Unique qualities

In last year’s Employee Survey, we asked colleagues a number of optional questions regarding your age, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.

We also asked whether you have a disability, and if you have responsibilities caring for children or adults. The information you provided was anonymous and confidential.

A significant proportion of you provided this information, which is great news as it helps the business understand more about colleagues’ diverse needs and experiences and where we can make improvements to support you effectively.

Below are some examples of the information we learned last year and how we are working to become a more inclusive workplace:  

Caring for others

Nearly 9,000 colleagues have caring responsibilities for disabled, sick or older dependents. That means around one in 12 of us share our work commitments with caring for someone who is dependent on us for their care.

This insight will inform our review of the extent to which our flexible working policies enable colleagues to combine their work with caring for loved ones, and to make changes to better support them.

Championing LGBT+ colleagues

Around 4,000 colleagues told us that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). We want to create an environment where people are comfortable about bringing their whole selves to work but we are aware that for many of us, this can be very challenging.

Celebrating our differences is one way of promoting LGBT+ inclusion. In addition to the Pride events across the country, we mark a number of national campaigns such as Bi Visibility Day and National Coming Out Day to raise awareness of colleagues’ experiences of coming out and/or transitioning.

Our LGBT+ & Friends steering group is also working with LGBT+ charity, Stonewall, to train and raise the profile of our LGBT+ role models who are instrumental in promoting LGBT+ inclusion across the business.

Differently able

Almost 13,000 colleagues have a disability or long-term health condition. We are working jointly with our Disability steering group to address some of the key challenges and enable colleagues with disabilities to continue to work at their best.

We have recently released an e-learning toolkit for managers on disability and workplace adjustments and work is being undertaken to simplify the process and ensure that colleagues get the support they need more quickly and easily.

Managers can click here to find out more about the 2019 Employee Survey, which opens on Monday 25 February.