Women at work
UK employers who have demonstrated the most commitment to and innovation in creating workplaces that are inclusive for women were honoured at an awards dinner on May 4. The Opportunity Now Awards are sponsored by Coutts & Co. British Airways, which has more women on its board than any other FTSE100 company, won the Female FTSE 100 Award. The City Award went to Aviva, for its Think Again Diversity Campaign to raise awareness and educated staff on workplace diversity. Royal Mail won the Private Sector Award for its gender strategy, which encourages a workplace culture in which everyone feels valued and respected. Contact BITC 02920 436 912 www.bitc.org.uk
Race ahead
The financial sector continues to lead on race and diversity in the workplace, according to Measuring Impact, Race for Opportunity’s sixth annual benchmarking report. Lloyds TSB topped the survey overall, while West Bromwich Building Society, the Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC were also all among the top ten performers. The report, which was published on June 6, ranked orgnisations in both the public and private sectors on the basis of their performance on race and diversity issues.
A key trend highlighted by the report is that more participants are working with ethnic minority business suppliers. This year more than two-thirds (63%) of companies, compared with less than half (48%) of companies in 2005, are engaging with black-owned businesses across the country. Contact Sam Clark, RFO 020 7566 8661 www.bitc.org.uk
Keep the faith
The Employers Forum for Belief has launched Religious diversity in the workplace, a best practice guide to help businesses to engage with issues of religion at work and in commercial life.
The forum is made up of a group of 11 organisations including founder member BT, Accenture, Barclays, BBC, B&Q, The Co-operative Group, Land Registry, London Underground, Race for Opportunity (RfO), Royal Bank of Scotland and Shell. In addition to sharing information, one of the forum’s main objectives is to raise awareness of holy days and festivals with a view to promoting a greater understanding of the varying faiths and beliefs that exist in the UK. Contact Justine Huxley, The Business of Faith, EFB 020 7496 1610 www.stethelburgas.org
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