At Churchill, we believe in working with the best people for the role and creating an environment in which they can thrive. That means embedding diversity, inclusivity and equality into our culture and actively ensuring that all our staff feel comfortable and feel opportunity is accessible in the Churchill family. In November 2020, we launched Mosaic, our plan to further our work on diversity and inclusion.
At its heart, Mosaic is formed of four key principles:
- Data – understanding the makeup of the Churchill family.
- Assess – understanding our employees’ thoughts and feelings about inclusion.
- The Diversity and Inclusion Committee – a team of individuals representing all groups from all areas of the business to drive D&I at Churchill
- Employability – a community programme that supports under-represented groups in our communities, assisting those looking for work into employment and, in addition, creating a diverse talent pipeline.
Getting to know the community
One report suggests that 57 percent of employees want to see their organisation increase diversity. It was vital that we based our programme on the thoughts and opinions of those within the Churchill since they’re the experts in what makes them feel at home. In November 2020, we launched Mosaic with our first diversity and inclusion survey. The survey was designed to give us a better understanding of the spread of demographics and get a feel for what those at Churchill think about leadership, belonging and progression within the company.
Our first demographic survey found that the team at Churchill is fairly representative of the UK workforce as a whole across demographics such as age, gender, and ethnicity. It’s a promising start that suggests we attract talent regardless of background.
The second part of our survey was also a hopeful beginning to the programme but did show us areas in which we want to improve.
When asked whether our teams agree with the following statement: ‘I see strong leadership which supports the company’s values’, 42 percent responded that they agree, and 32 percent responded that they strongly agree.
For the statement: ‘People of all cultures and backgrounds are respected and valued at Churchill’ 47 percent agreed, and 32 percent strongly agreed.
For each of the questions within this part of the survey, we found an overwhelmingly positive response. The vast majority of our people feel that their teams are welcoming and inclusive and demonstrate strong and effective leadership. Most respondents also feel they are aware of pathways for progression open to them within their career.
Moving forward
Our initial survey has shown us that we have a strong foundation from which to move forward. We are proud of our teams and management within Churchill for the inclusive space they are creating. But, of course, there is always room for improvement. Even small numbers of those selecting ‘disagree’ means that we have work to do. Mosaic is an opportunity to ensure that everyone strongly agrees they feel welcome and at home within Churchill.
Our next steps for Mosaic will be to launch our Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The committee will engage with those across Churchill to gain greater insights into the survey results and explore how we can begin to make improvements.
Mosaic is an opportunity to make a real and noticeable difference for all our staff. At Churchill, we believe that everyone has a responsibility to create a fairer world and a sense of belonging for everyone, and there is no one better to show us how to do that than our own people.