Wellbeing in the workplace
We are continually improving our approach to recruitment, employment and wellbeing to promote equal opportunities and are committed to challenging discrimination and promoting inclusivity in the workplace.
We also support social mobility and gender diversity, and foster a safe working environment where everyone is treated fairly and feels comfortable being themselves.
How we are actively supporting diversity in the workplace
Our committee meet monthly to discuss new ways to support colleagues and ensure we’re refreshing our policies and ways of working to reflect our diverse workforce.
Coaching and mentoring colleagues.
We offer mentoring programmes to all staff members, provide work buddies for new starters and access to subject matter experts to help colleagues build healthtech and clinical knowledge.
Designing inclusive employee benefits.
As an inclusive employer, we are frequently reviewing and updating our employee benefits so they reflect the diverse needs of our people. For example, we are supporting new parents by offering enhanced and equal maternity, adoption and shared parental leave. To date, this has positively impacted women, gay couples and colleagues from disadvantaged backgrounds. We also offer well-being days in addition to annual leave for those colleagues who need to recharge and switch off.
Creating a safe space to discuss diversity.
We run a support network with a dedicated channel for providing feedback, suggestions or concerns. Share information through our internal newsletter. And each month, we select and invite experts to discuss a specific topic, including related articles, podcasts and books. We also run a boot camp, enabling employees to discuss issues they are interested in.
Our affinity groups aim to encourage and support a diverse and inclusive workplace. Commonly known as ERG's (employee resource groups), they are usually led by colleagues who share similar characteristics. For example, religion, gender, lifestyle etc. They are open to everyone, provide support and enable colleagues to organise social events and better understand one another.
Celebrating our differences.
We run social events throughout the year that reflect our staff's diverse needs and consider the company's diversity. We raise awareness of different cultural events and encourage open discussions so that we can learn and understand more about each other. For example, we recently celebrated Eid with our Muslim colleagues and learnt about the significance of Ramadan and Eid.
Equally, we attend conferences or external events focused on underrepresented groups in tech. And publish regular 'day in the life' blogs to show appreciation for our people.
Partnering with coding clubs and charities
We work with different charities to help underrepresented groups develop digital technology careers. Our goal is to reach younger generations and promote digital technology career pathways. We're also involved with various pride organisations in Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.
We support refugees and people from disadvantaged backgrounds to build a career in software development by partnering with Code Your Future.
We support two main charities yearly that focus on equal access to careers in IT and also make charitable donations to drive social value in our areas.
We refurbish and distribute our devices to children and their families, addressing inequalities and a digital divide.
We support non-traditional candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds in Leeds to kickstart a career in tech by partnering with Generation, who run short training courses.
We support career changers from other sectors, parents returning from maternity leave, school leavers and recent graduates, by partnering with Northcoders who run coding boot camps.
Promoting diversity in tech
We are accredited by the Good Business Charter reflecting our commitment to providing an inclusive workplace and establishing measures and monitoring to encourage diversity.
We are also part of the Tech Talent Charter, dedicated to driving greater inclusion and diversity in tech. The Tech Talent Charter focuses on the how, not the 'why' of inclusion, bringing communities together and supporting the underrepresented.