Stagecoach marks National Inclusion Week with plan to create a more inclusive workforce

Stagecoach, the country’s biggest bus and coach operator, is marking National Inclusion Week with new diversity and inclusion targets that will boost the number of females within its leadership team and create a more ethnically diverse workforce.

The new commitments come as part of the company’s recently published sustainability strategy Driving Net Zero: Better Places to Live and Work, targeting 40% of females in leadership roles and ensuring that 25% of the wider workforce is made up of ethnic minorities by 2026.

Stagecoach has been supporting National Inclusion Week since 2016. It has been making meaningful progress across the diversity and inclusion agenda since the launch of its Inclusion Pledge in 2019, which committed to celebrate people’s differences, work together to unlock individuals’ talent and build a culture that delivers safe and high quality services for customers and local communities. 

To support these targets, Stagecoach has this year launched new employee led diversity and inclusion networks across the UK, enabling colleagues to come together as one voice to make change, raise awareness, help influence business decisions and introduce new ways of making Stagecoach even stronger.  

Six employee networks have been created to represent different groups of employees across Stagecoach. The themes were chosen as part of a colleague forum involving employees from across the country and include Women@Stagecoach, Multicultural Network, Carer’s Network, Parent’s Network, Ex-forces Network and LGBTQ+ Network.    

The new employee networks are designed as a volunteer-led community within Stagecoach who are given the freedom to push boundaries, encourage change, support colleagues and be a collective voice to continue to make Stagecoach a great place to work.

Stagecoach has also invested in additional resource to support its inclusion goals. Stuart Beard, a former driver from Manchester’s busy Hyde Road depot, has recently taken up the newly created position of Diversity and Inclusion Assistant.

It has also teamed up with Women in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure (WiHTL) as part of its diversity and inclusion plans. WiHTL’s mission is to make a positive difference to five million women and people from ethnic minorities across Hospitality, Travel and Leisure globally by 2025. WiHTL is devoted to increasing women's and ethnic minorities' representation at all levels and in leadership positions.

Clare Burles, People Director for Stagecoach, said: “We’re proud of the steps we have taken so far in creating an inclusive company that welcomes talented people, helping them to develop and to be the best they can be, whoever they are and wherever they’re from.

“Whilst we have made some good progress, we know that there is still work to do. The new targets we have set as part of our sustainability strategy will help to make sure that we continue on this positive journey and play our part in helping to transform diversity in the transport sector.

“Initiatives such as the new employee networks and the creation of a new dedicated role for diversity and inclusion demonstrate a major step forward, and will help to ensure we can continue to recognise and celebrate everyone’s differences, and create an even better place to work for our existing and new employees.

 “We are pleased to be celebrating National Inclusion Week for a sixth year and we are all looking forward to seeing the positive changes our networks, pledge and strategy makes over the coming months and years.” 

National Inclusion Week is an annual campaign organised by Inclusive Employers to raise awareness of the importance of inclusion in the workplace and of the business benefits to having a diverse and representative workforce. 

For view a copy of Stagecoach’s recently published sustainability strategy Driving Net Zero: Better Places to Live and Work, visit https://www.stagecoachgroup.com/~/media/Files/S/Stagecoach-Group/Attachments/pdf/stagecoach-group-sustainability-strategy-2021.pdf

ENDS