We are committed to promoting and advancing equality, diversity, community cohesion and human rights as part of everything we do. Our values include ‘trust and respect’ – which are vital in helping us to achieve this. Eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation within our working environment is a responsibility we take very seriously.
In relation to promoting diversity and inclusiveness, our aim is to;
- Develop and support a diverse workforce
- Develop, commission and deliver inclusive and responsive services
- Foster good relations with and within the community
Committed to providing an inclusive workplace
As a Happy to Talk Flexible Working, Stonewall Top 100, Disability Confident and Mindful Employer organisation, we are strongly committed to promoting equality and opportunity, investing in staff training and development, and supporting employees to balance their working life with other commitments.
We're also committed to being a Menopause friendly employer and are proud to be the first council to have been accredited. Our accreditation shows that we have a clear understanding of how menopause can have an effect at work and that we care about the wellbeing of our staff. In 2022, we were awarded Best Training Initiative and the Community Award.
In August 2021, we signed up to the Race at Work Charter, and committed to seven calls to action – including appointing an executive sponsor for race, capturing ethnicity data and publicising our progress. This will ensure that ethnic minority employees are represented at all levels in our organisation, and will address the barriers in recruitment and progression.
In 2019, we were again named as one of the best local authorities in the country for tackling anti-LGBTQ+ bullying by Stonewall, Britain’s leading lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality charity. We have also been ranked third in Britain in the 2019 Education Equality Index.
You can look at our efforts to tackle bullying.
A place where you can be yourself
We take great pride in creating a working environment that allows our staff to feel comfortable, confident and open about who they are. Along with our staff survey, we are always looking for engagement opportunities that will help us to achieve our objectives around diversity and inclusion.
93% of our staff believe the council is committed to equality and diversity
(2021 Staff survey)
We have several working groups that promote and shape equality in our workplace. These are;
- The Black, Asian and Multi Ethnic (BAME) Network
- The Carers Support Network
- The Disabled Workers’ Group
- The LGBTQ+ Staff Network
These groups have been instrumental in helping us to develop and implement good working practices that reflect the diverse nature of our residents and customers.
In my role, I’ve been able to oversee the important work that the county council is doing in becoming an Anti-Racist Organisation. A key part of this is to represent Black, Asian and Multi-Ethnic workers, and ensure their voices are heard when it comes to policy, representation in different departments, and ensuring equality.
Person:Rabinder, Senior Policy Officer - Anti-Racism