What ‘inclusion’ means to us
Rachel Sur, Senior Recruiter
Our culture at Beacon is founded on inclusivity and equal opportunity. We see inclusion as the ability to be your authentic self in an environment where we embrace diversity of all types, including thought, openness, and honesty.
By embedding our #Authentic&Inclusive value in everything we do at Beacon, we are creating a culture where our employees feel that they belong, and can truly innovate.
How we build an inclusive culture
EDI leads
We have built a team of volunteers from different areas of the business, who are passionate about EDI. The EDI Leads drive action and education across the business in line with our inclusion strategies. The team identifies areas to improve or focus on, implements policies and guides, and runs events.
Our most recent event was in celebration of International Women’s Day. Its goal was to raise awareness on women’s health in the workplace, alongside launching our Menopause at work, and Transitioning at work guides.
Along with guides, the EDI Leads have been able to introduce new policies in line with the company’s needs. This includes extended parental leave, and bank holiday flexibility. Finally, the team hosts talks either internally or with an external speaker to educate the wider business on key topics like Autism awareness and Pride.
Recruiting at Beacon
Recruitment is key to ensuring we build a diverse team at Beacon. Here are just a few things we do at Beacon to ensure an inclusive hiring process:
Training: all our interviewers have been through a training programme that covers topics such as unconscious bias, gender-neutral language, protected characteristics and accessibility.
Beakeepers: our Beakeepers are a neutral party that partners with Recruitment and Hiring Managers to ensure an inclusive process from start to finish. They review all job descriptions, interview processes and lead discussions around hiring decisions.
Diverse panels: it’s important that we provide representation on our interview panels to make sure we are not making decisions in an echo-chamber, and that well-rounded views of candidates are presented at all times.
Remote-first working model
Beacon has recently moved to a remote-first working model.
This means that remote working is the primary option for all employees, and that they aren’t required to work from a central office. To deliver this, we have partnered with Tally, a company that provides flexible office access across the UK whenever our teams need it .
Remote working creates equal access to training and resources, performance management, career development, and team collaboration. It empowers the team to set their own boundaries, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
What’s next?
While we have done some amazing work already, there are still improvements we can make. We are keen to continue building an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and be their authentic selves.
What’s on our agenda?
- Pregnancy at work guide
- Training for managers on inclusive practices
- Pride awareness and celebration
