Equality, diversity & inclusion - UK & Europe

WE'RE NOT ALL THE SAME
AND THAT'S OUR GREATEST STRENGTH.

Like our geographical footprint here in the UK & Europe, our work is all about diversity.

From major rail projects such as HS2, Crossrail and DART network’s Kildare line; to delivering offshore wind and nuclear; our UK&E projects are all about balancing a mix of challenges, geographies, cultures, and languages. Bringing together teams with a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds and knowledge helps us to deliver the best solutions, engineering a better future for our planet and its people.

That’s one reason why diversity is so important to us – it enhances our ability to understand our clients and the communities that we work in – so that we can create and deliver more innovative, sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Yet Equality, Diversity & Inclusion is about much more than business performance. It's about creating a more welcoming place to work, where everyone feels valued and free to share ideas. It’s about working collaboratively with our industry and our clients to do the same. And it’s simply the right thing to do.

PUTTING ED&I AT THE
HEART OF UK & EUROPE

So we’re on a journey to put these principles at the heart of our culture and day-to-day work. It’s a journey led by all of us – supporting each other to create a more equal, diverse and inclusive place to thrive.

To help us get there faster, we’re aligned to the organization’s global ED&I program – Different makes a difference. What’s more, the UK & Europe region also has its own tailored action plans to deliver on the issues that matter most to our people here.

A photo of people in a circle who have all put their hands in the middle on top of each others

Quote

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When we combine our differences, we truly make a difference. So our commitment is to create and maintain an inclusive culture where everyone belongs, can be their true self and can reach their full potential.

IAN L. EDWARDS, PRESIDENT AND CEO

WEAVING ED&I INTO
EVERYTHING WE DO

Join us in UK & Europe and you join over 9,000 people from a multitude of different cultures and backgrounds. Our goal is to make sure that every single person feels included, valued and has an equal voice. We aim to provide a supportive environment and be sensitive to individual needs and ambitions. We weave ED&I into all of our working practices and projects and its central to our culture.

You won’t just experience these values inside the business. You’ll also inspire the world around you – through more inclusive, accessible and sustainable design.

Whether it’s our Getting Home Safely initiative, improving safety for women in public spaces, or prioritizing accessibility in infrastructure development. We’re designing places that are more sensitive to human differences – in ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of diversity. We’re creating a better future, and you can help make it happen.

REMOVING BARRIERS SO
WE CAN ALL THRIVE

Change can only be driven by the right leaders – trusted, inclusive people who make us feel safe and valued.

This means removing barriers to progression and opportunity wherever we find them. It means further diversifying our hiring to include all under-represented groups and increasing representation of these groups at all levels throughout the UK&E, especially in leadership. We set targets for female and ethnic minority representation to keep us on track.

Of course, it doesn’t stop with hiring. No matter who you are, you’ll also be supported with ground-breaking learning opportunities, including signature programmes targeted at under-represented groups. To unleash your full potential, give you an equal chance of success, and enhance your career through more opportunities.

BECOMING A VOICE FOR
CHANGE

Doing what’s right is what people know us for – and it's what you’ll be known for too. At all levels, our diverse teams are making a difference, and we’re proud to share our stories about how design can improve lives, for example mentoring with Women in Rail, working closely with Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) and promoting the huge impact of improved water and sanitation on women and girls in low-income countries.

An image of a women speaker into a megaphone

Image Caption: When we unite, we all feel included, and by combining our differences, we truly make a difference. Different makes a difference

OUR COMMITMENTS

  • Recruit from the most diverse talent pool and increase the proportion of female and ethnic minorities within our Early Careers intake

  • Set targets for women and ethnic minority staff within our business and continuously review our Different Makes a Difference plan to ensure we achieve them

  • Actively promote our Returners Programme to help more women and parents back into careers (we’re also piloting a buddy scheme to offer further support parents with their return to work).

  • Help employees and line managers by embedding our Pregnancy Loss toolkit

  • Support those who may need a reasonable adjustment to address a challenge at work or during recruitment.

  • Overcome barriers to career progression for women and ethnic minorities, with actions based on our in-depth Career Deflection Report.

  • Work with our supply chain to understand where they are on their ED&I journey and support them in becoming aligned with our policy.

  • Provide inclusive leadership training with our senior leaders.

  • Keep pushing our signature programs to develop skills and confidence – such as Thrive, aimed to level the playing field for under-represented groups, and Inspire, for developing women in the workplace so that they can achieve greater success.

  • MEASURING PROGRESS
    THOROUGHLY AND CLEARLY

    We know that our progress needs to be both meaningful and measurable, so our work is accredited by renowned ED&I partners. We're very proud to be a disability confident leader. And we’re proud to have been awarded the Clear Assured Gold standard for integrating ED&I into everything that we do. We’re the only company in the engineering sector to hold this standard.

    Our ED&I progress is also informed by employee experiences and properly evaluated by our people. We do this every year – combining deep data with far-reaching surveys across the region. This information is freely and clearly available to all our people.

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    REPRESENTATION

    An overview of female representation across our organization in the UK & Europe in 2021 and 2022:

    Three female employees sitting down together smiling and talking

    IT'S YOUR BUSINESS TO HELP
    MAKE US BETTER

    Our journey is ongoing, and progress doesn’t just come from a program or a leader – we all need to be part of the difference. So we encourage everyone to get involved and make their voices heard. This is most evident in our self-generated Staff Networks – representing groups from women to LGBTQ+, military to faith. Every voice matters. And only by hearing them all will we create a culture that fosters true inclusivity and equality.

    Employee Resource Groups

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    Our Programmes

    We're proud to offer a number of Signature Development Programmes, which enable our employees to develop relevant confidence and skills to aid their development both personally and professionally. Below are just some of the programmes we offer.

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      • The THRIVE programme is designed to level the playing field enabling diverse talent to thrive in our organisation. The programme is comprised of three modules spanning a six-month time frame. It works to strengthen an individual’s own self-image, along with communication skills and create goals and targets for their future career.
      • The INSPIRE programme is aimed at developing women and gender-neutral people in our workplace so that they can achieve greater success in their career. The programme enables participants to take stock of their career to date, assess their current strengths and achievements and create a targeted action plan for career development.
      • This curriculum identifies the key responsibilities of a People Manager as well as key organizational processes, and signposts you to informative eLearning modules.
      • This programme equips participants to create a positive, constructive and inclusive work environment and build talented, diversified teams.

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