At Argyll, we believe in the power of diversity and the strength that comes from nurturing an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and respected.
Last week, we celebrated the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences that make us stronger together and reflected on the strides we’ve made in fostering a culture where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work.
We’re striving to make our workplace more welcoming to people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities.
Here are some of our achievements so far:
Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace
We launched our Neurodiversity Policy, designed to ensure that team members with neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive variations, feel supported and empowered.
Our new policy aims to promote awareness and understanding of neurodiverse conditions in the workplace, provide tailored support and accommodations for neurodiverse team members, and encourage a culture where every brain is valued and team members can thrive, regardless of how they think or process information.
Launching a Disability Passport
The Disability Passport is a confidential document that records any workplace adjustments team members may need due to a disability, long-term health condition, or neurodiversity. It’s designed to ensure that their individual needs are recognised and met consistently, whether the team member changes roles, line managers, or teams.
Why is this important?
- Consistency: Their requirements will be clearly documented, so there’s no need to repeatedly explain their needs when changes take place.
- Support: This scheme underscores our commitment to providing the necessary support to ensure everyone can perform at their best.
- Confidentiality: The information within a Disability Passport is confidential and will only be shared with relevant parties, such as line managers and HR, with the individual’s consent.
An Inclusive Website Design
Earlier this year, we added a ‘Calm mode’ filter to our company website. The filter enables users to customise their journey based on their reading preferences. The softer colours are autism-friendly and more inclusive to a wider audience. Check it out in the top right-hand corner of our homepage, or in the bottom left corner when browsing across different pages.
We also updated our intranet with a fresh, accessibility-friendly design. We’ve ensured there is a clear contrast between text and background colours, added alternative text to images and kept the design simple to improve accessibility and navigation.
Inclusive Hiring Practices
We understand that inclusion begins with how we hire. That’s why we’ve implemented several initiatives to ensure our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and inclusive. Some of our key steps include:
- Unconscious Bias Training for all hiring managers, helping to mitigate bias and ensure we assess candidates based on their skills and potential.
- Blind Recruitment Processes through ‘Incognito Mode’, where identifying information is removed from CV’s in the early stages to focus purely on experience and skills.
- Advertising on a Wide Range of Channels help us reach underrepresented communities, ensuring that we’re recruiting from a broad and diverse talent pool.
Ongoing Education and Training
Inclusion is a continuous journey, and we believe in equipping our team members with the tools and knowledge they need to contribute to a more inclusive workplace. Our managers have completed workshops on diversity and inclusion, and we regularly celebrate awareness days, from International Women’s Day to Pride month.
Celebrating Diversity Throughout the Year
We believe in championing diversity throughout the year and aim to ensure that all faiths and traditions are celebrated. We mark cultural events such as Diwali, the Lunar New Year, Easter, and Ramadan through internal communications and trainings.
Our Commitment Moving Forward
We’re proud of the steps we’ve taken, but we also recognise that there’s always more work to be done.
Soon, we’ll be launching Colleague Affinity Groups (CAGs) for support and connection. Our CAGs provide a safe space for employees to connect, share experiences, and champion causes that matter to them.
These groups play a critical role in shaping company policies, organising awareness events, and fostering a sense of belonging among our team members.
Together, we will continue to make Argyll a place where everyone’s unique strengths are celebrated.
