Case Study - Northern Rail

Background

Championing Diversity was a West Yorkshire wide programme offered to employers to help them develop their management of diversity. This included an assessment of the company’s progress to date and extensive help over 18 months to move them in the direction they wanted to be in the future.

The Organisation

Shaping the companies into ‘Champions of Diversity’ in their industry, the programme worked with Nicola Hosty, Head of HR Support Services & Kerry Jeng, HR Business Partner, Northern Rail to develop their approach to diversity. Northern Rail is the biggest train operator in Britain, providing 2,500 local and regional train services every day across the north of England, serving a population of nearly 15m.

Impact “We gained an understanding of the current state of affairs relating to the management of diversity within Northern and it highlighted the need for possible follow up activities, as culturally we had more work to do, specifically on diversity themes. We developed Northern’s diversity strategy by working closely with a range of groups and organisationsstaff, trade unions, local communities, civil society groups, and other businesses The perception based audit results played a fundamental part of the action plan contained within the strategy.”

What did we do?

• Set up a Diversity Forum, via the Company Newsletter which is made up of 12 employees from a cross section of the workforce. We have held 3 Diversity Forums so far with the first focused on getting to know each other, discussing the remit to develop the diversity strategy and action plan. Then the second focused on objectives that we needed to deliver our remit as well as providing their own perception of Northern and the third put the final touches to the diversity strategy with the focus on the five strategic themes- Advocacy, Communication, Education & Awareness, Legal and Measurement, Review and Improvement. • There is a commitment from all Forum members to help Northern address issues which were raised at the perception based audits, such as front line behaviours not always embracing an inclusive environment as well as the need to change ‘mess room culture. • Formed relationships with other organisations who have taken part, such as Leeds City Council and Rugby Football League. The Council has advised Northern that they can review their ‘jargon’ leaflet and determine whether this would be a useful tool in developing an education and awareness programme for frontline staff. We are also working with RFL to implement their strategy and have been invited to take part in education workshops being trialed so we can provide advice on the content and alsounderstand what we want from our own programme. • We are about to introduce multi lingual signage in stations to make the service more accessible. • Open Community days to involve the community that we serve. • Developed Ambassador pilot schemes to work in the communities with under represented groups

What did we learn?

Having a diverse workforce generally means that we will be fit, robust and able to adapt to changes. As diversity helps stimulate innovation, we will have a wider skill-base and group of opinions. A workforce that reflects the diversity of its environment helps the company to understand customer and supplier needs, leading to more engagement and ultimately increased revenue. Running the business in an open and transparent manner that involves staff and treats them with fairness is important in retaining and attracting the right kind of people. Regular review of policies and procedures to ensure that Northern is legally compliant and we demonstrate continuous improvement.