We are so proud to announce that Astute People has earned the prestigious Women in the Workplace Accreditation!
This badge isn’t just a title but a representation of our committed efforts to maintain an inclusive, supportive, and equal work culture.
It especially highlights our efforts to champion the challenges and opportunities faced by women at various stages of their careers and personal lives.
What is the Women in the Workplace Accreditation?
The Women in the Workplace Accreditation is a formal recognition awarded to companies that display an ongoing commitment to gender equality through their practices, policies, and culture.
The accreditation evaluates many aspects of the organisation’s approach to managing and supporting its female workforce.
This includes recruitment, retention, career progression, and provision of an encouraging and supportive working environment.
Women in the Workplace Accreditation process
- Comprehensive evaluation:
The process starts with an assessment that evaluates the company’s current policies and practices relating to gender diversity.
This evaluation looks at pay equity, parental leave, flexibility options, and advancement opportunities. - Employee feedback:
A crucial part of the accreditation process involves gathering feedback from employees through surveys and interviews to understand their experiences and perceptions regarding gender equality within the company. - Training and development:
Most companies are required to provide training to ensure that all employees and particularly managers and leaders, are equipped to support an inclusive workplace. - Action plan creation:
Based on the evaluation and feedback, companies need to create and execute an action plan to fill any identified gaps or areas requiring improvement for the fostering of a more inclusive and equitable work environment.
Read: “How can recruiters reduce gender bias”
Achieving Women in the Workplace Accreditation
Our journey to achieve the Women in the Workplace Accreditation has been both challenging and rewarding.
A team of 12 members of our leadership teams went through rigorous special training aimed at addressing critical issues like fertility, maternity, and parental rights.
The process culminated in a detailed review session, where three of our team members showcased our initiatives to an accreditation board, including representatives from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Empowering women in the workplace
- Pregnancy at work: We’ve developed strategies to ensure pregnant employees have a safe and flexible working environment.
- Fertility challenges: Recognising and empathising with the unique needs of women undergoing fertility treatments.
- Pregnancy loss: Implementing compassionate leave policies and support systems.
- Flexible and hybrid work options: Promoting work-life balance, crucial for parents and caregivers.
- Bias elimination: Training our team to recognise and reduce unconscious biases in employment practices.
An extraordinary achievement by the team
Astute’s Head of People, Sam Bradshaw remarked on the accreditation:
“As a working mother of two small children myself, this Women in the Workplace accreditation highlights the importance we give to our working parents at Astute People.
“We work hard to ensure all of our staff feel included and offering support to our diverse workforce can only make our community stronger.
“We’re proud to have achieved this accolade and showcase the support we provide for our working parents and those planning a family in the future.”
We are incredibly proud of those involved for their dedication throughout this training.
Their hard work underscores our commitment to supporting our team through significant life events.
Ongoing dedication to women in the workplace
What this accreditation represents is only the beginning.
We have committed ourselves to continuously enhance our policies for our team.
Currently, we’re working on initiatives like:
- Enhanced training:
Regular updates for our leaders and staff on diversity and parental support - Open communication:
Keeping lines of communication open for any inquiries about policies or personal support needs. - Policy development:
Using insights from our training and your feedback to refine and improve our support systems.
With this accreditation, we are more energised than ever to enhance Astute People as a leading workplace where every employee is supported, valued, and encouraged to grow.
We are committed to expanding our family-friendly policies and fostering a culture of excellence, diversity, and wellbeing.
