Unlocking talent
As a designated Race Champion Partner of BITC (Business in the Community), Royal Mail recently took part in a cross-organisational mentoring circle programme for BAME employees from partner organisations.
Manoj Vadher (pictured second from left), head of engineering reliability and people development, acted as a lead mentor for the latest programme, which aims to support progression, unlock talent, and impact BAME under-representation at senior levels.
Today, Manoj tells us what inclusion means to him. ‘I’m really proud to have been given the opportunity to work with BITC as a lead mentor, helping talented individuals from the likes of Deloitte, Ministry of Defence, Santander Bank, National Grid, Essentra PLC and Enterprise Rentals,’ said Manoj.
‘It was a very rewarding experience to see that you can make such a huge difference to an individual’s career and personal development in all aspects of life, as well as benefiting from meeting people from other organisations and understanding their journey.’
Manoj, who was also a panellist at a recent diversity and inclusion event held by the Nationwide building society, said: ‘I feel very fortunate to work in an organisation where diversity and inclusion issues receive so much support from senior leaders and remain, rightly so, at the very top of the business agenda.
‘To feel included and comfortable bringing your “whole self” to work regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, religious beliefs or socioeconomic background is vital. You can be a white, middle-aged man, but still feel excluded. Inclusion improves self-confidence and self-esteem, and allows the best to be brought out in people. The benefits are significant both to individuals and the business.
‘Colleagues at all levels in Royal Mail have successfully included me and helped me look forward to coming into work every day. From my experience with BITC, it has been really encouraging to see that other organisations are making the same level of effort as Royal Mail to instil a diverse and inclusive culture in their business. I believe that having such an inclusive culture in the work place is one of the necessary traits of successful businesses as it helps create opportunities for idea-sharing and innovation.’
