We’re pleased to report that we’ve recently signed up to Suffolk Chamber of Commerce’s Gender Equality in Business Pledge. Doing this recognises that we’re a supporter of gender diversity in the workplace, and that we commit to: 

• acknowledge and advance equality in our business, in particular at board and senior management level 
• identify a board level or senior sponsor for equality commitments 
• remove any obstacles faced by our employees at major points in their career development 
• if their lives change – like coming back to work after maternity or paternity leave. 

This includes reviewing basic workplace provisions like facilities, shift patterns, transport and flexible working 

• supporting equality and diversity through staff training (including identifying unconscious bias in the workplace and in recruitment) and in the way we engage with our staff. 

Why is this important to us? 

Women in the workplace, especially those trying to get into leadership positions, often face more cultural and systemic hurdles than their male counterparts. But studies show that companies with more women in leadership positions tend to have higher profits and better returns on investment.  

That’s one of the things that inspired us to sign up to the Pledge – to publicly commit to supporting gender equality in our workplace, and show that we’re making sure female workers’ voices are heard. Some of the ways we’re doing that include: 

• giving all our people training on how to avoid unconscious bias 
• making sure all recruitment is competency-based i.e. based on people’s skills and experience, not their gender  
• tailoring our induction and training programmes to people’s skills, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach 

• giving our clients diverse and inclusive shortlists of potential employees, while taking out any information that could cause unconscious bias. 

Our commitment to gender equality is also why we started our Women’s Leadership Programme. It brings like-minded female professionals together in a safe environment, and helps them better