Official accreditation from the National Centre for Diversity was attained by Interserve’s UK construction division, which employs more than 2,700 staff.
Interserve head of human resources Julie Bradley said: “The construction industry is not known for its focus on diversity and this is why embracing the Investors in Diversity programme was so important for Interserve.
“We wanted to lead the change that the industry has to make over the coming years and show how embracing diversity can make a positive difference to the business as a whole. By promoting diversity and gaining a greater understanding of how an empowered workforce can benefit from the skills, culture and knowledge of fellow work colleagues, we are able to change and challenge the future shape of the business.”
Ms Bradley added: “Investing in Diversity is about treating people with dignity, respect and as individuals. Because of Interserve’s varied portfolio of clients across both public and private sectors, we are in a unique position to see the relevance and importance of being diverse. We can demonstrate to our customers our commitment to equality and diversity and highlight the benefits this can bring to partnership working.
“We want to ensure that our staff have a full understanding of what equality and diversity mean in all that they do. This doesn’t just relate to obvious areas such as gender, ethnicity and minority - but also the more subtle nuances like age, personality and culture.
“As an industry we have to wake up to the importance of diversity at a grass routes level – more minority groups are coming into the industry and we have to recognise this as a step change - especially across the next generation of staff who will take our industry forward.”
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