Equity, diversity and inclusion
Being an inclusive company with a diverse workforce and equal opportunities leads to better business outcomes. It ensures that we’re more able to deliver our vital social purpose – to build homes and change lives.
Our commitment – what our Board says
We believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion are integral to how we treat our customers and how we treat our colleagues. This is because of the social value it brings and the business benefits that arise, which help us fulfil our purpose; ‘Building Homes and Change Lives’.
We believe that being an inclusive organisation with a diverse workforce gives our customers greater confidence that we can understand their needs, and it improves our ability to attract skilled and talented colleagues. Through our One Raven Culture Framework, we are committed to building an environment in which managers understand the critical importance of trust and colleagues feel accepted, respected, and valued, which is reflected in the services we provide to our customers.
Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is reflected at all levels of the organisation. Our workforce currently has an even split between male and female colleagues and is representative of the local population in relation to age and ethnicity. We have Level 2 Disability Confident accreditation and use specialist agencies to widen our talent pool when recruiting for Board members and Leadership Team, as well as encouraging applications from all minority and underrepresented groups for all positions.
We have a robust Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Plan below that brings together the priorities from our Delivering What Matters strategy and supporting plans. We will monitor progress against the targets set out in our EDI plan and publish regular updates.
Related information
Why EDI matters at Raven
Our purpose is to Build Homes and Change Lives, and our mission is to be amongst the country’s most trusted affordable housing landlords and to transform our homes so they are fit for the future.
Our customers come from many different backgrounds and have a wide range of experiences and needs. By recognising and respecting these differences, we can make sure our services are fair, accessible and designed around what matters most to the people who live in our homes.
We are also committed to creating a workplace where colleagues feel respected, valued and able to be themselves. When our people feel supported and included, they are better able to provide great services to our customers.
Our priorities
Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan (2024–2027) focuses on three main areas:
Understanding our customers
To provide the best possible services, we need to understand the people who live in our homes.
We are improving how we collect and use information about our customers so we can better understand their needs and experiences. This helps us design services that work for everyone.
Understanding our customers and their needs helps us:
- Provide services that are fair and accessible
- Build trust and positive relationships with customers
- Make better decisions about our homes and services
- Create neighbourhoods where everyone feels respected and supported
We believe that treating people fairly sometimes means recognising that different people need different levels of support. That is why we focus on equity, making sure people receive the support they need.
Delivering inclusive services
We want every customer to feel respected and supported when they interact with us.
We are working to make sure our services are fair, accessible and designed with customers in mind. This includes improving key services such as starting a tenancy and reporting repairs, listening to customer feedback, and making reasonable adjustments where people need extra support.
We also provide a range of ways for customers to share their views so that different voices can help shape our services.
Building an inclusive organisation
We believe our workforce should reflect the communities we serve.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where colleagues feel valued and have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of our customers.
This includes ongoing training, promoting understanding of different experiences and backgrounds, and improving representation within our workforce.
Accountability and progress
Our Board oversees our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and monitors progress against our goals.
We also follow the National Housing Federation Code of Governance, which requires us to demonstrate our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion across all our activities.