Diversity, equity and inclusion
We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to an inclusive culture where our employees feel a sense of belonging, and encourage diversity among our workforce.
We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to an inclusive culture where our employees feel a sense of belonging, and encourage diversity among our workforce.
We have a strategic commitment to improved diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace, it is business imperative for us and we continue to prioritise our work in this area. Our passion and goal are to build more diverse teams and to create an environment where employees are engaged, thriving and feel a sense of belonging.
We know that diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to achieving our purpose as a business which is to navigate the most important and impactful engineering challenges of our time. We recently took some time to review our DE&I strategy and have a plan in place with lots of progress already underway. We continue to refine our approach by keeping our strategy live and updating it as things change and as we make progress against our actions.
We aim to recruit, retain and motivate the best possible talent from a broad range of society and we are committed to being an inclusive place to work, where diversity of thought is sought after and valued. We hire talented people and welcome applications from everyone. At this time, we particularly welcome applications from you if you are from an underrepresented demographic.
We have established regional DE&I forums and an LGBTQ+ Network (PRISM) and will continue to build out Employee Network Groups across other communities to represent and support diversity within our workforce.
We regularly review our policies and practices from recruitment and selection to development and progression with an equity lens to ensure that everyone regardless of their gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, age, ability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, nationality, life circumstance or marital status have what they need to succeed and thrive at BMT.
We continuously promote diversity awareness throughout our organisation, through our employee learning and by recognising and celebrating our employees' contributions, diverse backgrounds, and life experiences. Furthermore, we actively encourage everyone to improve the workplace and work together against harassment, bullying and discrimination.
We're continually playing an active part in projects that make this a rewarding and fulfilling place to work.
Inclusive Employers is the UK’s first and leading membership organisation for employers looking to build inclusive workplaces. They offer consultancy, training and thought leadership to help businesses make inclusion an everyday reality in their place of work.
We are partnering with Inclusive Employers, experts in workplace inclusion to conduct a DE&I audit, as well as to support us as an Inclusion member organisation with resources, support and advice for our teams and employees.
We believe that gender equality in the workplace is essential for cultivating a fair, inclusive, and productive environment for all our employees. Ensuring everyone has equal access to opportunities, resources, and rewards, regardless of gender, is a cornerstone of our values.
Our commitment to gender equality is exemplified by initiatives such as the BMT Consulting Women Programme, which equips women with the skills and competencies needed to ascend to leadership roles. Additionally, our participation in the Women in Defence Charter underscores the importance of equal opportunities in traditionally male-dominated sectors like defence. Addressing the gender pay gap is also crucial; we regularly report on and take actionable steps towards closing this gap to highlight and address discrepancies in earnings between men and women.
By challenging gender stereotypes, calling out discrimination, drawing attention to bias, and seeking out inclusion, we can foster an environment where diverse teams drive creativity, enhance decision-making, and improve overall performance.
Disabilities can have a range of impacts on individuals in the workplace, creating challenges that may affect their professional lives. It's important for employers like us to create inclusive and supportive work environments by implementing equitable policies that allow diversity to thrive, providing reasonable accommodations, identifying, and removing barriers, and fostering a culture that values the unique contributions of every individual.
Additionally, raising awareness and challenging stereotypes can help create a more inclusive workplace for everyone.
Our team of dedicated employees are committed to supporting STEM initiatives and coordinating STEM activities around the world to inspire the next generation. By enabling young people to discover how core subjects apply to the real world to solve the complex problems of the future, STEM can inspire the next generation to broaden their horizons when considering future careers.
We are also proud to partner with STEM Returners to facilitate the return of skilled professionals to the STEM industry after a career break.
We know that being able to bring your whole self to work leads to better performance and increases the cultural health of a company – especially for people who identify as LGBTQ+ who can find it exhausting and disempowering to be constricted to social norms. Despite this, inequalities for LGBTQ+ individuals persist in every corner of society. At BMT, we champion better LGBTQ+ inclusion, here are just a few examples of how we do this.
Prism is our network for LGBTQ+ colleagues and their allies. Its purpose is to provide support, connection and challenge for our organisation and our colleagues, to be a critical friend in the awareness and promotion of LGBTQ+ issues, and to encourage us to demonstrate our values through our behaviours.
They continually support us, our colleagues and our leaders with advice and access to resources and feedback on LGBTQ+ affecting issues and to demonstrate that we value the LGBTQ+ community. Thanks to their help, we can connect with colleagues, peer companies and external organisations to provide networking and peer support, and we continually challenge ourselves to positively influence behaviours, policies and processes across the group, and to advocate for LGBT inclusion.
I am very pleased to be the Executive Committee sponsor for Prism. Ensuring an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ employees across the globe is an integral part of our global diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. Prism plays an important role in creating a friendly community where individuals are comfortable being together and being themselves.
Gudrun Neumann - Global People Director
We have a proud history of working with the military in supporting ex-service personnel in making the transition into civilian life. We also support reservists, both for ongoing training commitments and operational deployment.
We recognise the skills and value that veterans can bring to an organisation and, to that end, have recently signed up to be a supporter of the ‘Veterans’ Employment Commitment’ scheme in Australia. This is our public declaration of our intention to help veterans with employment opportunities within the business.
We have also signed the Armed Forces Covenant in the UK. In 2020, we won a Gold award for our support of the Armed Forces and for aligning our values with the covenant.
We recognise the leadership and technical skills that military personnel develop during their service - such as problem-solving and working under pressure - prepare them for our business environment, and we are proud to count them among our employees.
Here’s how we recognised Armed Forces Day in the UK.
We are pleased to be working in alliance with The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to help support service leavers with career pathways and job opportunities as they transition between military and civilian life.
Designed for anyone involved in recruiting new employees to our teams. , this online module lasts 30 minutes and covers the essential skills required for effective recruitment, different approaches and methods to consider when recruiting new employees, and the concept of unconscious bias.
Our diversity and inclusion strategy is centred around four pillars, the first of which is to “Embed Diversity and Inclusion into our business”. We have formed regional employee-led D&I forums which challenge the status quo, raise awareness and cultivate ideas on actions for areas where D&I is absent.
The Employee Engagement Group (EEG) works to facilitate effective two-way dialogue between the Executive Committee, the Main Board and Trustees of BMT and all employees. It aims to achieve a better-engaged workforce by providing trusted means for employees to express their views, ideas and concerns at the highest level of the organisation.