We're celebrating National Inclusion Week!
National Inclusion Week is taking place 23rd – 29th September, and this year, the theme is #ImpactMatters! It’s a call to action, reminding us that we all hold the potential to make a profound and positive impact. Listen to Jo Bradford, our Diversity & Inclusion Lead, as she explains how we’re supporting inclusion at Marston’s.
At Marston’s, hospitality begins with belonging. Our commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) means every team member, pub partner, and guest feels safe, valued, and empowered to be their authentic selves.
We foster a culture where everyone can ‘Come as They Are’; where dignity, respect, and opportunities are lived every day. Guided by the Equality Act 2010 and our Marston’s values, we actively remove barriers, challenge bias, and create inclusive environments across the entire employee journey – all the way from recruitment to development and progression.
Our ED&I strategy aims to ensure that our people:
- Relate to, feel represented by and trust each other.
- Feel valued and supported.
- Feel involved in the bigger picture.
- Are appreciated as individuals.
- Communicate openly, have a voice and are listened to.
Come as you are
Our Eight Employee network groups
Formed in January 2022, our Employee Network Groups provide safe spaces where people can connect with each other, share experiences, influence real change and work collaboratively with the business to deliver our business and DE&I strategies. Our networks are at the heart of building a culture where everyone belongs.
With over 1,000 members (and constantly growing!), our groups create numerous opportunities for our people to connect, learn, raise awareness and most importantly, receive the support they need, when they need it.
Pride
Connecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community.
Our Pride Network is all about inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community, all year round. We want everyone, whether that’s LGBTQ+ or our allies, to come as they are and feel warmly welcomed at any of our pubs.
We’re committed to a culture of allyship, education and support for our LGBTQ+ co-workers, and implementing a comprehensive plan to create a more inclusive workplace.
Men
A safe and supportive space in which our men feel supported and able to be their authentic selves.
Bringing our men and allies together in a safe and supportive environment, we aim to make connections, create positive change, educate and remove the stigma around men’s mental health and wellbeing.
- Mental health and wellbeing awareness and increasing support.
- Educating all five generations of Marston’s people on how to break down barriers. Let’s get talking!
- Nurturing and championing a culture where men feel supported.
AGE
Driving intergenerational understanding to support lifelong growth, collaboration, and social impact.
Our Age Network focuses on intergenerational understanding and education. They want to increase the recruitment of 50 year old + workers into the business and focus on human skills training for the younger generation.
CORE
Connecting and empowering our people by celebrating diversity and inclusivity through authentic representation in the workplace.
CORE stands for Culture, Origin, Religion and Ethnicity. Our Network is committed to celebrating and supporting the diverse cultural heritage of our people and creating a space where everyone feels heard, valued and empowered to share their unique stories.
From St Patrick’s Day, to Chinese New Year, through to Black History Month, we celebrate a whole host of heritage and cultural events throughout the year, that are important to our people. And we’re extremely proud to be a signatory of BITC’s Race at Work Charter, promising to break down any barriers that people from ethnic minority groups might face in the workplace.
Women
A supportive space where women connect, grow, and lead with confidence and purpose.
We’re proactively working to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace. Continuously seeking feedback from our people, we identify and understand their needs and implement meaningful changes, such as our innovative Women in Leadership Apprenticeship programme.
We’ve also implemented dedicated DE&I training modules and improved people policies to support women’s careers. By tracking our progress, listening to our members and measuring the success of our initiatives, we are committed to making a positive impact for the women of Marston’s.
Accessibility
A space where people of all abilities – especially those with disabilities – can fully participate and thrive.
We’re all about creating a workplace where everyone feels supported, inspired and empowered to thrive! We want to attract, hire, retain and support more disabled colleagues into our business.
By helping to drive our people’s interaction with the subject of disability (whether visible or hidden), we’ll enhance our culture and create safe spaces for our people to share their lived experiences.
We’re proud of our progress so far, but are always looking for ways to improve, like boosting our disability smart score and supporting Purple Tuesday. We’re working hard to make our recruitment process even more inclusive and to improve the accessibility of our digital platforms.
Communities
Creating safe, engaging spaces for all promoting positivity and togetherness.
We strive to be a fully inclusive employer that attracts and appeals to diverse and vulnerable groups of people. We have a growing number of people completing a Supported Internship at Marston’s, in partnership with the Landmaks Specialist College in South Yorkshire. We also sustain our support for our UK Armed Forces as a forces-friendly employer.