Advanced has been announced as one of the top 100 Diversity Leaders 2020 across UK businesses. An independent survey carried out on behalf of the Financial Times has recognised the diversity achievements of Advanced, which recently announced 33% of its board are represented by women. The award assesses diversity across gender, age, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation, and ranks organisations from across Europe on the extent to which they offer diverse and inclusive workplaces.
The Diversity Leaders have been identified from a sample of more than 80,000 companies In addition, the opinions of human resources and recruitment experts were considered in order to refine the analysis. Corporations from all industry sectors employing at least 250 people in the following countries were eligible: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The survey focused on two broad areas, looking at the scale in which employers promote diversity within the workforce, and identifying the companies that stand out, either positively or negatively, when it comes to encouraging diversity and equal opportunities within the workforce. Key factors included gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ, age and disability.
Advanced is renowned for its innovative recruitment process which eradicates unconscious bias and throws out the use of CVs. It has hired over 1,000 entry-level, high potential candidates as a result of this policy, in place for over four years under the direction of the company’s Group HR Director, Alex Arundale.
Commented on the Financial Times’ survey, Alex said: “We’re proud to be recognised among the leading businesses for diversity. It is something we are very passionate about at Advanced and, crucially, it is led from the very top. Although there’s still a way to go, we are proud of the positive steps we’ve made over the last few years. Not only is it right to recognise and celebrate differences, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive, creating a culture that is genuinely committed to a meritocratic workplace is important to the success of our business. We need to have a diverse range of talent at a leadership level as well as across the workforce to create richer perspectives and a frame of reference.
The full listing of organisations included in the Diversity Leaders listing can be found here.