We are in the process of transforming Home in to an organisation that is a leader in its field and a critical part of that work is to become a more diverse organisation. We want Home to be perceived as an organisation where people want to work, where we provide the most appropriate service to fulfil our customers/clients individual needs and where we work with all our stakeholders to create safe and cohesive neighbourhoods.
We have therefore produced a new Equality and Diversity Strategy to help us realise this vision. To view the policy statement click here.
We are taking a whole organisation approach to this pledge by the introduction of our own Equality and Diversity Assessment Framework which will enable business areas/functions to have their performance assessed against three Standards, Bronze, Silver and Gold. By working towards these Standards, business areas/functions will be clearly demonstrating their desire to become more inclusive – not just to benefit customers and clients, but also to benefit those who work for and with Home. This is not a tick box exercise - it is a means of ensuring that all business areas/functions within Home reach the Gold Standard and that will demonstrate that we have become a fully inclusive organisation.
Therefore, the challenge we set Home is, that every business area/function within Home obtains and retains the Gold Standard by 2012 (our own Olympics!)
This is our promise to our staff, our customers, our clients, our stakeholders, our partners and to the neighbourhoods in which we work.
“It is crucial that we take a strong stand to improve our performance on E&D, not just to improve our E&D performance – although it is important in its own right - but also because we simply must be better informed, more aware and more able to embrace and welcome equality and diversity in the whole organisation if we are ever to achieve the kind of vision that we have set ourselves for the future - can you imagine how delighted our customers would be if we got things right first time in everything we do.”
“ …. I am here today to say that I, the Executive Team and the Board take this very seriously indeed”
Mark Henderson, Chief Executive
Home’s Diversity Ambassadors Event, January 2009
If you would like more information contact Mohammed Athar, Diversity Consultant, on 01422 395 351
or e-mail: mohammed.athar@homegroup.org.uk