Workforce Equality Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to being a more inclusive and diverse employer and building equity into our workplace policies and processes.
In July 2023, the Council signed the Race at Work Charter. The Charter is designed for organisations to commit to improving opportunities for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse employees in the UK. By signing the Charter, the Council committed to seven core actions including capturing ethnicity data and publicising progress, supporting ethnic minority career progression and ensuring equality is the responsibility of all leaders and managers. An Executive Sponsor for Race was appointed in November 2023.
- The Council launched the Amplify talent development programme for LGBT+ colleagues in September 2023. This is the third positive action programme and eight participants completed the course.
- In September 2023, the Council marked National Inclusion Week for the second time, holding three events on allyship, intersectionality and inclusive customer service. All events were recorded and are available for staff to access on the Learning & Development hub.
- Anti-racism training was delivered to over 2000 employees across the Council from October 2022 to June 2023. A recording and notes were made available to managers and teams who were unable to attend the training in person.
- The Council commissioned Making Lemonade (a Coventry based SME) to deliver bespoke Disability Inclusion Training. The aim of the training is to support all managers to feel confident to have effective and appropriate conversations about disability and reasonable adjustments. 97 managers have completed the training, with a further 100 places available in 2024.
- In May 2023, work began to review the Council’s Careers page and understand what steps could be taken to make it more accessible and user friendly for people with disabilities. To date, the page has been updated to include a comprehensive overview of the application process including a Frequently Asked Questions page, a summary of Council application and selection methods and reasonable adjustment scenarios.
- In October 2023, the Council’s first office accessibility guide for Friargate One was launched. The guide was designed for colleagues, visitors and candidates and provides information on Friargate facilities, including steps and lifts, toilets, meeting rooms and wellbeing spaces. An accessibility guide for the Council House will follow in 2024.
- To support all staff and hiring managers to better understand the key principles of recruitment and selection, a new Inclusive Recruitment & Selection Toolkit was launched in March 2024. The toolkit is a guide for managers to support them to make good and non-discriminatory recruitment decisions.
- The Council’s existing employee networks continue to grow and experience their highest membership since launch. The networks offer colleagues opportunities for networking and mutual support as well as education and development for members. In December 2023, a new network, Working (unpaid) Carers Network was introduced.
- The D&I Board continues to meet every quarter, led by Cllr Brown and Cllr Khan and supported by the Chief Executive. It is attended by representative Directors, Heads of Service, Trade Unions and colleagues from employee networks. Since launching in 2023, the Board has received updates from teams in Procurement, Commissioning, Transformation, HR and Regeneration & Economy.
Employee recognition
Between April 2023 and March 2024, we received 249 nominations in total, for our Spire Awards employee recognition scheme, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our workforce. The Spire Awards, which take place on a quarterly basis, are based on our One Coventry Values and aims to recognise colleagues from across all areas of the Council, who have gone above and beyond in delivering our services.