Investing in Diversity and Inclusion – The Journey So Far

We are an organisation powered by people, providing services for people. Diversity and inclusion are at the core of our organisation. We support people from every background and circumstance, and our organisation and its culture also reflect these inclusive principles.

Building an inclusive workplace requires continuous evaluation. There is always more that can be done and new initiatives to implement. Employers and businesses like ours should continuously reflect on and reaffirm their commitment to inclusion within their organisation.

As we consider this during National Inclusion Week, Martin Green, Chief Executive, C+K Careers, had this to say:

“National Inclusion Week is dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces. However, I firmly believe that our future is dependent upon us working on Inclusion all year round – every minute of every working day.

“Our business is dependent upon us being able to support everybody in the settings and communities in which we work. Every client expects to receive the best service from us and be treated with kindness, respect and fairness. Living up to those expectations is hard work and the reflection, review, challenge and support needed can never be underestimated.

“It starts with us all being committed to Inclusion and being prepared to question ourselves and our colleagues in order to improve our practice. It also means that we must constantly find ways for clients to determine their needs and wants to help them on their path.”

Our Inclusion journey so far

With inclusion a key priority for our organisation, we have made some positive progress over the past few years.

The Investors in Diversity Award

C+K has achieved the Investors in Diversity Award from the National Centre for Diversity. The award recognises our organisation as committed to Equality and Diversity in the workplace. To achieve this standard, C+K was audited by the National Centre for Diversity, alongside FREDIE practices.

What does FREDIE stand for?

FREDIE – Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement – is the backbone of a truly inclusive culture. These are key values for C+K and, over the past few years, many of our staff and partners have been working with National Centre for Diversity to evaluate our FREDIE qualities.

In May 2021, the National Centre for Diversity held their annual FREDIE awards, and C+K was ranked the 47th Most Inclusive Workplace in the UK – the highest ‘new entry’ in the list.

Working towards Leaders in Diversity

The next step is working towards the Leaders in Diversity Award. The accreditation provides the tools and knowledge needed to change your company’s culture for the future completely. Over the next year, we will be focussing on how we can extend our Inclusion principles to include the suppliers and partner organisations we work with.

Looking to the future, Martin had this to say:

“We are blessed with a team of people who demonstrate Inclusive practice of the highest standards. However, until we can see that there is equality of outcome and a significant closing of the gap that exists amongst different groups - we cannot rest.

“The solution to the problems of inequality and disadvantage is not "more of the same". It is not about working harder or longer. It is about change, investment, being curious, advocacy and never saying "no".

“It starts with us and our clients and will only end when outcomes are equalised. When you consider that only 9% of people with a learning disability are in employment compared to 80% amongst the entire working age population, you realise how far we have to go. Yes, it is National Inclusion Week, but for C+K, every day is Inclusion Day.”

Find more about the National Centre for Diversity and the work they do helping businesses and organisations in creating inclusive workplaces.