Housing Today’s Good Employment Report - Chapter three: Sustaining inclusive workplaces

Building’s sister title Housing Today this week publishes its exclusive Good Employment Report.

The research project explores existing and emerging solutions that housing organisations are using to improve diversity and inclusion within their teams and address current and future skills shortages.

It focuses on practical actions rather than policy or market challenges, aiming to surface and share effective strategies.

The research took evidence from a cross-section of large and medium-sized housing organisations ensure variation in scale, workforce size and geographic reach, with each nominating a relevant leader to contribute.

>>Click here for Chapter one: Innovating in recruitment now

Throughout this week, Housing Today is publishing chapters of the report, with the full findings being launched at our Good Employer Guide Live conference in London on Thursday, 6 March.

Click here for details about Good Employer Guide Live.

Here is the second chapter of the Good Employment Report:

Chapter 3: Sustaining inclusive workplaces

Culture change, leadership buy-in and long‑term inclusion strategies 

Creating an inclusive workplace is not a one-time initiative but an ongoing commitment that requires cultural change, leadership buy-in and long-term strategies to embed inclusion at every level. While recruitment and development programmes can bring diverse talent into an organisation, true inclusion is sustained by shifting workplace culture, ensuring leadership accountability and embedding inclusive practices into everyday decision-making. As Barratt Redrow’s Gemma Webb expressed: “There is no point having diversity if you don’t have an inclusive culture, because you’re going to end up with a revolving door – a fantastic talent that you won’t keep.” 

Developing behavioural competencies  

Strong leadership is essential to sustaining an inclusive, high-performing workplace, yet many organisations have lacked clear expectations for what good leadership looks like. To address this, organisations are now defining leadership behaviours, embedding them into competency frameworks and rolling out structured training to ensure that managers at all levels understand their role in shaping workplace culture. 

While implementing structured leadership training at scale is neither cheap nor easy, organisations are recognising that without strong leadership, wider culture change efforts will fail

Catrin Jones described how Clarion is building a new set of leadership competencies and behaviour metrics as part of its change programme. These will ensure that leaders are not only effective in driving performance but also act as mentors, coaches and inclusive managers. By assessing leadership behaviours during appointments, the organisation aims to reskill existing leaders where possible, rather than displacing them, while ensuring that those in management roles are equipped to motivate people, foster inclusion and achieve results. 

Tom Arey outlined a comprehensive leadership training initiative at Places for People, which has focused on re-educating every manager, at every level, over the past few years. This effort has been structured around four core leadership pillars, applicable across all levels of management – from executives to frontline supervisors. One key pillar, called “creating an inclusive workforce”, includes mandatory learning modules that define the leadership behaviours required to build an inclusive, high-performing culture. 

While implementing structured leadership training at scale is neither cheap nor easy, organisations are recognising that without strong leadership, wider culture change efforts will fail. By ensuring that leaders are trained, evaluated and held accountable for inclusive and effective management, these initiatives set clear expectations for leadership behaviour, supporting long-term organisational success. 

Is everyone welcome on site? 

A truly inclusive workplace requires more than just policies – it means ensuring that the physical environment is set up for everyone to feel comfortable, safe and valued. This necessitates addressing basic but essential factors such as facilities, uniforms and workplace design, to ensure that all employees have what they need to do their jobs effectively. 

Catrin Jones highlighted how organisations often overlook fundamental needs when striving for inclusion. For example, many sites have lacked accessible female toilets or appropriate uniforms for women, making it harder for female employees to feel fully integrated into the workforce. Without addressing these practical barriers, inclusion efforts risk feeling superficial or performative. 

Other workplace adjustments can make a significant difference in supporting a diverse workforce. Simple provisions like faith and wellbeing rooms – which can be used for prayer, taking medication or managing health conditions – help create an environment where employees feel respected and accommodated. 

An inclusive approach to inclusion 

It is important to communicate that inclusion is for all. If the majority see inclusion as something for “them” rather than “us”, it can lead to disengagement, resistance or fear of losing status. True inclusion ensures that everyone understands their role in creating a more inclusive workplace. 

To address this, Gemma Webb highlighted efforts to build allyship and psychological safety, helping employees feel comfortable discussing diversity. By framing inclusion as a shared goal – not just for under-represented groups – Barratt Redrow encourages open dialogue and greater engagement. This includes exploring intersectionality, the idea that each individual has a number of different identities simultaneously, and encouraging a focus on unique individuals and what they share.  

“Those in the majority tend not to wander around thinking about what makes them different,” explained Webb. “So actually you have to open it up and say this is genuinely something that applies to everybody. We want everybody to be valued for all of the things that make them unique; and using some of those examples like diversity of thought, background experience, family situation allows people to start connecting to this in a way that makes them willing to come and have conversations and learn and experience. We do a lot of work around allyship: come and understand the stuff that you may not have experience of, because nobody’s expected to know everything. Having that interaction, understanding and conversation is how we will create a truly inclusive place.” 

Elaine Johnson described how Great Places identified cultural intelligence gaps among line managers, which were creating unintentional barriers. In response, it launched training initiatives to help managers understand different perspectives, adapt their leadership styles and recognise workplace challenges they might not have experienced first-hand. Paradigm’s Alexandra Hopkins focused on encouraging inclusive language, ensuring that employees feel confident discussing diversity in a way that is authentic and constructive. Well-meaning individuals may say things like, “I treat everyone the same,” but as Johnson pointed out, true inclusion means acknowledging and addressing differences to create a level playing field, rather than ignoring them. 

“One of the things I think is really great about Home Group is we’ve been really leaning into actually how we all represent diversity,” explained Jenny Salkeld. “Everyone’s got their own story, and it’s how we come together, understand each other’s separate stories and build an even better one together.” 

Harnessing lived experience  

A truly inclusive workplace listens as much as it speaks. Encouraging employees to share their lived experiences helps build understanding, create stronger connections and foster an open, supportive culture. Jenni Salkeld described the Life programme at Home Group, where employees and customers share personal experiences – such as living with a disability or managing a hidden condition – through live discussions and recorded videos. This growing “human library” allows colleagues to learn directly from real stories, making inclusion more tangible than traditional training. 

Alexandra Hopkins highlighted how employee storytelling organically builds peer support. A blog by a contact centre worker about being diagnosed with lupus unexpectedly sparked connections and organic support networks, proving that psychological safety enables real inclusion. While formal networks may be a next step, genuine conversations are already happening naturally. 

Elaine Johnson shared how members of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers partnership are paying care-experienced young people to develop and deliver staff training on the challenges faced by care-leavers, ensuring that housing services are more responsive and supportive. 

By embracing lived experience, organisations are making inclusion real and relevant, ensuring it is not just a policy, but part of everyday workplace culture. 

Safe spaces and employee-led support 

Inclusion groups provide structured spaces for employees to share experiences, offer peer support and shape organisational change. However, organisations are increasingly shifting towards more flexible, intersectional approaches, ensuring that groups support employees without becoming exclusive or fragmented. 

Sam Knight explained how MJ Gleeson is establishing inclusion groups, allowing employees to determine the areas of focus and priority. Rather than setting up numerous identity-based groups – which could be resource-intensive and risk excluding some voices – they are taking a broader, employee-led approach, allowing the group to evolve organically. 

Jenni Salkeld described how colleague diversity networks act as both a voice for employees and a source of peer support. One example is Home Group’s multicultural network, which functions as a safe, closed group for employees with lived experience of racial or cultural bias, alongside a separate allies group that collaborates with them. This structure allows employees to share experiences without fear, while also engaging allies in broader inclusion efforts. 

Beyond peer support, these networks also play a practical role in workplace issues. Employees facing difficult conversations or formal processes can seek guidance from trained peers who understand company policies on performance management, grievances and bias reporting.  

By equipping employees with knowledge and support, these networks help colleagues navigate challenges effectively, ensuring that concerns about bias are addressed appropriately while also clarifying when formal escalation is necessary. 

Using data to track inclusion and diversity 

Data is essential for moving beyond broad commitments to tangible action, allowing organisations to track progress, identify gaps and tailor interventions where they are most needed. Instead of chasing frameworks, organisations are focusing on what their own data reveals about equity and inclusion needs. 

Gemma Webb and Sam Knight reinforced the importance of granular workforce data. Barratt Redrow reports quarterly on gender, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+ representation, age and social mobility. This allows it to monitor change at every level and division, ensuring that inclusion efforts are genuinely shifting the dial rather than just ticking boxes. At MJ Gleeson, real-time data analysis enables targeted interventions. Sam Knight explained how data allows the company to pinpoint gaps at specific job levels. If representation drops above senior management, it can tailor recruitment efforts, such as launching graduate programmes targeting more diverse talent pools. 

Measuring social mobility has also become a focus. After noticing many senior leaders had risen from entry-level roles, Gemma Webb’s team at Barratt Redrow included key social mobility indicators in their workforce survey. The findings confirmed that their organisation had a strong record of career progression regardless of background – contrasting with FTSE 100 firms overall, where on average only 34% of CEOs attended state schools compared with 93% of the general population. This reinforced the importance of actively tracking socioeconomic diversity alongside other inclusion metrics. 

Jenni Salkeld emphasised that data is more than just numbers – it is also the stories employees share. The key is to step back and ask where equity and inclusion are needed most, then focus resources on those areas rather than blindly chasing external benchmarks. 

Sector-wide collaboration 

While industries often compete for talent, collaboration within housebuilding and social housing is proving increasingly important in tackling shared challenges. Rather than working in isolation, organisations are coming together to exchange best practices, improve sector branding and address barriers to career progression. 

Gemma Webb highlighted how housebuilders, through the Home Builders Federation (HBF), are actively sharing solutions – from recruitment strategies to inclusion initiatives – to drive industry-wide progress. Unlike other sectors where competition dominates, the focus here is on collective problem-solving to benefit the entire workforce. 

By working together, sharing data and tackling sector-wide barriers, housebuilders and housing associations are ensuring that inclusion efforts extend beyond individual organisations, creating long-term structural change across the industry

Andy George stressed the importance of how the sector presents itself, not just as individual companies but as an industry with attractive career prospects. A more collaborative approach to branding and outreach could help change perceptions and attract more diverse talent. 

In social housing, collaboration is also driving systemic change. Elaine Johnson described how Greater Manchester Housing Providers, a coalition of 25 housing associations, has partnered with the University of Manchester to research barriers to career progression for ethnically diverse employees. Early findings highlight a stark lack of representation at senior levels. Many employees also lack professional role models, both internally and in their personal lives. 

By working together, sharing data and tackling sector-wide barriers, housebuilders and housing associations are ensuring that inclusion efforts extend beyond individual organisations, creating long-term structural change across the industry. 

>>Click here for Chapter one: Innovating in recruitment now