Equality Diversity and Inclusion

Keep Britain Tidy is fully committed to embracing all forms of diversity and creating an inclusive organisation where our Board, staff, workers, volunteers, supporters and all other stakeholders reflect the full spectrum of diversity in the UK.  

In 2021 we established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group consisting of a wide group of staff and Board representatives, to identify the steps we need to create a more equal, diverse and inclusive organisation.  

One of the first steps was a staff survey to gain a better understanding of the diversity makeup of our employees. What we discovered is that various groups are lacking representation at Keep Britain Tidy, and this is not good enough. We need to do far more to attract a wider array of talented and diverse individuals if we are to truly have impact and create an environment where all people, from all parts of society, love where they live. 

So far we have: 

• Adopted positive action in our recruitment process under section 159 of the Equality Act. This means that if we have two candidates of equal measure in our recruitment process, we will seek to take forward the under-represented candidate in order to diversify our staff group; 

• Redesigned our recruitment process for staff and trustees to ensure that applicants from under-represented groups can access our recruitment process and achieve greater representation at all levels of the charity. This includes removing qualification requirements from job descriptions, piloting the use of new job recruitment boards, and adopting blind recruitment; 

• Provided a full day of equity, diversity and inclusion training to all staff, delivered by an external Diversity Consultant, to help our staff group gain insights and understanding from the experts and ensure we are working collectively towards a shared goal; 

• Collected data to help us understand which groups are under-represented in our staff and volunteer cohorts. This will help us develop targets to ensure both our staff and volunteers reflect the diversity of the society Keep Britain Tidy operates in; 

• Developed inclusive communication and inclusive events guidance which is being used organisation-wide to help staff think through EDI issues and plan to make their communications and events more accessible and inclusive. 

• Removed the mandatory taking of three days of leave for Christmas Office closures enabling them to use this allocation to recognise different religious observance at their own time of choosing. 

• Promoted workplace inclusion by encouraging staff to use gender pronouns in their email signatures. While most people have never been questioned about their gender identity, this shows care and respect for people that are questioned about their gender identity. It also normalises the process, raises awareness, and creates a safer and more comfortable environment for transgender colleagues and supporters. 

We recognise that embedding equity is challenging and that issues of diversity and inclusion are inter-sectional. However, we also recognise that this work is absolutely vital if Keep Britain Tidy is to stay relevant, deliver impact and engage with all parts of our diverse society and we are committed to our work in this area.