Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Equality, diversity, and inclusion requires a strong commitment and concerted action to build an inclusive environment and culture where opportunities are open to all, diversity is valued, and where everybody can reach their full potential without fear of harassment, prejudice or discrimination. We believe that sustainable businesses put inclusion at the heart of what they do. Getting things right requires courage, transparency and vulnerability.

We believe that everyone stands to benefit when we embrace and value the diversity of thoughts, ideas and ways of working that people from different backgrounds, experiences and identities bring. It helps our employees and clients to grow and learn, enables them to realise their potential, improves decision-making, boosts engagement and innovation, and enables us to better meet the needs of our diverse customer base.

Leading Culture complies with the Equality Act 2010 and understands our duties under it. As an organisation, we would treat any reports of discrimination seriously. Should such a report arise, Leading Culture will ensure it is investigated and appropriate action taken in line with our internal policies and procedures.

Our aim is to achieve a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce by ensuring EDI is reflected in our values and embedded in our practises and individual behaviours. We expect all of our third-party suppliers and partners to commit to treating their workforce with dignity and respect; in addition to complying with the Equality Act.

Our Directors have ultimate accountability for compliance with the Equality Act and for ensuring that we are able to demonstrate compliance by:

·         Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics

·         Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people

·         Encouraging people from protected groups to apply for roles in our organisation where their participation is disproportionately low

Beyond statutory accountability, we expect the highest levels of inclusion in all our work. Whilst we are a small business we believe that the foundations need to be put in place in order to ensure that our values remain central to how we work as we grow. We do this by:

·         Working with consultants who are experts by experience

·         Being open and transparent about our expectations with consultants and encouraging them to feedback to the organisation in a way that feels safe to them

·         Conduct regular and thorough reviews of our ways of working and solicit feedback from clients and consultants

We acknowledge that it’s not always easy to speak up and that our perception of inclusive practice might not live up to others’ expectations. For this reason, we encourage members of our community to communicate with us in a way that feels safe to them and offer a number of anonymous and direct channels. Our named EDI officer is Ali Hannon and they can be contacted with any concerns at ali@leadingculture.co.uk.