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Category: Charity
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An inclusive workplace welcomes and includes every employee. It ensures that employees feel accepted within the team they work in, across the wider organisation (as applicable) and supports them to thrive doing the work they perform.
In addition, an inclusive workforce is an environment that respects and values the unique traits of all employees and means that each employee can bring their authentic self to work.
Here are my top tips for developing an inclusive workplace:
Start at the top!
Like all workplace initiatives, engagement at a senior level is paramount. Senior leaders should understand and be able to define what being inclusive means and live by this day to day. Without this, developing an inclusive workplace just won’t happen.
In addition to this, senior leaders need to give some of themselves to their workforce and be authentic, as this will help others do the same. This isn’t always easy when you feel you need to keep everything private so as not to blur professional boundaries, but you can still strike a balance. By bringing your whole self to work and sharing the things in life you place value on, you will better connect with your workforce and show others that it’s safe for them to do the same.
Embed it into the organisation
Embedding inclusion into any organisation starts by considering it your mission and vision and ensuring it features in your organisation’s values and ambitions. To truly embed any initiative into an organisation not only requires robust policies and procedures but also ensures that inclusion is considered at every touch point in the employee life cycle. This is from attraction, during the recruitment process through to onboarding, induction, performance management, employee engagement and even when someone leaves the organisation.
Like all initiatives, it’s unlikely to stand the test of time without investment in awareness and engagement. This is why embedding training and development specifically to maintain an inclusive culture should be a continuous focus from induction and throughout an employee’s length of service.
Embrace diversity
Inclusivity is often considered to be the next step in supporting a diverse workforce so creating and embracing a diverse workforce is a great starting point for any organisation. Given that diversity is the collective mix of employee differences and similarities which, outside of any protected characteristics, even includes individual characteristics, values, beliefs, experience, backgrounds, preferences, and behaviours. On this basis, no matter where an organisation’s starting point is, every organisation has diversity in their workforce now. Understanding your workforce and getting to know your people is key to opening up an inclusive culture.
Think ‘employee experience’
Traditionally, organisations talk about employee engagement, referring to the strength of mental and emotional connection that employees feel towards the work they do, their teams and their organisation. Having a stronger focus on employee experience will not only enhance employee engagement but it also fosters a sense of belonging and community. This requires an organisation, its leaders, and managers to really think about the physical and psychological environment people work in. This includes the facilities and signage provided and used on-site; the way communication is managed and shared; language being adopted by everyone; celebrating a range of diverse events; awareness campaigns and dates in the calendar.
The employee experience also includes encouraging openness; welcoming and pro-actively seeking people’s thoughts, feedback and ideas; helping them build personal skills or introducing the right forums for those who may not be able to do this, to really enable a contribution by all. Ultimately, if everyone working for an organisation is more mindful of the employee experience it will enhance what it feels like to work there. The employee experience is everyone’s responsibility, not just senior leaders or managers.
Keep inclusion moving
Inclusion can’t be static; it needs to keep moving, evolve and continually develop over time. An organisation needs to stay closely connected to its workforce to ensure it continues to move with it. It’s key to make inclusion an intentional habit for everyone, meaning that employees are reminded of this on a frequent basis and it becomes part of the organisation’s DNA. Finding the best way to quantify and measure inclusion as an organisation is also a critical success factor.
To find out more about how Ben can support your organisation and the health and wellbeing of your employees, contact Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben: [email protected].
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Ben has just released a new short film as part of a Christmas appeal so the charity can provide vital support to even more automotive families who are struggling, or in crisis, this winter. 
Inspired by popular supermarket Christmas TV advertisements, Ben’s new film aims to raise £300,000 throughout December and January to ensure that automotive families don’t go without.
The new film uses the tagline ‘When you give a little, we can change a lot’ and focuses on a family who are struggling to make ends meet.
Ben is calling on those in the industry to share the film and donate as much as they can afford to help the charity provide life-changing support for automotive families. This year, there will be many more people worried about keeping the roof over their heads and heat in their homes, as well as putting food on the table. Funds raised will also bring gifts to go under the tree and put smiles on faces this Christmas.
Watch the film now!
Click here
The film was created, directed and produced by creative agency, MOREVER.
Over the last 12 months, Ben supported 231 households who couldn’t afford to put food on the table or heat their homes and an additional 103 households who would have otherwise become homeless. And, as part of last year’s Christmas families project, Ben supported 78 families who were struggling financially - a total of 118 adults and 99 children. The charity also wants to ensure automotive people know they can turn to Ben if they need support.
Matt Wigginton, Director of Partnerships, Engagement & Income, said: “Times are tough, really tough, and there are thousands more people in our automotive industry who urgently need our support. Every year, more people are turning to Ben. Too many people are struggling to make ends meet and keep their families warm and safe this winter. Please share our new film far and wide and give as much as you can afford so we can be there for those who need us. On behalf of all the families who will benefit from our Christmas appeal, thank you. You may never know the people it helps, but we want you to know the difference it makes.
“Together, we can make a life-changing, often life-saving, difference to the lives of our automotive family.”
Ben is here for our industry people this winter so if you work, or have worked, in the automotive industry we urge you to get in touch now if you’re at breaking point via our free and confidential helpline. Ben is already supporting many automotive families in the run up to Christmas. Don't suffer in silence, contact our helpline: 08081 311 333 or use our webchat at www.ben.org.uk. You can also access Ben’s out of hours text support line by texting BEN to 85258.
When any member of our automotive family is struggling or in crisis, we all rally to support them.
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Automotive industry charity, Ben, has launched its new Health & Wellbeing survey for 2023 and is encouraging everyone who works, or has worked, in the industry to share their experiences, with the chance to win a £500 Amazon voucher. The survey is confidential and takes around 10 minutes to complete.
Ben’s annual survey helps the industry charity understand what health & wellbeing-related issues have been affecting automotive industry people over the past 12 months. Ben then uses the information collected to ensure the charity provides the support services people need now and in the future.
By taking part, respondents also enable Ben to let automotive employers know what health & wellbeing support employees would like to see in their workplace. The aim is to directly help individuals, as well as helping build a more supportive and resilient automotive industry.
Help us to help you - take the survey now!
To help Ben support you and your colleagues now and in the future, take part in the survey: click here.
Last year’s survey indicated that:
- 99% of automotive workers were personally affected by a health and wellbeing issue over the 12-month period
- Stress was the most common issue (66%), followed by poor sleep and low mood
- Anxiety and depression issues are more common in the automotive industry than in the rest of the UK working population (1 in 3 versus 1 in 6)
- High workload was the biggest driver of stress in the workplace.
Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben, said: “We would like as many people as possible from our industry family to take part in our annual survey so we can gain vital insights into what’s currently going on from a health & wellbeing perspective. This then enables us to focus our efforts on supporting people in the right way, with the right resources. Help us to help you and take the survey now! Just 10 minutes of your time will make a massive difference to our understanding of the needs across our industry, and ultimately the health and wellbeing of our automotive family.”
Ben is here for those who work, or have worked, in the automotive industry and their family dependents. If you need support, get in touch via our free and confidential helpline: 08081 311 333 or use our webchat at www.ben.org.uk. You can also access Ben’s out of hours text support line by texting BEN to 58258.
For employers who would like to find out more about working in partnership with Ben, or who would be interested in discussing Health & Wellbeing support for employees contact Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben: [email protected].
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Ben, the automotive industry charity, has just released a new short film to raise awareness about the topic of suicide on International Men’s Day, for which this year’s theme is ‘zero male suicide’.
The short film, called ‘Alright mate’, also aims to challenge perceptions and is a longer piece of video content, at around 8 minutes long, so Ben encourages automotive industry people to dedicate the time to watch it.
One of the main characters, Aidan (Ade), is played by Alastair Ellery who starred in the Netflix film, The Strays. It was filmed and directed by Chris Harris.
Watch the film now!
Click here
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Today, Ben is announcing the future strategic direction for the charity as part of a new five-year strategic plan.
The automotive industry charity has experienced a significant increase in service demand since 2018, managing over 300% more enquiries through its confidential helpline and supporting over 200% more individuals through its support and specialist services.
With the aftermath of a global pandemic, coupled with cost-of-living pressures, Ben has continued to respond to ever increasing demand each year, with more industry-connected individuals reaching out for support than ever before.
Ben’s Board of Trustees and Executive team have spent the past 12 months completing a strategic review of every aspect of the support and services Ben currently operates and has made some key decisions about the future strategic direction of the charity, which exists to support automotive industry people and their family dependents.
The following excerpt in italics is a summary taken from a statement which can be read in full here. The statement is to be printed as it is and not re-phrased:
“Through a recent strategic review process, Ben’s Board of trustees reflected on the changing context for people working in the automotive industry and the impact that it is having, and will have, on their health and wellbeing.In light of the growing demand for Ben’s health and wellbeing services, the Board concluded that over the next 5–10-year period, the priority of the charity will be to significantly increase these services for industry people and their family dependents. This will entail enhancing and accelerating both our reactive and preventative health and wellbeing support services and driving increased impact and engagement across the automotive industry.We will be in a position to share our plans for these developments over the future months.
“Establishing Ben’s future focus has required a fundamental review of all Ben’s current services. Our care, and latterly village, services have been an integral and valued part of the charity for over 70 years. Both the Board and Executive team are extremely proud of these services and the excellent reputation they have achieved over the years. After very careful consideration, the Board, supported by Ben’s Executive team, has unanimously concluded that now is the right time to recommend the transfer of these services to the stewardship of new operators. We believe this will ensure that these services and our employees working in them have the very best opportunity to continue to flourish, develop and thrive going forward.”
Zara Ross, Ben’s CEO, said: “The announcement being made today marks a significant period of change for our charity, but we believe now is the right time for us to make this commitment. This will enable us to grow and accelerate support and services for our automotive family.
“Since 2018 when Ben launched its previous 5-year strategic plan, we have developed our health and wellbeing services and managed significant growth in demand. More people than ever are reaching out to us due to their mental health and financial pressures, along with many life and health or wellbeing related issues. In addition to this, we are also, sadly, responding to more cases where automotive people have been affected by the loss of a colleague through suicide.
“Our Board of Trustees and Executive team are committed to growing our charitable impact even further, but we must raise awareness of the support that Ben provides to ensure we can be there for those who are struggling, or in crisis. We cannot do this alone; we need our industry to join us in raising awareness and help us to support even more of our automotive family. We look forward to sharing more about the scale of our ambition and plans soon.”
Support Ben and spread the word
To support Ben and help spread the word about your automotive industry charity, visit www.ben.org.uk/supportBen today.
Ben is here for those who work, or have worked, in the automotive industry and their family dependents. If you need support, get in touch via our free and confidential helpline: 08081 311 333 or use our webchat at www.ben.org.uk. You can also access Ben’s out of hours text support line by texting BEN to 58258.
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