Developing young talent speaks to my personal values and, as a leader, it’s where I’d love to continue to take the business. Providing an equitable starting line for young people to begin their careers is front and centre for me, and La Fosse Academy offers just that – we train and develop the next generation of junior talent, with a focus on improving DEI in the industry. It speaks directly to our vision of helping create a world where talent is recognised regardless of background and lived experience.  

That equitable starting line was one of the reasons I was attracted to the fast-paced world of the recruitment sector in the first place. Irrelevant of your background, upbringing, education, financial backing, or societal beliefs, there’s a home for everybody who has the right skill set – it’s what makes our industry a vibrant and energetic place for your career.  

This sadly comes with its downsides, with varying levels of quality and consistency for our customers and candidates, but I truly believe there’s exceptional talent in our sector, delivering real value to businesses and the wider economy. The numbers speak for themselves, with the UK recruitment market now estimated at £140 billion (a £20 billion increase on 2019), highlighting the importance we play in continued growth.  

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is hearing about the experiences of the rising stars we’re developing at La Fosse Academy. I’ve recently been speaking to some of our current and graduated Associates, alongside some of our key Academy customers.  

Harry de Blaby was part of the first cohort at La Fosse Academy. He completed his placement with C. Hoare & Co., was taken on permanently, and has recently been promoted to Delivery Manager. Harry went from a deckhand on luxury yachts to signing up to the Academy and subsequently beginning his tech career in London.

Harry says of his experience: “The Academy set me up with all the skills I needed. Even going into a role that I wasn’t technically trained for, I still had the technical, industry-relevant base knowledge to understand what an API was, how a system hangs together, DevOps processes, and all the must-haves to develop a successful career.” 

Harry’s mentor and line manager, CTO Chris Loake, says the qualities he’s looking for in entry-level talent are “a general aptitude to learn, to problem-solve, to apply skills to shifting context”. Chris says he believes good leadership is about not walking past problems but addressing them and finding solutions. By identifying junior talent to provide diverse thinking and problem-solving, Chris and his team have unlocked future potential that now contributes to the private bank’s current and future success.  

Sophie Hebdidge, our Academy Director, said recently, “The Academy is special because it’s different. We worked backwards when we designed the programme, asking our customers, “What would you benefit from in terms of junior tech talent joining your business?”. We’re not only training people in specific skills or tech – we’re teaching them the underlying techniques they need to be able to succeed in the workplace. We took this approach because technologies continue to evolve, and it allows our Associates to follow the career path they feel most inspired and empowered by.” 

Some of our Associates have found themselves exceeding their own expectations. Zahra Mahmood is 18 months into her placement at the Department of Transport and has not only developed her technical capability but has gone above and beyond with her wider professional skills. Most notably, she won a nationwide hackathon and attended a presentation at 10 Downing Street. Zahra credits the Academy for giving her the opportunity to stretch herself, and she’s now looking forward to a successful career in the civil service as a result.  

Although there are numerous individual success stories, and we’ve now helped over 200 Associates start their careers in tech and transformation, not everything is rosy. The market is competitive, and the economic backdrop is challenging. As a result, customers in every sector are battling for business and facing the question of where to allocate hiring budgets.  

Whilst many customers buy into the idea of solving junior tech talent shortages and improving long-term DEI shortfalls, the reality is it requires a solid support structure, an attractive employee value proposition, a stable management team, and a consistent flow of good talent. None of these challenges are easy for us to solve, but we’re excited about what 2024 has in store for us, our Associates, and our Academy customers.     

(If you’d like some further reading, I thought this article by McKinsey made some interesting points. And if you’d like to talk to me about any of the topics in this blog, please do reach out as I’d love to hear from you.) 

The post Young talent – The equitable starting line appeared first on La Fosse.

Despite the overwhelming prevalence of technology in our everyday lives, and the progress of gender equality, women are vastly underrepresented in the tech industry, and movement towards a better balance is woefully slow.

We want to change that. 

Our DEI Toolkit relays actionable insights for employers, employees, leaders, and individual allies who want to play their role in retaining female tech talent, and presents practical guidance on career progression for women working in technology. 

Summarising discussions that took place at our Closing the Revolving Door: Women in Tech event, held in partnership with Preqin and the Tech Talent Charter, the toolkit outlines ways to engage and empower women in tech and support female retention across the industry.  

The challenge

Women working in tech increased by just 1% in 2022.  

While conversations on gender disparity at work have gained traction in a wider sense, the increase of women working in the tech industry is barely marginal. But the issues go beyond poor growth.   

An eye-popping 50% of women working in technology leave by the age of 35. For those who stay, the statistics don’t improve, with 20% of women over the age of 35 still in junior tech roles, and only 22% of senior tech roles held by gender minorities. 

The benefits

Gender diversity at work is better for business. 

Improving gender diversity in tech is not only about fostering fairer and more equitable working environments; recruiting and retaining gender-diverse teams simply makes good business sense.

Diverse teams offer fresh perspectives, generate unique ideas, and present new approaches to problem-solving. Out of this comes a greater readiness for innovation, more valued and engaged employees, higher employee retention, and balanced decision-making. Ultimately, a gender-diverse workforce equates to higher revenue growth and a firm foundation to recruit and attract a diverse talent pool. 

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, gender-diverse executive teams are 21% more likely to have above-average profitability compared to companies with less diversity.

Despite the clear advantages of retaining female tech talent, leaders keen to adopt a more inclusive culture can be doubtful of the value DEI programs bring, with a significant 51% of CEOS reporting that current DEI initiatives are not effective.

The solution

How to promote gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

We each have a different role to play in promoting gender diversity at work. If you’re asking yourself “What can we do as a company? What can I do as an individual?”, we have actionable insights to help you make better decisions.  

Learn how to: 

• Recognise and reduce the gender pay gap 
• Create gender-equal promotion and progression opportunities 
• Foster family-friendly work culture 
• Overcome hostile work environments 
• Educate and create allyship through support networks 

Download the DEI toolkit

The post Women in Tech DEI Toolkit: How to drive diversity and retain female talent appeared first on La Fosse.

Jo has been in the recruitment space for almost 22 years and set up Diversity in Recruitment in 2021 to give recruiters the skills, tools and confidence to support their clients properly while making recruitment inclusive, accessible, and equitable for all candidates. Diversity in Recruitment’s mission is to make recruitment processes accessible to everyone and improve the experiences of underrepresented and marginalised candidates.

Jo is working with La Fosse to up-skill our HR and Learning & Development teams, to audit our business model, hiring strategies and training programmes, and to work with a cross-collaborative group of ambassadors who care about and are involved in our diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives. This training will support La Fosse to create the most diverse environment possible and ensure we attract top talent, aligned with our values.

Read our Q&A below:

When it comes to DE&I what is one thing you want to see all businesses doing in the next 5 years?

That’s a massive question, I can think of at least 20 things, but if I can only choose one it’s got to be – do everything that you possibly can to ensure that a candidate’s identity, background, and circumstance is never the reason they don’t get the job they want, the promotion they deserve and the salary they are entitled to.

If businesses want to start making changes, what’s the first step they need to be taking to start moving forward?

Get educated; you cannot fix a problem you don’t understand. You must take the time to really get under the bonnet of inequality to understand the lived experiences of underrepresented and marginalised people. Also, understanding the diversity of your people and the way in which they experience inclusion (or not) in your business is super important, so often employers roll out events and initiatives without diagnosing the problem. A deep dive, managed by an external provider like the Global Equality Collective, will give you the data and insight you need to start the work that drives authentic change.

What are your best tips on how to be an ally?

1. Understand that your role is to stand next to and behind the community you are supporting, not in front
2. Learn the history, and understand the experiences of the folks you are advocating for
3. Be prepared to call out bias, discrimination, and prejudice whenever you witness it
4. Understand the needs and the support the community needs from you, and avoid making assumptions. Be an ally 365 days a year, not just in June
5. You can’t pick and choose what groups you stand for, don’t ever forget the T in LGBTQ+!

How to continue these efforts throughout the year so you are not just rainbow washing?

If you must ask yourself ‘are we rainbow washing?’ you probably are to be fair. Supporting your LGBTQ+ colleagues must be consistent throughout the year, if it’s only something you talk about in June, you have no place turning that logo into the PRIDE flag. As I mentioned before, you need a deep understanding of how your LGBTQ+ community experience life within your business, so you know what needs your attention.

LGBTQ+ inclusion doesn’t just happen because you have a few people from the community in your business, you need to be able to clearly articulate your inclusion work, which could include clear anti-discrimination policies, a commitment to pay equality, a leadership team that’s invested in LGBTQ+ inclusion, LGBTQ+ friendly benefits (especially family building), an active LGBTQ+ employee resource group, LGBTQ+ inclusion training, a gender-neutral working environment, Trans inclusion work, and finally supporting the external LGBTQ+ community such as supporting local charities.

What are the do’s and don’ts for businesses during pride?

Do… plan ahead, base your work around education, give examples of your LGBTQ+ inclusion work to influence others, push your network to make changes, and celebrate and acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community in other months.

Before you do anything, ask yourself what you are trying to achieve by the activity and how it benefits and advocates for the community. Be led by the LBGTQ+ community in your business, don’t stand in front of them and talk on their behalf.

Don’t… just acknowledge the month with a few statements of solidarity on LinkedIn. Don’t expect freebies and speakers if you run events. If you haven’t done any work internally for your LGBTQ+ colleagues you should not be making noise externally. Don’t let Pride be led by your marketing team alone.

Why is diversity training so important?

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Equity can often be a broad and complex landscape where learning is never done. I have yet to meet anyone who’s a true expert in everything. You wouldn’t expect a colleague who was super passionate about maths and finance suddenly step up to be your CFO, so don’t expect people to suddenly lead your D&I work without investing in their professional development and education; passion alone doesn’t turn the dial.

A huge thank you to Jo who has been working closely with our teams. As a business, we are excited for the doors we are unlocking and the opportunities we are opening.

If you’re interested in learning more about building diverse talent pipelines and strategies, please get in touch with our commercial director Claudia Cohen from La Fosse Academy – claudia.cohen@lafosse.com

The post How to be an ally with DE&I expert Jo Major appeared first on La Fosse.

Thank you everyone for joining us, especially our special guest Dan Yomi! Having known Dan since university where he was Student Union President, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of seeing not only his individual growth, but also the support he’s given to so many people. So, Dan, I’ll let you take the floor and give us a brief intro of your journey so far!

Hi Eli. Thank you for having me! So, I came to the UK from Nigeria in 2014 for my Master’s degree. It’s been an interesting journey… coming to a new city and trying to integrate culturally, not just as an international student, but also as someone who is queer. I remember going to my first gay club in Bournemouth and seeing two guys kissing and holding hands – and they were not running from the police! I thought, this is strange! And that triggered something in me. I didn’t think it was possible.

My queer life was non-existent in Nigeria. I was born into a very religious home, and I think my experience at university really helped me to learn – joining the LGBT society and being in a space with queer people. I started gaining confidence, but also, when I went to gay clubs, when I saw queer people, my experience as a black queer person in certain spaces was also different. I just wanted to be me.

I came out in 2018 and it was a difficult moment in my life… my mum was crying, saying I ruined the family reputation, what will the church members say… I just got to a stage in my life where I was tired of being alive, you know? And I think when we get to that point, nothing else matters apart from peace, so I really wanted to prioritise my mental health and not care about the opinions of others. And that led to me founding Living Free UK, because I felt that I want it to be easier for the next Dan to come out. And I think that was part of my conversation with my mother, She said, “Oh, I thought being gay was a white thing” – this confused me a lot because I’m not white, and I’m queer, so what now, right?! But I wasn’t really offended because I understand where the ignorance is coming from – and having no references to fall back to wasn’t helpful either. I didn’t know any queer Nigerians, and all she saw in mainstream media was something that was not reflective of society, so I thought, I’m going to open this space, I’m going to speak to queer Africans, so the younger me in Nigeria would sneak and watch a YouTube video and see people who look like them.

So, we’ve been open since 2018, creating safe spaces; I do a lot of work for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees. Going through that process is daunting, so I’m passionate about creating spaces because I know how difficult it was for me and I want to make it easier for young people and people who didn’t have the privilege I’ve now got.

Thanks Dan! That’s very interesting. I think that you’re right to touch on intersectionality and how it’s different for people that are black and queer within queer spaces. When you’re talking about Living Free UK, creating those spaces for the ‘younger Dans’, what does a comfortable, appropriate queer space look like for you?

Although I was in the UK, where legally I wouldn’t go to jail for falling in love with a man, I still feel that as a black person and a migrant, my identities impact the way I’m viewed within and outside LGBTQ+ community. Although I had well-meaning, well-intending white gay friends who I love, some people still made some (unintentionally) hurtful comments. Or I went to Nigerian spaces where people would say I wasn’t Nigerian enough because of my queerness. I just needed this space where I could be Queer, Black and Migrant on every level. So, what that looks like within Free Living UK. We’ve done three seasons of interviews with visible queer Africans on our YouTube channel which is amazing because you can’t be what you can’t see, and when you do see something, it makes you feel like you can do that thing. We also create physical spaces by organising events through. We also create physical spaces by organising events throughout the year for LGBTQ+ Africans, asylum seekers, refugees and allies. This has also been an opportunity to educate potential allies because when I spot someone who genuinely wants to learn about my lived experience, we will have that conversation, because part of me feels that they can’t know if I don’t teach them.

Absolutely. And that’s a big conversation going on at the moment: how much responsibility do queer people have to teach allies how to behave? I’m curious to hear what your thoughts are on that?

So when I said teaching, I just meant personally – you know, if I met a friend who genuinely, respectfully wanted to learn about something they just didn’t know about, I would explain – but the onus is not on the oppressed to educate the oppressors. I’m of the school of thought that the reason there is sexism is because of the actions of men, so men need to educate themselves; and this also goes for racism, homophobia, ableism and transphobia. I think it’s asking too much to ask people who are already marginalised to educate people for free, right? Existing in your self is a full-time job, regardless of your intersectionality. So yeah, I think allies should do the work.

People shouldn’t feel entitled to information from queer and other marginalised people… Google is your friend! I think it’s also about encouraging a culture where people do their own research. It can be draining when someone just comes to you without any basic knowledge.

I guess on that note, often people are worried to take that step because they’re worried they’ll get something wrong. What would be your advice there?

Yeah, that comes up a lot. No one wants to be told they offended someone; it’s not a nice feeling. But what I tell people is, it’s ok to make that mistake. I don’t think the issue for me is in the mistake, it’s actually in our reactions. As a queer person, if someone says something insensitive, of course I’m not happy, but I think it’s more about how they react to me calling them out. So you have group A, who would say, “I’m sorry, you know I did not mean any offense” and they’re keen to change their behaviour. Then there’s group B, who tend to get defensive. And I think that for me that is where the problem lies. It’s not in the mistake that we made, it’s in that act of listening and knowing that sometimes you will get it wrong. As a cis man who exists in a patriarchal society, I know that I benefit from a system that dehumanises women (both cis and trans). That’s the consciousness I now bring to the table; that of learning, engaging, but also being humble enough to apologise and listen. Nine times out of ten, I think people get defensive and prioritise their feeling of discomfort, but even though they’re not the victim here, I’ve seen a lot of marginalised people get gaslit into apologising. And I tell people,

“If you don’t feel safe, you don’t have to call out racism or homophobia or transphobia.”

This is just my school of thought… because I also think that the onus, especially in the place of work, would be for the organisation to create a space where people can express themselves and speak up. A lot of times people just don’t say anything because we’re scared, so it’s just being conscious of not prioritising our feelings over the oppression of others’. If you’re uncomfortable with being called out, remember it’s not about you, it’s someone reacting to what you said.

What do you think the role of an ally is?

An ally for me is someone who personally advocates and actively works for the inclusion of the marginalised. And when I say marginalised, I mean various intersected identities; of race, of sexuality, disability etc… an ally is someone although not part of that group is keen, intentional, and willing to put in the work. This person is passionate about solidarizing with that community.

Ok, and where do allies fit in a situation in which someone doesn’t feel safe?

Oh yes, in being an active bystander. So I think it comes down to:

Being comfortable talking about the oppression of a marginalised group. If you’re an ally (for example) to the Black Queer community, this means being comfortable talking about the racism & homophobia that these communities face. It’s a difficult conversation to have I know, but I think understanding, being conscious, showing empathy, and turning the spotlight back onto the marginalised leads to being an active bystander.

Being conscious about our Privileges. This is about knowing that if you say the same thing as someone who’s queer (as a cis-het person), you will get a different reaction and certainly wouldn’t get punished for calling out oppression. Also, having straight privilege (for example) doesn’t mean straight people don’t have struggles, it just means their sexuality is not part of what makes their lives difficult.​

Yeah, I love that, it’s kind of this whole thing that as an ally, you should stand beside or behind – but never in front.

Yes, I think you’re absolutely right – allyship is about listening, learning, and supporting from behind. I think when it feels like you’re taking the spotlight, maybe you want to take a step back and just champion someone who is of that group because they may not have access to spaces that you have. And we all have privilege, as I say. It’s not about feeling guilty, it’s just feeling conscious, empathetic and sad about a system that dehumanises our fellow humans simply because of their differences.

That’s a really good point to make. So, we’re coming up to Pride Month soon of course… what are your views on the typical way companies may respond to Pride Month and how you see that fitting in with queer representation within businesses? And also, what kind of pitfalls to avoid as a business?

That’s an interesting question. One of the reasons I was keen to speaking here tonight was because it wasn’t happening in June. The sad reality is that a lot of companies don’t recognise that Queer people are still queer 365 days a year. Don’t get me wrong, I feel It’s important to recognise the work corporations do during Pride, but rainbow washing kind of speaks to the intentions behind it and I’m always curious to understanding the experiences of the employees within such organisations.

Yeah, I absolutely agree with that. So moving on to Living Free, I’d love to hear a bit more about its history and what you have been doing recently.

So going back to my mum’s conversation… I was passionate about visibility, I just needed people to see that you can be Asian, Black, Migrant and Queer. There is also a misconception about some of us who migrate to the UK or US for education or work; it’s the idea that we have been westernised, which clearly isn’t true because Queer history is African History. As you know, I’m out, and I’ve had to pay the price of losing relationships with friends and family.

Living Free UK started as a YouTube channel and we’ve since grown to becoming a CIC (Community Interest Company) supporting LGBTQ+ Africans, asylum seekers and refugees, by creating both digital and physical spaces in the UK and Globally. We do a crucial work in creating spaces for our community to unwind and exist in our unedited selves.

One of our biggest wins was securing funding to offer free therapy for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers during the COVID 19 pandemic. This was run by a culturally competent therapist which led to some very positive conversations and feedback around mental health awareness. We also offered free food vouchers to LGBTQ+ Asylum seekers.

That’s amazing, I always love following how it’s grown over the last few years, it’s been awesome to see.

Living Free UK also launched a global space on Clubhouse called The Cool Off Zone. With over 2,000 members across the world, the club has been pivotal to creating a digital space for Queer Africans in the UK, US, and the continent of Africa. Allies are also welcome to our spaces because when you meet allies who are passionate, who are willing to listen and learn, it makes our lives easier.

Yeah I absolutely agree. I think like you said, you don’t always want to thank people for doing the bare minimum, but also in the world we live in, the bare minimum is often more than most! So how can people support Living Free UK?

You can support us by first getting to know who we are and what we do via our website www.livingfreeuk.org.

You can also donate to our newly launched AfroYanga Hardship Fund for LGBT Asylum seekers.

Currently, asylum seekers are not allowed to work, and some have no recourse to public funds. Your donation will help towards our hardship fund of £80 for food per week per person and £25 for phone data, and £50 for bodily essentials per month for each beneficiary.

Your donation will also provide training, certifications & licences such as Cyber Security, Business Analysis, Digital Marketing, Door Supervision licence, etc., to LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers for £600 per person.
Your donation will also provide financial support for staffing, volunteer expenses, and other related emergencies.

By addressing their needs, we aim to contribute to the stable support and well-being of LGBTIQ+ Africans, asylum seekers and refugees in the U.K.

You can donate via Bank Transfer, PayPal or our GoFundMe Page all available on our website www.livingfreeuk.org. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @livingfree_uk

Thank you in advance for your donations and support!

Dan Yomi

Dan is the Founder/Director of Living Free UK, a registered community interest company that provides support and validation for LGBTQ+ Africans, asylum seekers and refugees. He was elected the 1st Black President of the Bournemouth University’s Student Union and served on the Board of Trustees for two years. He now works full time as a Recruitment Consultant and also volunteers on the Board of Directors at house of Rainbow. He gained recognition when conversations of his coming out as a Nigerian Gay Man to his family surfaced on social media, which was then amplified by the international media.

Discover more about diversity, equality and inclusion at La Fosse.
Read La Fosse’s Diversity and Inclusion Statement of Intent.

The post Queerness, identity, and allyship: Interview with Dan Yomi (part 1) appeared first on La Fosse.

Claudia Cohen, Associate Director at La Fosse, joined four fellow panellists for a discussion around retention and promotion within underrepresented groups.

Full panel:

• Claudia Cohen, 2021 TechWomen100 Winner | Associate Director at La Fosse
• David Henderson, Chief Technology & Product Officer at Global
• Debbie Irish, Head of HR at HP UK & Ireland
• Lopa Ghosh, UKI Cybersecurity Competency Leader at EY
• Shilpa Shah, Programme Director for Deloitte Delivery, Large Scale Implementations, Women in Technology Leader

In this blog, we’ve rounded up 10 key tips from our expert panellists to help you improve minority retention and promotion opportunities within your business.

1. Know your data

Being a data-driven business is vital to understanding where problems lie and measuring your success in solving them. In order to have better conversations around equality in your organisation, you first need to understand your demographics and metrics per role, level and team.

2. Practice active listening

Active listening is something that should take place at all levels of your business. Listening to employees should never be a tick-box exercise, it’s an opportunity to really find out what your employees are thinking. Two key ways of putting this into practice are:

• Survey-based research – this is easy to anonymise and is a great way to find out what would make people stay at or leave your organisation
• Employee networks – this provides a safe space for open discussion among all employees, whether members of underrepresented groups or allies

3. Provide mentorship opportunities

Mentorship or sponsorship can take many forms; it’s up to you to find out what works best for your business and current capability. Even a little will go a long way to help underrepresented employees who wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to get face time with someone higher up in the business. A few successful examples from the panellists include:

• Mutual mentorship – both parties support and learn from each other
• ‘15 minutes with’ executive mentor meetings – a quick elevator-style intro
• Mentor circles – ‘one-to-many’ confidential mentorship groups (great for smaller companies)

4. Build out a career roadmap

Whether general or personal (if capacity allows), your business needs to be fully transparent around growth and development opportunities. Here at La Fosse, we encourage employees to pivot to different roles around the business, but it doesn’t have to be permanent move – some companies like Global are offering temporary project roles in other teams to help give underrepresented groups the chance to try something new and still have a secure job to come back to.

5. Promote role models

Every worker needs someone to look up to within their organisation; someone who not only aligns with their skillset and ambitions, but someone who looks and sounds like them. Senior role models are crucial for retention – especially among early-career employees – and every business has a responsibility to project diverse voices at all levels in order to give their employees something to aspire to, as well as being a friendly face to approach if they ever need support on their journey.

“For someone to feel included and comfortable, you need at least 30% representation within the room.” – Debbie Forster, TTC

6. Make everyone accountable

Ensuring diversity targets are met and inclusivity is promoted is a collective responsibility, but the buck has to stop somewhere. Business targets should be transparently shared both internally and externally, and data collection and analysis should be consistent, with a clear path of escalation and intervention. Most importantly, everyone should be able to hold a mirror up to themselves and consider why people leave the business and what can be done to prevent this in future.

7. Set long-term plans

A roadmap is all well and good, but how will an employee reach the next rung on the ladder? What happens if life gets in the way? As well as holding regular development meetings and setting actionable goals to achieve a promotion or pay rise, employers need to consider each individual’s needs. A couple of ways the panellists’ organisations have implemented this is through emerging leaders development programmes for diverse employees, and holding regular career chats with women in the business to create career plans around their own personal life plans, such as having children.

8. Educate everyone

Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment shouldn’t just be down to HR – it’s the responsibility of everyone in the business. A few examples from the panellists include:

Mandatory training – educating everyone on respect and inclusion is a must to ensure that everyone can act as allies to underrepresented groups and understand how to approach diversity in the right way.

Manager training – technical skills don’t always translate into people skills, so your business should support this growth with added training, especially for those managing teams for the first time. At La Fosse, we understand this challenges and offer management training as part of our support service.

Training for underrepresented groups – in order to help people progress and feel supported by the business, organisations should listen to individual needs and facilitate training to help them grow and develop.

“1 in 4 women would consider switching to a tech career if skills training was provided” – TTC

9. Boost board representation

​Diversity at board level has been shown to directly impact business success, with a recent report finding that companies with higher-than-average diversity had 19% higher innovation revenues. While many businesses are working to diversify their board, this is often not an overnight process. One great way of improving representation is to put a shadow board in place. Not only does this allow diverse voices across the business to discuss the same issues as the board and understand their challenges, it also helps to provide answers that draw from a wider range of backgrounds and experiences.

10. Be flexible

Understanding that people’s needs differ and accommodating them is important for retention; organisations should be mindful that what works for many does not necessarily work for all. In addition to listening to individuals’ needs, consider little things you can do as a business to be inclusive of other people’s cultures – have internal champions to celebrate and educate on different holidays, or as one of the panellists has done in their business, open up bank holidays to be taken freely at a time that suits the individual.

The most important takeaway from this event was that addressing diversity, equality and inclusion is never just a ‘one and done’. Although ongoing discussion is useful, it’s only through listening to underrepresented groups, educating staff at all levels, and delivering enduring change within your organisation to help underrepresented groups that we can begin to fix the diversity gap together.

Where to next?

Catch up on all the session recordings from this year’s Inclusion in Tech Festival.

If you liked this blog, you might also like…

​Why it’s time to change the way you hire

Getting ahead… as a woman in tech

Closing the D&I Gap: A Cross-Industry Movement

​

If you need advice on how to improve diversity and retention within your organisation, we can help! Speak to your dedicated consultant today or contact our team.

The post 10 ways leading businesses are tackling retention and promotion through inclusivity appeared first on La Fosse.

Within the corporate world, women often face difficulties in advancing their career at the same rate as men, with the industry’s longstanding diversity and gender gaps both causing and compounding this issue. Although it is everyone’s shared responsibility to #BreakTheBias – the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – there are many ways women can get ahead in the industry, creating space for themselves to thrive, driving change, and inspiring others.

For this blog, we interviewed three women who are leading the way in technology and tech recruitment within the La Fosse group:

Hannah Crisp – Managing Consultant at La Fosse

Sophie Hebdidge – Academy Director at La Fosse Academy

Claudia Cohen – Head of Commercial at La Fosse Academy

Excelling in your career

Be bold and play to your strengths

Being self-aware within any career is important, and one of the main keys to growth is knowing your weaknesses but playing to your strengths. Hannah Crisp advises women in tech to “find the aspect of tech you are passionate about and let that fuel you!”

Although there may be boundaries or restrictions which make it harder to succeed, you shouldn’t let them limit what you can achieve. In order to thrive, you must believe in your own potential. When you assertively challenge societal norms and put yourself first, this attitude will change how others perceive you, and you in turn will inspire other women to succeed.

“Be bold and dream big. You can achieve whatever you set your mind to.” – Sophie Hebdidge

Step of your comfort zone

With the tech industry constantly evolving, there is always something new you can learn. Claudia Cohen reiterates the importance of this. Her advice is to “have the right attitude, be willing to learn, take feedback, and always look to constantly be improving.”

​Use the ever-changing environment and new emerging trends to create opportunities for yourself by offering up your own unique opinions and knowledge to your networks. Say yes to new opportunities that arise – you may end up surprising yourself!

“The best way to learn is to do – so say yes to chances when they come your way.” – Sophie Hebdidge

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Standing your ground

Stay true to yourself

Although ambition is vital for success, it’s equally as important to stay true to yourself and your values. Standing your ground can be difficult to do and is something that women often struggle with, especially those with less experience in leadership roles, but it is a skill worth developing. Hannah is just one of the many female leaders who find this challenging at times.

“I saw my male colleagues as headstrong or determined but I was worried about being deemed as “inflexible or difficult.” – Hannah Crisp

This is a common theme within the workplace, but it doesn’t mean you should compromise – have conviction in your own beliefs, stand your ground, and don’t be afraid of what people may think. Chances are you may be raising opinions on behalf of other underrepresented groups and setting a precedent to help your peers feel comfortable in speaking up too.

Rock the boat

Within the world of work, you’re going to have different opinions from others (and maybe even better ones!) so contribute, lead, and shake things up a bit! Never fear the rejection that may come with presenting new ideas because every opinion is valid and everyone has the right to be heard. You’ve worked just as hard to be where you are as everyone else, so trust your ability, take that opportunity, and run with it.

“Don’t be afraid to rock the boat. You’re at the table, so make it worthwhile.” – Sophie Hebdidge

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Connecting with others

Find a mentor and be a mentor!

Forging relationships with people on similar journeys to yours and drawing from their experience helps you to expand your knowledge base and skillset. When interviewed, Sophie swore by mentoring as being the best way to get ahead. She advised that women “never stop asking for advice from someone who is a few steps ahead in their career. Use them as a sounding board for big decisions, tricky situations, and guidance.”

If you already feel like you are in a position to help others, do the same – you will probably be surprised by the number of people who view you as someone they look up to. ​

“Be a mentor. You don’t need to be senior to mentor others, you’ll be surprised by how much you can learn from passing your experience onto others.” – Sophie Hebdidge

Build a support group

Surrounding yourself with people who inspire and support you can be incredibly useful to your career. Especially given the tech sector’s lack of female representation, having a support circle with other women and allies is a great way to explore your thoughts and ideas in a safe space.

“Seek out mentors and sponsors within the business who can help you develop.” – Claudia Cohen

If you’re confident and keen to enact change, there’s no stronger force for breaking the bias than using your experience to become a leader and supporter of other women. As Hannah states; “It’s our role to champion other women.”

Find inspiration

Make use of other influential figures – gender irrespective – within your business and wider networks to learn and take inspiration from. Some other ways Sophie does this is through reading books, listening to podcasts, and following inspirational people on social media.

“I feel so lucky to be part of a team and to work with so many women internally and externally that really inspire me and challenge me to be more ambitious!” – Hannah Crisp​

​Where to next?

To read about how we are creating an inclusive environment for women at La Fosse, learn more about our dedication to Diversity and Inclusion within the workplace here.

​If you liked this blog, you might also like:

Women in Dev #1: Why software talent wants more than table tennis

Women in Dev #2: CTOs, Software and Sherlock Holmes

The post Getting ahead… as a woman in tech appeared first on La Fosse.

The conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is not a new one. And yet, excessive time spent studying and talking about what the problems are only delays change and results in lost generations of opportunity. The time for action is now, and conversations across the board need to start moving from ‘how do you see the problem?’ to ‘what are we actively doing today to solve it?’

We brought together 25 DE&I leaders from organisations of all sizes to discuss their visions for the future, common stumbling blocks, and how we can support each other to make this vision of equality a reality.

​What DE&I initiatives can I implement in my business?

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for DE&I. Where large organisations may have large spending pots, for start-ups and scale-ups, competing budget priorities mean it’s often hard to implement large-scale projects. But regardless of size, so long as actionable steps are put in place at all levels and a percentage of the organisation’s budget is dedicated to ensuring this can be executed, true DE&I is an achievable goal.

Government legislation is also an effective way of driving change within larger organisations. One example of this is affirmative action planning, something which is mandated in the US for organisations who have over 50 employees and specified federal ties.

An affirmative action plan (AAP) is a written document which outlines an organisation’s specific plans and data on representation within the workplace, including information on how many colleagues are hired, how many leave, a target growth rate for improving DE&I and the plan to make this happen. Currently, the US law surrounding AAPs only measures three strands (female, Black and Hispanic employees) but the scope for expansion of this legislation is promising, and certainly something that other countries and organisations would do well to adopt in the near future.

To encourage buy-in past implementing formal policies and a DE&I officer, another initiative many organisations are setting up are employee networks (also known as affinity or employee resource groups). Usually run voluntarily by employees, these provide a safe space for their peers to openly discuss thoughts and experiences around DE&I, among other topics. Not only have networks been shown to increase employee retention rates and make organisations more desirable, with the right backing from HR and the executive board (such as rewards or incentives for those involved) they can provide highly beneficial insights in all areas, from D&I to business growth and customer relations.

​What has been done so far to improve DE&I?

Across the board, progress has been made towards improving demographic diversity (gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, neurodiversity etc.) but there’s still a lot to be done. Here are some positive examples given by our panellists:

• Women in Finance Charter – over 330 financial firms across the world have pledged to promote gender diversity by committing to implement four key industry actions.
• After hitting its goal of achieving a minimum of 30% female representation on FTSE 100 boards, the 30% club has now expanded its 2023 targets to include there being “at least one person of colour on every FTSE 350 board […] with half these seats going to women”.
• In October 2020, Legal and General told FTSE 100 organisations that they will vote against those who fail to diversify their leadership teams by 2022. They will openly vote against re-election of chairman or head of nomination committee if this is not met.
• The Diversity VC Standard is an assessment and certification process that sets a benchmark for best practice within VC and sends a signal that a fund follows best DE&I practices to the rest of the ecosystem. With more funding, this could be extended to start-ups and scale-ups to better support D&I as they grow and give them more exposure.
• The Investor Leadership Network is currently building a dashboard that allows people to mentor and coach each other. This has a lot of promise for fund/project managers who aren’t ready for institutional capital and perhaps don’t yet have a board of directors but have a lot of potential. With the right attention, this project could help people to get to board level more quickly.
• The Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN) has recently announced plans to expand its US-based Project Pinklight – an accelerator program designed to help women launch their own private equity funds – into London. The project helps female founders to give and receive assistance with upfront capital to get off the ground.
• Investment firms including KKR, TPG and Goldman Sachs have programs which involve office hours for advice and a ‘big sibling relationship’ where they take on an advisory role and lend their name for fundraising – some seed capital needs to be used, but this is not always easy to get in the first place, so smaller organisations could do with more support in this area.

Many organisations, including La Fosse, are also now including socio-economic factors in their D&I plans. Our coding academy was founded in 2018 to tackle the diversity issue within software engineering, and uses a free-for-students policy to provide equal opportunities and focus on applicants’ individual ability rather than their ability to pay.

​What are the hurdles faced when trying to achieve DE&I?

The consequences of not focusing on DE&I are clear: continued employee tribunals, continued BLM protests, and general injustice and imbalance across the world.

And yet, when budgets are tight, DE&I initiatives are often the first thing to come under scrutiny for being a ‘nice to have’ rather than an essential function. Even tech giant Google has recently been accused by employees of reducing their internal D&I training team, leaving vacancies unfilled, and cutting back or dropping some programmes completely.

1. D&I is not simply an HR/CEO/board-level responsibility – although they are responsible for setting tone, every employee is responsible for ensuring D&I. Approximately 50% of DE&I best practices are not directly related to diversity, but are practices desired by everyone, such as fair treatment and organizational flexibility.
2. Currently, there is no consistent measurement system for data regarding the D&I process. This makes it hard for judges to compare when one organisation has data and others don’t, and in most cases, the one with auditable data will win
3. Whether conscious or unconscious, bias exists everywhere. According to blind hiring organisation FairHire, 20% of 540 UK female BAME jobseekers surveyed altered their name in applications and almost all who changed their name reported a higher level of call-backs from potential employers – unconscious bias training can help us to eliminate this.
4. Differences in legislation (such as LGBT rights) between countries can make it difficult to implement a cohesive strategy.
5. There are a lot of barriers in the way for people from diverse backgrounds hoping to start a VC organisation or fund. Founders are expected to have tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds readily accessible, as well as the ability to relocate, which simply isn’t viable for a lot of people.

How can we close the DE&I gap?

Successful DE&I initiatives are not ‘pet projects’ to be put on the backburner, they are long-term, targeted campaigns which include every single leader and hold people personally accountable for meeting objectives. To see results, programs must be connected and aligned at all levels, and also require organisations to invest in doing it properly. D&I results require passion – individuals at all levels need to have the right mindset and be personally committed to achieving positives and contributing towards fighting injustice. As one of our panellists asserted, ‘diversity shouldn’t be a layer on top or a topic of the week, it should be baked into the DNA of the organisation’.

For the final part of the event, attendees were given a hypothetical scenario: with £100,000 and a 12-month window, what can we do to close the D&I gap?

• One of the difficulties in finding talent is that firms often seek highly experienced candidates who are well-established names within their industry. Expanding the pool of candidates to be considered doesn’t necessarily require capital, but instead is dependent on networking and open-mindedness on the part of employers. Organisations should be agile and willing to give opportunities to people without previous board experience, whether it be nurturing internal talent or looking for external candidates with an ambitious mindset.
• Create a database of corporate leaders willing to take board seats within VC-funded organisations. This could also be reversed, giving scale-up leaders the opportunity to sit in on board meetings and gain valuable experience.
• Develop a database of diverse corporate executives and match people from different backgrounds with people at scale-up/start-up businesses to help them develop with D&I in mind. Increased effectiveness could be achieved by pairing people by sectors or specialisms.
• Implement a reverse mentoring scheme whereby executives from diverse backgrounds mentor leadership teams on the benefits of having a diverse executive team. This could be executed within or across sectors.
• Establish the UK’s first DE&I talent investor, funding the program through corporate sponsorship and family capital. Corporates would make a commitment to contribute X% saved from postponing, cancelling or modifying graduate schemes (and the like), with family capital using the broader momentum behind impact investing to entice investment.

Rather than simply recruiting and promoting people in their own personal likeness, leaders should focus on competency-based hiring. Why do you want to hire someone diverse – what soft skills like growth mindset and innovation are we assessing, and what does ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ look like in these areas? Having data and a scoring mechanism could help shift the dial, but it’s up to business leaders to evangelise and bring everyone along on the journey.

​Final words from our event chairs

“D&I leadership and sponsorship has come a long way in the last few years. Today’s executive leaders need to do whatever they can to ensure that in 20 years we are not having the same conversation. We hope this event provided impetus and insights into how we can collectively work together to close the D&I gap.” – Sunil Jindal

“In order to create change we must be bold and decisive. We must stop talking about stats and the issues we have in our society and hold everyone accountable to create change now, not in 10 years’ time. It was a delight to work with our amazing speakers on this event and thank you to everyone who attended.” – Sean Kiff

The post Closing the D&I gap: A cross-industry movement – VC, PE, corporate, and start-up appeared first on La Fosse.

To discuss this very topic, an expert panel facilitated by Ellen Donnelly, Head of Talent at Orkestro, met to share their experiences.

Jason Stockwood, Vice Chairman at Simply Business, Liz Robinson, Co-Director of Big Education, and Simon La Fosse, Founder and Executive Chairman of La Fosse, offered advice on building and maintaining an effective culture.

What is culture?

Culture is a difficult thing to measure – and therefore manage. As Jason explained, “Culture is what happens when management isn’t looking”. Because culture is led by individuals, senior management must explore the nuances of human interaction and go beneath the surface of employee behaviour.

Liz likened culture to the unspoken rules that many of us tend to adopt when getting into a lift with somebody else. Usually, eye contact is avoided, unless the other occupant is known. This behaviour is never agreed upon, and yet somehow it’s something we all inherently know.

Purpose plays a significant role in culture as well, especially amongst younger talent. Simon shared the experiences of his children who are job hunting, stating: “Neither can see themselves working for a company that doesn’t do good, that doesn’t have a purpose”. As the most socially-active generation there has ever been, Gen Z recruits entering the workplace are largely optimistic about their own future and, as such, want their work to have meaning and believe it should; a 2017 study of over 2,000 Gen Z respondents revealed a generation that is prioritising purpose in their work.

Culture built through experiments

Once you understand the people in your company, you can experiment with activities that help them to thrive in your workplace so that nobody suffers from the ‘Sunday-evening feeling’. At Simply Business, Jason believes in experimenting and learning from failure. The company is currently trialling a four-day week to see how it boosts employee morale and productivity at a time when YouGov research has shown that 63% of British people are in favour of a shorter working week, making Brits the most enthusiastic of seven European nations surveyed.

Values and trust

For leaders looking to build a strong and healthy culture, Liz recommended two focus areas: values and trust. If you start with trust and work backwards, you’ll attract the right kind of people to the team. Likewise, if everyone understands your company values and how their behaviour links to them, a culture of excellence, accountability and kindness can be born from it.

This rings especially true for start-ups and scale-ups. During a period of high growth, some company values can be lost. Constantly communicating those values will help your team to live them every day. It doesn’t have to involve a formal process – even sharing your values through giveaways can help.

Encouraging vulnerability

Providing psychological safety, where people feel they can try things and don’t fear failure, is key to building a strong culture. Opening up about issues and sharing human experiences can create a more inclusive culture where people can be themselves. One suggestion was to have a ‘trip report’ at every Monday meeting to enable everyone to share what they did at the weekend.

How to measure your culture

Traditionally, retention has been the main measure of the health of a company’s culture. However, as Simon explained, this is a lag indicator and can only tell you where your culture has failed an individual after the failure.

Now, employer review sites and software can give an earlier indication of your culture. Simon emphasised the need for a continuous indicator and for a company to correct any issues that are identified early on before the damage is done.

A new approach

Ultimately, it’s the leaders who go the extra mile with their culture who will eventually win the race. Building a great culture doesn’t happen overnight; it requires a fresh approach, one of experimentation, sharing, and continuous refinement.

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Want to find out more about building a world-class culture through world-class recruitment? Get in touch with claudia.cohen@lafosse.com, or call on 020 7932 1652.

Where to next? Find out more about our executive capabilities.

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This season, the Secret Leaders team organised a series of live events, each bringing together brilliant guests to discuss the ups and downs along the way to building their companies, and how they are trying to change the world for the better.

In the second of these, held on the night before International Women’s Day, host Dan met some of the most respected leaders in the UK to discuss all things leadership, equality, and entrepreneurship from a variety of perspectives. See below for insights from: Renée Elliot – Founder of Planet Organic, Alexandra Depledge – Co-Founder of Hassle & Resi, Reshma Sohoni – Co-Founder of Europe’s biggest seed investment fund, Seedcamp and Alicia Navarro, founder of Skimlinks.

Role models are timeless

The lexicographical implications of “female founder” can be unhelpful. All of the entrepreneurs on the Secret Leaders panel have achieved phenomenal things in business – and don’t count being women as restrictive. ‘I have succeeded because I’m a woman, not in spite of that.’ Pointed out Reshma. Alicia concurred. ‘If being a woman has been the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with on your journey in business, you’ve been lucky.’

Female role models are still important though, hence the old adage: “You cannot be what you cannot see.” This is why Renée’s role models aren’t just those who are older than her. ‘I am inspired by any woman, whatever age, who is following a business that they believe in, that makes a difference, that they have a huge passion for and that they just can’t go through life without doing. I look up to those women – no matter what their age.’

Investment X Factor

For many founders, VC Seed investment is the first trigger towards dreams becoming reality. Winning funding from this community is notoriously difficult for women – for every £1 invested by VC in the UK, less than 1 penny goes to start-ups run by women. As entrepreneurs, some of whom won first round of funding over a decade ago, what’s their perspective on the current landscape?

‘It’s getting easier, but you still have to be incredibly tenacious and determined.’ Observes Renée. But Alicia also pointed out that investors aren’t just looking for passionate entrepreneurs – VC investment necessitates a very specific business model.

‘People have a misconception that raising money is like X Factor. But if you’re seeking VC investment, you’re essentially committing to raising a massive caffeine injection of funds every two years. It’s crucial to understand that dynamic when you’re pitching.’

Do your homework – and don’t be afraid of your ambition

With 1 in 5 UK businesses run by a woman, perhaps the rollercoaster of VC is simply not the route that the grand majority are choosing to go for. ‘The stats don’t lie – there aren’t enough women getting funding.’ Observed Alex. ‘But part of this might be because women might want to do it slightly differently – they want to build a business, their way and in their own time, and don’t want to get on that treadmill where you have no life.’

Reshma, founder of one of Europe’s first early-stage VC funds, Seedcamp, didn’t deny the pressures associated with her industry.’ Not every business should take VC, so definitely do your homework. But, if you like the sound of it, don’t be afraid of your own ambition. For me, I’m in this because I love the pressure.’

Having children

With 2019’s theme for International Women’s Day as #balanceforbetter, one of the most difficult balancing acts for many entrepreneurs and parent is the tightrope between work and family. Though women’s role as the primary care-giver is increasingly being challenged, subjects like childcare and paternity and maternity leave remain thorny issues.
‘When I meet mothers aged 30-45 who have battled through their careers, it’s very rare that their husband hasn’t taken a step back in their career which has allowed them to do that.’ Said Reshma.

Alex is unsatisfied with the way mothers are treated in business. ‘When I got pregnant with my first child, my investors were furious. But with my second, I committed to taking 8 months off. During that time, my business partner took the company from £70,000 revenue to £150,000. So I defy anyone to tell you that a CEO can’t have a child whilst advancing a massive high-growth company.’

As an employer, Alex ensures that her business grants equal maternity and paternity rights to reflect these values. ‘Men need to be taking equal care of children if we are going to get further.’

What works for networking works for dating

So what should up and coming female entrepreneurs bear in mind on their journey? Alex believes it’s a good time to be a woman. “A lot of people are looking to tick a box, so take advantage of it.”

Alicia and Reshma reflected on their time at breakfasts at Piccadilly Waterstones, and the value of networking – as you never know which meetup will change your life. ‘What works for networking works for dating.’ Said Alicia. ‘Most people are just happy when someone is easy to chat to and takes the initiative to talk to them.’

Superpowers

To conclude, all the guests were asked by an audience member what their superpowers were:

Renée: ‘I have a clear vision, bags of integrity and an open heart.’

Alicia: ‘Empathy – truly understanding how people feel about a challenge let you build a great product around it. Resilience – aka the ability to laugh off everything that happens to you and make a great story out of it.’

Reshma: ‘Optimism. I’m smart. And humour – I don’t take myself or anyone seriously, so I don’t get bothered by what anyone says.’

Alex: ‘I’m humble. I’m quite authentic. And I have an incredible sense of what’s fair – I don’t build companies to make money, but because I want to make a difference to my staff.’

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Take Julia*. Outwardly, Julia seemed to have it all. She had a high-powered job in La Fosse, a boyfriend and a busy social life. In fact, she was struggling. She wasn’t getting on with her boyfriend. Her father had dementia and, after a significant time in recruitment, she was starting to feel “stagnant. I was sleeping for about three hours a night. I didn’t see my life going forward.”

It was at that moment that an email was sent round all La Fosse workers about a meeting being given by Sanctus, an organisation offering mental health coaching in the workplace. So, says Julia, “I just went along.”

Talking about mental health can be hard at any time. Talking about mental health at work can, we know, feel almost impossible. Yet according to WHO figures most people spend a third of their adult lives at work. If you can’t talk honestly about the way you are feeling at work, that is a long time to pretend. That is why La Fosse has teamed up with Sanctus, who aim to “open up the conversation” about mental health in the workplace.

Speak out

Because, just because admitting to mental health difficulties at work can be hard, doesn’t mean that people don’t experience such difficulties. As Vic Lloyd, the Head of Operations of Sanctus puts it, “You can be a manager or a head of whatever but you’re also a human. Life doesn’t stop when you get to the doors of the office.”

Nevertheless, for many years there was – and in some places still is – a culture that said that it should. As Professor Dame Carol Black, principal of Newnham College of the University of Cambridge, who has advised the government on work and mental health, knows well. “Employers used to argue with me and say that all this belongs at home,” says Professor Black. “Of course, some struggles will indeed originate at home but, for sure they influence your ability to work.”

It’s good to talk

Being unhappy at work is not only bad for the employee in question – it is also bad for employers too. As Professor Black explains, “if you’re not in a place where you feel good and have a sense of wellbeing you won’t be productive. I think mental health, engagement and productivity are absolutely related.” Which means that promoting good mental health is not only the right thing to do for workers – it’s also good for their company.

For La Fosse – given that our whole mission has been based on treating people with care and respect – helping those in our company is not just the right thing to do, it’s a part of our mission statement. We hope to ensure that our employees can talk openly, work through challenges together, and share our successes and struggles alike.

A safe place to speak

Sanctus coaches come into offices, which means you can find, here at La Fosse, a “non-judgemental, open and safe space where you can bring your full self”. Professor Black thinks that being able to talk freely at your workplace is crucial. “If you have a good employer who you can talk to… then of course it will influence your mental health.”

It’s not just about getting employees to talk, either. Employers matter too. La Fosse’s Sanctus partnership was launched by two senior La Fosse leaders who shared their own mental health challenges. It was a personal and emotional meeting – and a powerful one. “Stigma is very much reduced if there is someone in the company who can talk openly about their own mental health,” says Professor Black. “It can make a huge difference.”

What is Sanctus coaching?

Sanctus coaches will discuss whatever you want – anything from relationship breakups to problems at work – but chiefly what they do is listen. As Vic puts it, “they are not there to give advice. They will ask a lot of powerful questions; be your compass and be your sounding board.”

This is exactly what Julia found. Looking back, she remembers that her coach didn’t say too much at their appointments. She would, “just sit there and listen to me talking.” Yet it worked. “I don’t know how she did it,” Julia says, “but at the end of the session I felt really positive.” After the first session, Julia decided to tackle her difficulties one at a time, beginning with work. Within three months “I’d tripled my salary.”

It wasn’t just Julia’s work that got better. She then started to address other areas of her life. Her coach asked her to visualise where she wanted to be in six months time. “I said lying on a beach, with a boyfriend….” And, with coaching “I made it come true.” Julia did indeed find herself lying on a beach, with a new boyfriend in under six months. Through the coaching she had focus, clarity and was happy with her job again. Now, she and her boyfriend are buying a house together.

Ask Julia whether Sanctus made a difference and she is in no doubt. The answer is a resounding yes. “I actually think it helped me change my life. I can’t speak highly enough about it.”

* Julia’s name has been changed

La Fosse is committed to supporting the mental wellbeing of our team.

We are publishing this simply because want to contribute to the wider conversation about mental health at work.

So we have included more material here: a link to Sanctus; and contact details for our CEO, if you are a business who wants to talk about what went well (and not so well) along the way.

Sanctus is a mental health organisation that works with businesses across the UK, and beyond, to give people the permission to talk about mental health and a safe space with a coach to have the conversation.

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