In 2022 we again achieved the Investors in People ‘We invest in people’, standard accreditation which lasts three years and now incorporates all our acquisitions. Our Be You initiative is to encourage everyone across the business to be themself at work and to make the most of their talents. This is a statement about how we want people to feel about working at Whistl. In addition to developing this, the EDI forum also has the following commitments now underway:
Employee Forum During 2022 we listened to our employees through feedback to their representatives combined with comments received from our engagement survey. As a result, a key focus was making sure that the new Marlow Head Office offered the facilities requested by employees such as an onsite canteen and more social spaces. Investors in People (IIP) In 2022 we again achieved the Investors in People ‘We invest in people’, standard accreditation which lasts three years and now incorporates all our acquisitions. The accreditation means that, across Whistl, the principles and practices around supporting people are in place and understood by everyone. Also, that there is wide understanding of how to use them to make work better.
• Training on EDI for Line Managers
‘ASK ALISTAIR’ GIVES EMPLOYEES ACCESS TO THE COO VIA E-MAIL OR THE INTRANET
• EDI section in the employee newsletter, The Whistler, which is distributed monthly to all sites
• EDI Allies to partner with sites
We measure our employee engagement through MySay, our annual employee survey, run by an independent company. In 2023 we had a 73% response rate and our engagement rate continues to be strong at 67%, exceeding the industry benchmark.
• Review new job descriptions from an EDI perspective • Review management capability framework from a wellbeing and EDI perspective
• Dedicated EDI page on the intranet
In response to the feedback in 2022, we:
• Publication of Inclusion Calendar
• Designed a mandatory People Manager training workshop to be delivered in 2023 with excellent sign up and attendance rates so far across all business areas • Introduced the Whistl Hardship fund to help support employees with the current cost of living crisis • Created an ‘Ask Alistair’ inbox for employees to send through their questions directly to the COO • Created four Focus Groups based on the priority areas identified from the survey which were facilitated by BoM and Executive Board members listening to feedback from representatives from across all business areas. Topics covered Leadership, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Reward & Recognition and ‘Listening to our under 35’s.’
Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
• Share gender pronoun options – these can be used at bottom of email signature or intranet profile. In the 2022 MySay survey employees were overall happy with Whistl in terms of EDI: 81% of responders said they can be themselves at work 74% said people at Whistl respect individual differences (e.g., cultures, working styles, backgrounds, ideas) 72% said we actively encourage equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the company.
In 2021 we launched an employee-led Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Charter and set up a regular forum for 20 volunteer EDI Allies across the business to meet, share ideas and put in place strategies to deliver our commitment within the Charter.
The forum developed our EDI initiative statement
BE YOU
THIS IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE YOU AND MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TALENTS
BEING YOU ENABLES US ALL TO BE BETTER
BEING YOU IS WHAT MAKES US A GREAT TEAM
BE YOU
Whistl Annual Report 2022
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