National Inclusion Week 2022

We are extremely proud of our culture at Vextrix/Struktura particularly when it comes to inclusivity, equality and diversity. When we think about National Inclusion week, many think about the ‘protected characteristics’ such as age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation however this week we are looking beyond the obvious and exploring areas that may be hidden on a daily basis, but none-the-less, play a role in making us feel included.

This week we are coming together in pairs each day to discuss the below topics. The discussions will ideally be face to face and they are an opportunity to take ourselves away from our desks, take a walk or grab a coffee.

At 4pm on each day we are holding debrief style meetings to talk about what we have been discussing in our pairs. The aim of this week is to help us get to know each other a bit better but also to come up with ideas about how we can keep developing our culture!

Discussion Topics

Monday: FREDIE

We were delighted to be awarded the Investors in Diversity for Small Businesses accreditation in 2021 from the National Centre for Diversity after they examined how FREDIE was embedded within our culture.

Today we will be discussing the headings below and what they mean to us all and coming up with ways we can continue to show our commitment to everything that FREDIE stands for.

What is an inclusive workplace culture?

An inclusive workplace culture is an unseen force that determines the beliefs, attitudes, conduct and behaviours of a team, it means we all feel:

Fairness for all is a reality

Respect for all is the norm

Equality of opportunity for all is embedded

Diverse employees feel that they belong

Inclusion is widely understood, where all colleagues are committed to inclusive behaviours and where leaders connect the link between an inclusive culture and business performance.

Engaged – where there is a positive emotional attachment between colleagues, their work, managers and leaders – where everyone lives and breathes the values and goals of the organisation.

Tuesday: Mental Health

• Does our own mental health make certain situations difficult?
• How can we make how and where we work more accommodating for people with these challenges?
• How can we normalise discussing our mental health?

Wednesday: Inclusivity from a client perspective

• How do we or can we make our clients feel included?
• Do we know how to challenge the behaviour of others?
• Have you ever felt excluded?

Thursday: Poverty and the cost of living – The ways financial pressures affect us all differently.

• Do we know how to support each other?
• Are there changes we can make to consider other people’s situations?
• Do you know who to talk to if you need to?

Friday: Celebrating each other

• What achievements are you really proud of?
• How can we make it easier to talk about the things that we are proud of?
• How can we make others feel proud of what they have achieved?