Whether you're applying for a job at ILX, you already work here, you're one of our trusted associates, or one of our valued customers, we want you to feel included, respected, and most of all equal.
We want to give everyone a fair chance, but we know that sadly, society doesn't currently work like that. Not everyone has been given the same opportunities and the same chances, and often this is due to factors such as race, gender, sexuality, or disabilities.
We don't want that to be the case at ILX Group.
We've realised that we need to do more to bring people from different backgrounds into our business and support them once they're here, and we're actively working on this.
In 2020, we created an ILX diversity and inclusion team, made up of employees from across the business. It's our mission to create a diverse working environment at ILX, with an open culture and an awareness of each other's diversity, and the challenges, seen and unseen, that go with that.
We want discussions around diversity to be commonplace, so that where empathy, support and open dialogue are needed, they can take place naturally.
We also want to create a culture of continual self-education on issues around diversity, so that we are always striving to be the best possible active allies to one another.
By recognising that there are parts of our identities that provide us with a privilege that others may not have, we can build a firm foundation beneath ILX that enables us all to hold each other accountable in a kind, respectful manner. We care passionately about this and want to make sure everyone has a level playing field and the best chance to succeed. As such, we're regularly updating and improving our plans.
Back in June 2020, we formed an internal group dedicated to improving our existing diversity and inclusion policy, and developing a more comprehensive strategy for the future.
Looking at ourselves, we realised one of the things we needed to do was to create a baseline for where we were starting, so that we could accurately reflect on our progress, and build on that in years to come.
So, following a company-wide survey, we've created an infographic to represent how ILX looks today.
We're putting together a podcast series centred entirely around diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The series will consist of several episodes, with each one focusing on a different area of diversity - the topics span everything from race, to age, mental health and more. We want to use our podcast platform to open up a dialogue around issues that are very much present in the workplace today. Keep an eye on our podcast page, or subscribe on your platform of choice to make sure you never miss out on a new episode!
To generate awareness of the benefits associated with having a diverse workforce, we are putting together a series of blogs. Designed to be shared on our social channels, it’s hoped this form of outreach will help us to both underline the challenges, as well as celebrate the opportunities. You can read our blogs here!
We're rolling out a company-wide diversity and inclusion training programme. It's using the real-world experiences of some members of our team to educate and inform the wider group, and bring everyone on the journey with us, towards a more inclusive business environment.
Our diversity policy is under review to ensure it is aligned with our new approach to D&I, and reflects the business that we want to be.
Later this year we will send out our second annual D&I survey, so that we can compare the results to our 2020 survey and see how we've grown and developed as an inclusive business.
Our internal group are continuing to meet regularly, to map out the future of diversity and inclusion at ILX.