Amey has been awarded Leaders in Diversity status for its ongoing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, a spokesperson for the company announced today.
The Leaders in Diversity scheme is awarded by the National Centre for Diversity and helps organisations to achieve an inclusive culture in which everyone can feel valued and in which everyone receives fair and equal treatment regardless of their background.
The National Centre for Diversity surveyed over 1500 Amey employees as part of the assessment required for accreditation, in addition to interviewing the company's senior leaders and suppliers. Focus group sessions were held in Oxford, Birmingham and Amey's Scotland Hub, Eurocentral.
James Haluch, Amey's Managing Director for Highways and the Chair of its Inclusion Steering Group, said: "We've made huge strides in recent years towards making Amey a more inclusive business to work for and to work with. This year alone, almost 2000 people managers have taken part in unconscious bias training and our diversity networks, including an established LGBTA network and a Women@Amey group, have grown to include over 800. This result a superb one for everyone involved in inclusion and diversity initiatives across the business."
Ian Deninson, Amey's Group HR Director, welcomed the announcement but said there's more to be done. "We're the only business in our industry to be awarded both Investors in People Gold and Champion status and this week we're extremely proud to announce that we're the first to be awarded Leaders in Diversity accreditation."
"Going forward, we need to make sure that our services continue to be inclusive of the wide range of people in the communities we serve and that we strive for fairness, respect and equality of opportunity for all of our employees. Making this happen is the responsibility of everyone who works for Amey."
Solat Chaudhry, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Diversity, added, "Our Leaders in Diversity status is given to organisations that are considered to be making a significant commitment to embed diversity and inclusion within their business. It takes into account all aspects of their work, commitment to inclusion, the way employees treat each other, and the fair provision of services.
"On behalf of the National Centre for Diversity I would like to congratulate Amey, their senior leaders, their staff and their stakeholders on successfully achieving the accreditation."