Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to creating a work environment that embraces the strength in our differences and to creating a sense of belonging for everyone.
Restoring the roof Copyright: UK Parliament/Mark Duffy
Our Approach
Accessibility and Inclusion is a strategic theme for our programme and we embed this in everything we do. We believe that innovation, good health and safety practice and our ambition of achieving value for money will happen when you have a diverse team of people who each contribute their different ways of thinking. We also know that people are at their most productive and empowered when they feel included.
To support our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, we employ talented people from a range of different backgrounds who will join us based on their talents and experiences and work in a way that brings our programme values to life.
To complete this programme to the highest quality, whilst ensuring the well-being of every Member, Peer, staff member, contractor and the visiting public, we must treat everyone with dignity and respect and create a culture where challenges can be identified early and resolved, and that opportunities to improve our environment are maximised.
What do we mean by Equality, Diversity and Inclusion?
Equality
In an equal society, everyone has the opportunity to reach the same outcome. Focusing on equality works to ensure no one is disadvantaged by their circumstances. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination on these grounds both in the workplace and in society as a whole.
Diversity
We use this term to describe protected characteristics under the Equality Act that include age, disability, ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion and belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
For the purposes of our work in EDI, we also recognise the role of additional factors such as socio-economic background, caring duties and national identity on how we are different.
Inclusion
This is a choice and we want our programme to lead the way in setting new standards for our approach to culture, respect and a focus on inclusion through design and construction in the built environment. For this to happen, we must lead our activities with honesty, and an integrity that reflects and resonates with our colleagues and supply chain in a way that influences positive change.
The Legal Framework
The Equality Act (2010), provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality. Importantly, the Act provides a focus on the prevention of discrimination for all individuals across the nine protected characteristics. There are three main purposes of the duty:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act;
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not;
- Foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.
The Equality Act sets the minimum standards required for our programme. Our EDI strategy, sustainability objectives and our action plan go beyond what is minimally required for us by law and will ensure delivery of value for money and our ambition is to meet the requirements and standards of the public sector equality duty under the Act.
Our EDI team consists of professionals with expertise in understanding and practically applying the law to how we operate and how we design and construct. We will set standards and expectations that create a step change in what is accepted in the industry, based on our knowledge and support our teams across functions, projects, programmes and organisations to achieve this. In this way we will build a fair and inclusive place to work.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
