‘Treat everyone the same’

Throughout this week we’ll be sharing stories from around the business to highlight our inclusion campaign - Altogether Different.

Sandra Easton is a quality business partner for the West Midlands. She is also an ally and mentor for a colleague and member of our LGBT+ & Friends steering group.

‘I’ve had three very different jobs throughout my life,’ said Sandra. ‘After finishing my degree, I started teaching at a college of further education down in Plymouth where I come from, but I soon realised that I needed more of a challenge.

‘So I took on the biggest challenge of my life and joined the Royal Air Force as an air traffic controller! Unfortunately, I didn’t get posted to any exotic locations, but I did spend a fantastic 11 years moving around the country and having opportunities that only a very few people are lucky enough to experience.

 ‘As we all eventually do, I settled down and life in the RAF didn’t quite fit in with my lifestyle, and that’s where Royal Mail came along. 

‘In my 20 years here at Royal Mail I have had a variety of roles from project work nationwide to a number of operational roles in mail centres. I then moved to Logistics working as the head of cross docking before I took on the role of production control manager at the National Distribution Centre. 

‘I have now completed the circle and recently moved into a quality business partner role for Delivery in West Midlands.

‘What does diversity mean to me? If we all supported the same football team and liked the same music then life would be pretty boring, wouldn’t it? For me, diversity helps give life a splash of colour and makes it a little more interesting. It’s important for all of us to celebrate our differences and strive to constantly learn from each other.

‘People are often too shy to share their stories. It’s vital that colleagues are given the opportunity to be themselves in a welcoming environment, and Inclusion Week gives us all the opportunity to appreciate others’ differences and similarities.

‘I think I’ve been very lucky. Early in my career I was in the minority as very few women were in the RAF. But I didn’t feel disadvantaged as the roles for men and women were identical unlike other services. This instilled within me the value of treating everyone the same. There have been a few times in Royal Mail where I have been treated differently due to my gender, so I understand that we have some work to do within the business to make everyone feel included.

‘If we treat everybody equally then everyone can be themselves. We all need to remember that all of us at some time need support and guidance and you never know where that support could come from.

Watch our video below to hear more on what it feels like to be included.

Supporting LGBT colleagues

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Making our business a place where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender colleagues can achieve their potential remains a priority.

Our LGBT+ & Friends steering group was established in 2015 with the goal of creating an accessible network for LGBT+ colleagues and supporters to come together and share their experiences.

The group aims to celebrate our diverse workforce, help colleagues be themselves and establish Royal Mail as the best LGBT+ employer and a true champion of LGBT+ colleagues and the wider LGBT+ community.