Diversity, inclusion, equality and fairness with Hastings Direct

An inclusive business

We encourage our people to be themselves in the workplace because we know different perspectives strengthen the way we work. Our recruitment process is designed to attract and retain the best people from every background by celebrating differences and avoiding discrimination. We regularly monitor the demographic diversity of our colleagues at all levels we know the more colleagues we have from the different backgrounds the more likely we are to have diversity of thinking. It doesn’t stop there. We know that representation without true inclusion isn’t the answer so we work hard to create an inclusive environment for all colleagues.

So, when you apply to work for us, you’ll find the recruitment and selection process reflects our values and beliefs. This means we’ll treat you with respect and dignity, bring out the best in you and allow you to be yourself. You’ll find it’s an approach that continues throughout your career with us.

In recognition of this, we were placed at no. 4 in the 2023-24 Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers league table – the annual list produced by Inclusive Companies, an organisation that helps employers foster an inclusive environment that recognises and values the differences of each employee.

Embracing our cultural diversity

Our goal is to for our team to be representative of colleagues from all backgrounds, disciplines and experiences. So we work hard to hire colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds and to support them to progress through our organisation. Through our #CountMeIn campaign, we monitor colleague diversity through voluntarily declared data on gender, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, social mobility, religion and family and caring responsibilities.

We’re proud that in our last colleague engagement survey 83% of colleagues agreed that they could "be who they are" at Hastings and 95% said they are treated with dignity and respect by their leaders.

Our colleagues come from a range of different backgrounds and have their own individual needs. So, we do everything we can to embrace and celebrate their diversity and make sure our workplace is the right fit for them. Join us and you’ll find we celebrate a range of religious festivals. Our multi faith prayer rooms are home to different congregations and prayer times. And our on-site restaurants also cater for a variety of dietary needs, including halal, vegan and vegetarian options. We also offer a number of flexible working options to suit your lifestyle.

Where we are

50:50

our gender split is 50% male and 50% female

50%

of our company board are women

77%

of colleagues agree that everyone at Hastings has an equal opportunity to succeed

79%

of colleagues believe we do a good job supporting our local communities

Promoting gender diversity

Our commitment to developing talent from within is demonstrated by our healthy promotion rate of female colleagues into senior leadership roles. Through a partnership with Women in Data, we now have three workstreams led by our talented female leaders to improve our talent pipeline. This includes working at grassroots level in schools to build interest and encourage participation in STEM subjects and offering summer internships for female university students in STEM subjects. We also provide support and learning material for existing colleagues looking to pivot into a career in data and building community by connecting existing female colleagues in data roles with each other to create a sense of belonging.

We’re proud to support International Women’s Day each year and participated in the 2022 year’s theme to #BreakTheBias. We also offer a range of flexible working options and generous maternity and parental leave policies, along with introducing a successful menopause support group raising awareness of this important topic and the impact it can have on women’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

Inside Hastings Direct

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Our promise to our colleagues

We may not always get things right but we won’t stop trying to be as inclusive as we can, so all colleagues can contribute, thrive and be who they are.