Best practices for Diversity Management
The winner: British Gas Business, UK
The winner of the category is British Gas Business (BGB), a leading supplier of energy to the commercial sector in Britain. This company's 1.500 people work at four locations, mostly in customer service, sales, billing, IT, and administration, and work together to ensure that everyone from the local news agent to national retailers and manufacturers have the energy they need to operate.
Where BPP really excels is in its diversity practices. From their recruitment processes, which reflect and adapt to their local community's circumstances, to the manner in which they embrace the differences across their workforce, BGB is a shining example of a company that has drawn from the diversity of its local community, built upon its people's many backgrounds, and created an environment in which everyone feels welcome and valued as an individual. The awarded practices include:
- New mothers are offered part-time and evening-shift jobs, and highly flexible positions are specifically advertised in local nursery schools and leisure centres.
- The company has also achieved high levels of ethnic diversity, and has exceeded the percentage of minorities in the local community (33% in Leicester County, 40% at BGB Leicester, for example). The company also works with a staffing company to recruit directly from minority groups, including those with disabilities, and continually tracks progress to ensure that promotions and development opportunities.
- And rather than merely tolerate different religions, the company embraces individuals' backgrounds and uses them as a springboard for celebration and camaraderie. In addition to Christmas, BGB celebrates Diwali (a Hindu holiday) and Eid (a Muslim holiday), using decorations, traditional music and dancers, quizzes, and raffles to promote fun while demonstrating respect for each other's different cultures.
"The company is a shining beacon and leading the way for other business' when it comes to ethnic diversity," explains one BGB employee. "When I look on the news and see racial tensions, it makes me proud to know that where I work there is a wealth of cultures and religions that work in harmony."
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