We believe that having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our communities.
We have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy which sets out our key priorities for increasing equality of opportunity and celebrating diversity and inclusion.
Committed to providing an inclusive workplace
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. As an organisation, we have achieved various accreditations and have signed several charters in recognition of our ongoing commitment to building an inclusive and supported workforce:
- As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to employing and developing disabled people in the workplace.
- As a Mindful Employer Charter signatory, we are committed to creating an open culture where employees are supported with their mental health.
- As a Race at Work Charter signatory, we are committed to improving equality of opportunity for ethnically diverse employees.
- We have featured in Stonewall’s top 100 LGBTQ+ friendly employers list every year since 2010. Check out some of our LGBTQ+ role models.
- As a Menopause Friendly Employer, we understand the effect the menopause can have at work.
- As a Fostering Friendly Employer, we encourage our employees to consider becoming a foster carer or kinship foster carer.
- As a Dying to Work Charter signatory, we are committed to supporting employees who are battling a terminal illness.
- We hold the Ministry of Defence’s gold award in recognition of our work supporting defence personnel and encouraging other organisations to do the same.
- As a British Sign Language Charter signatory, we are committed to removing discrimination and increasing awareness of the challenges faced by deaf people.
A place where you can be yourself
We take great pride in creating a working environment that allows our workforce to feel comfortable, confident, and open about who they are. According to our latest staff survey (2023), 92.5% of employees indicated that they believe the council is committed to equality and diversity and 90.6% believe that they are treated with fairness and respect at work.
Employee network groups
We have several employee network groups, which are run by employees for employees:
- Black, Asian and Multi Ethnic (BAME) Network
- Disabled Workers’ Group
- LGBTQ+ Staff Network
- New Starter Network
- Menopause Network Group
- Working Carers Group
These groups provide employees with the opportunity to access support from colleagues and to input into the development of policies and procedures that affect our workforce.
In addition to these groups, we also have Diversity Champions who act as advocates on diversity issues across the organisation, Menopause Champions who provide support and signposting for menopause-related issues, and Mental Health First Aiders who can offer support and guidance about mental health to colleagues.
Find out more about how we support our employees’ wellbeing and the benefits we offer.