park’s improved employee engagement scores and recognition as a Disability Confident employer.
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