At Barnett Waddingham, we want to have a diverse and inclusive workforce as we believe that having a clear policy will provide us with high performing teams that will be the driving force behind our continued success.
An essential part of this is developing teams who give and welcome different opinions, perspectives and cultural reference; bringing a real richness in our day to day activities, which will achieve better business results, for both ourselves and for our clients. It will also enable us to access a wider talent pool without any boundaries or bias.
We define diversity and inclusion in the following ways:
Diversity is about differences
At Barnett Waddingham we recognise, respect and value individual differences and in doing so we aim to maximise this through positive interactions which will help us deliver the best for our clients through an enhanced diversity of thought. Differences may include gender, background, education, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. It is the individual that matters and the skills they bring to our organisation.
Inclusion is about embracing these differences for the future of the company
We have created an environment where all our people feel valued and respected, where people give their best. No member of staff should feel excluded from any activity because of their own background.
Our strategy
Our diversity and inclusion strategy aims to:
1. Create the highest performing teams through the development of our people
We aim to continue to develop our inclusive culture where all our people can achieve their full potential. We look to continually strengthen the diverse mix of our teams and leaders by ensuring that there are no barriers in our talent pipeline or development programmes. We ensure our people can use their uniqueness to innovate for the benefit of the business.
2. Recruit, retain and promote more diverse talent
We aim to consistently recruit the best people regardless of their own backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to enrich the diversity of our organisation. Our procedures and policies aim to remove any unconscious bias and we will continue to focus our efforts on advancing our diverse talent.
3. Equip our people with the skills to lead inclusively
We look to equip our people managers with the skills and confidence to lead teams inclusively, and help develop the mindset that encourages maximum contributions from all our people, and allows for any differences in learning styles.
4. Establish mutual accountability and trust
We ensure all levels are accountable for the equitable development, support and advancement of our people. We look favourably on inclusive behaviours which are rewarded and play a key role in promotion decisions and leadership appointments.
Our agenda for change
In line with the people strategy, over the next five years we have set out the agenda for action and progress and this work is underway. The immediate focus will be to raise awareness of our commitment. We will do this by:
- Engaging everyone in our diversity and inclusion strategy. The ownership for delivering a diverse and inclusive workforce sits with our partners, who, with the support from HR, will be accountable for helping to incorporate diversity into everything we do.
- Reviewing policies and practices to ensure inclusivity. We will continue to develop smart working, to enable flexible working arrangements for all.
- Continuing to develop our on-boarding approach to ensure new starters and returners to work after a period of absence, feel well supported and included.
- Continuing to develop our people managers so they are equipped with the skills to lead on both diversity and inclusion ensuring they recognise, value and embrace differences and avoid group think.
- Continuing to remove unconscious bias by offering training and ensuring processes, such as recruitment and promotions, are structured in a way which aids our commitment.
Being respectful and fair to all who work at Barnett Waddingham is an integral part of our culture and something I am extremely proud of and want to protect. However, I also recognise in this changing world we need to ensure that we change with the expectations of the outside world.
At Barnett Waddingham we start from a strong position but we need to recognise that we are on a journey of ensuring that we do all we can to support and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace. By doing so, we will build on our culture where all employees are inspired to share their passions, talents and ideas; where they will continue to be part of the team delivering fresh thinking and innovation to our clients.
As a company we are committed to ensure that we foster an environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work. I give you my personal commitment that we will do our best to ensure that we embrace diversity and ensure inclusion so that all our people can flourish.
Andrew Vaughan
Senior Partner, Barnett Waddingham
"We recognise, respect and value individual differences and in doing so we aim to maximise this through positive interactions which will help us deliver the best for our clients through an enhanced diversity of thought."