At Places for People, we continue to embed wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion across every part of our organisation. As the UK’s largest social enterprise, with more than 20 businesses and over 12,500 colleagues, our challenge has been to build a shared culture of inclusion that is meaningful across a diverse workforce.
Our Inclusion and Belonging Communities were launched in 2021 to amplify underrepresented voices and ensure lived experience helps shape organisational change. Since then, they have evolved into trusted colleague-led communities that influence policy, improve colleague experience and help leaders better understand the barriers people can face at work. Today, our six communities; LGBTQ+, Gender, Dis-Ability, Cultural Diversity, Mental Health, and Parents & Carers, provide safe spaces for colleagues to connect, learn and drive positive change.
In 2025, our focus has been on expanding inclusion whilst making it more accessible for colleagues across frontline, office-based and agile roles. We have strengthened the connection between inclusion, wellbeing and colleague engagement by introducing 180 Wellbeing Champions, growing our Mental Health First Aider network to more than 350 colleagues, renewing our Carer Confident accreditation, signing the Race at Work Charter, launching a colleague-led Neuro-Inclusion programme and beginning our Social Mobility programme. We have also influenced our Workplace Blueprint to help create more inclusive working environments.
One of our greatest achievements has been the continued growth of our Inclusion and Belonging Communities, which now engage around 600 colleagues across the Group. Over the past year they have delivered more than 70 events, awareness campaigns and learning opportunities, while becoming a trusted source of colleague insight that informs business decisions. Through stronger executive sponsorship and closer alignment to organisational priorities, these communities are increasingly recognised as strategic partners rather than standalone networks.
Colleague feedback has directly influenced organisational change, including the introduction of five days’ paid Carers Leave, enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption benefits, improvements to family-friendly support and the launch of our Transitioning at Work policy. Our communities are now routinely consulted on policy reviews, workplace initiatives and colleague experience programmes, ensuring lived experience is reflected in decision-making.
We have also made significant progress in neuro-inclusion. Following colleague feedback and diversity data, we launched a Neuro-Inclusion programme featuring a dedicated Neuro Hub, accredited Neuro Champions and specialist support through Cognassist. More than 75 colleagues have already accessed personalised support, while managers have been equipped with practical resources to create more inclusive workplaces.
Alongside this, we have continued to build inclusion capability across the organisation. More than 2,000 colleagues have participated in inclusion events and awareness activity, while over 1,500 managers are completing EDI learning through our leadership programmes. Reverse mentoring has also expanded, enabling senior leaders to learn directly from colleagues with different lived experiences.
Our work is underpinned by a data-led approach, with improved diversity declaration rates providing richer insight into colleague experiences and helping us target interventions where they are needed most.
The impact of this work is being recognised both internally and externally. We have been shortlisted for national EDI awards, recognised for our colleague networks and family-friendly practices, improved our position in the UK’s Top 50 Best Places to Work for Women and continued to strengthen representation and inclusion across the organisation. Most importantly, we are creating a culture where more colleagues feel they belong, can be themselves at work and have a voice in shaping the future of Places for People.
As we move into 2026, we will continue strengthening the links between inclusion, wellbeing and engagement, ensuring inclusion is embedded not only through formal networks but in everyday leadership, culture and decision-making, creating a place where everyone can belong and thrive
