Making Diversity and Inclusion easy for SMEs

On June 28, we published our first Diversity and Inclusion Technical Information Sheet (D&I TIS).

It’s great to be part of an organisation that works to enhance the sector by encouraging inclusive practices. We decided it was important to develop this document to provide a tool aimed at SMEs with limited resources. Some of our members mentioned feeling left out of D&I discourse, as discussion and resources often focus on larger organisations. We always aim to listen to our members and tailor our work to suit their needs, therefore ensured our step-by-step guide focused on exploring just how much is achievable for SMEs.

Through the TIS we’re aiming to make implementing D&I easier and to gather in one place all the key information a company needs to begin implementing D&I. D&I can seem like a vast and confusing topic, but our TIS breaks it down into clear sections, step-by-step processes, definitions and resources to simplify it. The TIS also features case studies to illustrate how best practice can be adapted to a real-world context.

Through the D&I TIS we’re also aiming to spread best practice across the sector and encourage more organisations to invest in D&I. At CIOB we champion D&I not only because we feel it’s the right thing to do, but also because we are an organisation charged with acting in the public benefit, and fostering a diverse and inclusive construction industry is certainly in the public benefit. D&I enhances the built environment sector and ensures a prosperous future by increasing attraction, retention and employee satisfaction and it’s been proven that diverse companies are more financially successful.

The TIS will be beneficial for those wanting to implement D&I but are unsure where to start, as well as those who are looking for some guidance and new inspiration. The D&I TIS is free to CIOB members, so make sure to download your copy!