Amey signs diversity and inclusion charter

Amey 430 2

Services provider Amey has signed the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport Charter for Diversity and Inclusion.

As a signatory, Amey is required to recognise, respect, capitalise, and celebrate diversity at all levels of the business. An appointed senior leader within the organisation will also have responsibility for regularly reviewing performance levels and ensuring that key performance indicators set by the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport (CIHT) are met or exceeded.

Amey, which employs approximately 21,000 staff, aims to promote inclusion and provide the flexibility to support employees’ individual needs through its employee benefits package. This includes flexible-working arrangements, an employee assistance programme (EAP), and a holiday purchase scheme.

The organisation has a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and allies (LGBTA) network, to ensure employees of all sexual orientations and gender identities are supported in the workplace.

Amey also offers training on inclusion; 1,300 people managers have taken part in unconscious bias training and there are plans to provide training to remaining staff over the next 12 months.

The organisation is also introducing a reverse mentoring scheme, and in September launched a reserves policy to support employees who are military reservists so that they are able to carry out their military duties while working at Amey. The policy includes an additional five days of paid annual leave for military reservists.

The organisation received Investors in Diversity accreditation in 2015 and has committed to achieving Leaders in Diversity status in 2017.

Andy Milner, chief executive officer at Amey, said: “Amey is committed to tackling barriers to inclusion, whether related to age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability. We have made a corporate commitment to continually improve our workplaces and the services we deliver to ensure they are accessible and welcoming to all people, irrespective of their background.

“The CIHT Diversity and Inclusion Charter is an important step towards that goal, particularly because it facilitates collaboration across the industry. In spite of the fact that we employ over 21,000 people at Amey and are a leading business in our industry, we know we cannot eliminate the barriers that currently prevent us from reaching our goal of full and comprehensive inclusion without collaborating with others.”

Workplace equality and diversity is on the agenda at Employee Benefits Live 2016. This dedicated conference stream will cover topics such as the gender pay gap, shared parental leave, and how benefits can support wider workplace inclusion.

Employee Benefits Live 2016 will take place on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 October at Olympia National, London. Register to attend for free and view the full conference programme.