Phil talks about Equality & our approach to Diversity and Inclusion

I’m sure you will have been as shocked and saddened as me watching the news from the US about the killing of George Floyd. Whilst that incident occurred in the United States, it has quite rightly, led to a renewed worldwide debate and discussion along with protests about discrimination and inequality.

We are fortunate to work for a Co-operative which shares the same values as over 7,000 other Co-op businesses in the UK and over 3 million across the world. These values are at the absolute heart of our decision-making, and the actions we take.

At Co-op Midcounties, we talk about these values as DOES - Democracy, Openness, Equality & Social Responsibility.

I think the event that happened in Minneapolis really illustrates why the world must stand together on these issues and why it is so important for Co-operatives to have Equality as one of these core values and so central to how we operate.

Equality is ensuring we all are treated as equals, especially with regard to rights and opportunities. Within Co-op Midcounties we also focus on how to ensure each individual can strive to reach their potential without discrimination.

Whilst the events of the last few days have focused on race, the “E” for Equality also means that we will work tirelessly to ensure that our Colleagues, Members and Customers will receive the same treatment - regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Our approach to diversity and inclusion goes beyond just legal compliance and is crucial to our core activities and values. Over the last few years, we have worked closely with third parties such as ENEI – the Employers Network for Equality and inclusion as well as Disability Confident, to ensure we are doing the right things and that we are doing things right. We’ve involved many colleagues across the Society in our Diversity and Inclusion work and that’s helped to shape our policies and procedures and will continue to do so.

We have a diverse workforce and community where we all try to ensure that at all times respect, fairness and inclusion are integral to everything that we do. All of us must continue to play our part in ensuring we uphold this in everything we do from recruiting and developing talented colleagues through to the way we deal with suppliers, visitors, and in how we deliver excellent service to our members in our communities.

I want to assure you of my personal commitment to this – a commitment shared by the Board, the Executive and Leadership team and I believe all of us.

One way you can help us to build on the work we’ve done and are doing is to let us know what you think we do well, what we could differently or perhaps we could start doing. I’d welcome your views – after all that’s absolutely in line with another of our core values – the “O” in DOES for Openness. Those views can be shared in the comments below or sent to me directly.

Finally, I was invited to speak to some of you 18 months ago at our first Diversity & Inclusion Conference. I read a poem (see below) to those colleagues on that day that reflects well my personal views and l think really encapsulates what we are striving for. Whilst we can’t undo the awful event witnessed in the US, we can all play our part in continuing to make our values central to every aspect of our great Co-operative.

Phil