Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report

We have four very active colleague groups, EMpower, Enable, Pride and WiSH, run by colleagues and each one supported by a sponsor at Executive Director level.

Our colleague groups

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Our groups

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We have four very active colleague groups, EMpower, Enable, Pride and WiSH, run by colleagues and each one supported by a sponsor at Executive Director level.

The achievements from our colleague groups demonstrate their commitment to an equal, inclusive, diverse and empowering workplace for all colleagues.

EMpower

Executive Sponsor: Jehan Weerasinghe
Chair: Allison Cuddy

EMpower is a forum for ethnically diverse colleagues to improve and promote diversity and inclusion opportunities across the group. We provide information, guidance and support to enable colleagues to fulfil their potential and offer a platform for sharing ideas, concerns and best practice.

Achievements 2023/24

We have:

  • Participated in the:
    • GEM programme, enabling graduates to improve their career prospects within Riverside and the wider housing sector.
    • Greater Manchester Housing Provider’s ‘Championing Change for Boost Culture Leadership’ programme. This is a unique partnership and research programme run in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University that aims to address the underrepresentation of ethnically diverse employees in leadership positions in the housing sector.
  • Continued to target representation in our upper quartile roles with a particular focus on more senior roles and creating a pipeline of talent in our upper middle roles.
  • Collaborated with our recruitment team to ensure we are attracting talented colleagues through our Talent Acquisition Strategy, running listening sessions with our colleagues to improve experience and provide opportunities for growth and progression.
  • Achieved Silver Trailblazer Award status from Race Equality Matters for our guaranteed interview scheme for ethnically diverse job applicants.
  • Discontinued our use of the term ‘BAME’ and now refer to colleagues as ‘ethnically diverse’, following government guidance.

“As the chair of EMpower, I am passionate about listening to our members’ voices. As the chair I engage the group to trust each other. The group is the sum of intellect, human understanding and moral character that enables the individual to inspire and be successful.”

Allison, Chair

Enable

Executive Sponsor: Ian Gregg
Chair: Stephen Shrimpton

Enable offers assistance and information to all colleagues who experience short or long-term disability or illness. We aim to influence internal policy and procedures, support managers and enable colleagues to carry out their roles regardless of any impairment, mental health, or hidden disability.

 

Achievements 2023/24

We have:

  • Conducted a review of all policies and procedures with a direct and unequal impact on colleagues with a disability or long-term health condition. They are now mitigated against through equality impact assessments.
  • Supported colleague-led peer support groups for cancer, menopause, parents, mental health, carers, men, bereavement, and long-term illness. These groups enable colleagues to share experiences and support others who may be experiencing similar circumstances.
  • Promoted and celebrated regular national and global disability awareness dates, communicating to all colleagues the need to increase our awareness and understanding of Neurodiversity and the impacts it has on colleagues.
  • Facilitated various colleague discussions with experts on cancer, men’s mental health, blood disorders and many more, continually raising disability awareness throughout Riverside.

“It’s extremely rewarding being the Chair of such a long running colleague network.

Having a disability or short or long-term illness can bring about many challenges. We don’t want our workplace to be one of those places. We work closely with other areas of the business to make it as easy as possible for anybody to be able carry out their role, without having to face any barriers due to the situation they find themselves in. We want our people to thrive.

We are always there to help colleagues whenever they may need it. Knowing we are there for one another is so valuable and meaningful.”

Stephen, Chair

Pride

Executive Sponsor: John Glenton
Co-Chairs: Michael Gill and Joanne Murray

Our Pride network exists to create a supportive and inclusive community where LGBTQIA+ staff can reach their full potential and drive meaningful change at Riverside. Guided by our Riverside Values and the 5 Pillars of Pride, we achieve this by:

  • Colleague Support, ensuring every member feels valued, safe, and connected.
  • Championing Career Development, opening pathways to growth and leadership, and equipping members with the tools for success.
  • Amplifying Voice and Representation, ensuring LGBTQIA+ perspectives are heard and respected at all levels.
  • Driving Engagement through meaningful initiatives that build community and solidarity amongst LGBTQIA+ Staff and Allies.
  • Leveraging our Influence to shape inclusive policies and practices at Riverside.

Achievements 2023/24

We have:

  • Widened our committee, rewritten our terms of reference, with a strong membership base of 320 colleagues.
  • Commissioned trans and LGBTQIA+ training by GenderSpace and Stonewall Housing.
  • Celebrated and acknowledged visibility and awareness dates throughout the year.
  • Engaged with members in sessions such as ‘What Pride means to me?’ and ‘LGBTQIA+ Health Care’.
  • Represented LGBTQIA+ perspectives at strategic level with decision making and policy development.
  • Been successfully awarded the HouseProud Pledge Pioneer accreditation, showing our commitment to engaging with LGBTQIA+ customers, ensuring they can have input at executive/strategic level, increasing our visibility as an LGBTQIA+ friendly landlord and employer and ensuring our colleagues are trained to deliver inclusive services.

“We genuinely enjoy our roles as Co-Chairs, meeting people, sharing ideas and contributing to a greater purpose that enables people to bring their authentic self to work. It is so rewarding to recognise and contribute towards the bigger picture and the interplay of equity, diversity and inclusion in in policies, training, recruitment and more.

Our value as an LGBTQIA+ colleague group in Riverside has only gone from strength to strength as we have already been able to deliver on some great events, members meetings, training and reaching several of our strategic objectives. Being able to create safe spaces, opportunities and experiences that allow our colleagues to share their passion, knowledge and understanding on areas that effect our LGBTQIA+ community and our fellow colleague groups is hugely important as we strive towards a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace.”

Joanne and Michael, Co-Chairs

WiSH

Executive Directors: Cris McGuinness and Sara Shanab
Chair: Stella Hughes

WiSH (Women in Social Housing) is open to all colleagues and provides a safe environment for women to meet, share experiences and discuss priorities. The aim of WiSH is to tackle gender inequality within the workplace, promote gender equality across the organisation, especially the progression of women, and to provide and promote support, advice and knowledge on all aspects of gender.

Achievements 2023/24

We have:

  • Collaborated with our colleagues in People Services to influence the review of family friendly policies. As part of this process, we have developed a buddy system which is a colleague peer support model to offer support to colleagues throughout their parenting journey from pregnancy to the post-natal period.
  • Identified key areas of focus through our member meetings, which include improving awareness of issues relating to women’s health in the workplace such as maternal mental health, supporting parents during the maternity process and issues women face in the workplace with regard to confidence and career progression.
  • Facilitated a workshop with Jess Heagren from Careers after Babies, which has helped us to identify where we can make improvements to the support provided to women and partners.
  • Identified ‘building confidence’ as a theme of focus for the year and are in the process of planning events to engage and support females across the organisation.
  • Ran two events with some of senior leaders including our much-loved and respected former Chief Executive Carol Matthews, who shared her lifetime of experiences as a woman in the workplace and with our Director of Homes and Communities, Andrea Thorn and Executive Director of Corporate Services and General Counsel, Sara Shanab, who shared their experiences of being a female leader in the workplace.

“The events we have held this year have given us a really good understanding of what our areas of focus should be in the WiSH Group. Raising awareness of issues faced by females and working to support females build confidence in the workplace have been our priorities. Hopefully the work we do helps colleagues have a great experience working at Riverside.”

Stella, Chair