What is your role at Churchill and what does it involve day to day?
My current role at Churchill is account manager within the Devon and Cornwall region. My day-to-day tasks involve managing the cleaning teams, predominately in education sites. I have worked in the cleaning industry for about 17 years, mainly in this type of role.
What made you decide to become a Mosaic champion?
I wanted to become a Mosiac Champion because by creating an accepting, inclusive and educated culture is not only important to reduce the chances of discrimination, it will also allow all employees to feel welcome, safe and valued. It is very clear to see in the years I have been in the industry that when someone feels happy and secure at work, they’re more likely to stay with the company for longer and perform better in their role. And it goes without saying that an openly diverse and welcoming business will attract more of the best talent and could even be the reason why someone chooses to work there. We need to shout this message out, and that really excites me.
Is there a particular area of diversity and inclusion you are interested in?
I have seen a number of colleagues who have faced mental health issues and feel that it is particularly important that, as managers, we are able to identify and support staff who are going through challenging times. I recently attended a Safety Champions course, run externally, that was aimed at looking after our own and being able to spot vulnerability in individuals. It was such a surprise to hear that most of the group had suffered from mental health problems in some form in their lifetime.
Why do you think diversity and inclusion is important in the workplace?
Diversity and inclusion is a vital part of any workplace. Everyone has a valid viewpoint and can be an asset to any team so I feel that everybody should get a chance to express themselves and, in doing so, help to make a company a better place.
What would you like to see workplaces doing to improve D&I in the future?
The Mosaic committee is a great starting point, but we need to ensure we get the message out to as many staff and potential employees as possible to show that D&I is a very important part of our business. Companies which value D&I can outpace their competitors by respecting the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all their staff. So far the Mosaic committee members have discussed the importance of an inclusion calendar highlighting everything from World Cancer Day to Pride Month.
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