Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to ensuring that we embrace and promote processes, policies, and ways of working that enable our customers and colleagues to be themselves and be treated with respect, consideration, and compassion at all times.  

We aim for our workforce to be truly representative of our communities and our customers and that all interactions with the organisation are free from discrimination and bias. While we recognise that there is more work to be done, we believe that together we can help to build a more equal and inclusive society for all.

Our aims

We have four strategic aims for equality, diversity and inclusion:

  • Enable a diverse and inclusive organisation where the status quo is subject to meaningful and constructive challenge to ensure inclusive practices are in place for customers and colleagues.
  • Enable a diverse and inclusive organisation which improves outcomes for customers, colleagues, communities and the wider society.
  • Play our part to deliver a positive shift in societal norms where structural inequalities are dismantled.
  • Take positive action by setting out an annual action plan and publicising the progress we have made.

 

Our commitments and progress

In order to deliver our aims, we have pledged five commitments which form part of our EDI action plan. Each year we will review our progress against our commitments and publish these results and our actions for the year ahead. You can read our progress so far in the sections below.

While you’re here, take a look at:

Commitment

Promoting, championing and celebrating equality, diversity and inclusion

What we acheived in 2021:

  • Established an EDI steering and champion group supported by colleagues across Hafod and sponsored by our Board.
  • Reviewed our EDI policies and procedures and agreed our future aims and commitments.
  • Celebrated EDI in our colleagues’ weekly e-update and in our colleague Facebook group.

Priorities areas 2022:

  • Implementing an awareness programme focused on race and gender equality.
  • Dedicating an area on our website to celebrate our commitment to EDI, and include our annual report.
  • Celebrating diversity in our internal communications through an EDI calendar.
  • Reviewing our EDI priorities with our customers and colleagues.

Awareness and engagement

Growing and learning about equality, diversity and inclusion together

What we achieved in 2021:

  • Developed and piloted unconscious bias and white privilege training in our academi Hafod and rolled out to all colleagues.
  • EDI champions group shared learning and information on a number of EDI matters including Judaism, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, gender, white privilege and much more.
  • Shared EDI information and resources with all colleagues across the organisation including podcasts, books and reference materials.

Priorities areas 2022:

  • Developing and implementing an EDI training and awareness programme.
  • Delivering EDI training to Board members and Executive team aligned to the new housing code of governance.
  • Offering unconscious bias and white privilege awareness to our customers.
  • Developing and delivering an EDI virtual roadshow for colleagues.

Inclusivity

Removing bias and inequalities in our customer and colleague processes

What we achieved in 2021:

  • Improved our recruitment practices and policies including introducing the Rooney Rule for Board recruitment, involving customers in recruitment activity, strengthening our data anonymity and improving our diversity advertising.
  • Adopted the All Wales Covid-19 Workforce Risk Assessment Tool for all colleagues which recognised the increased risk of Covid-19 to ethnic minority colleagues.
  • Completed Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) in the development and implementation of core systems i.e. HR system.

Priorities areas 2022:

  • Implementing EIA for all policies, processes and projects and carry out a training exercise for EIAs across the organisation.
  • Continuing to evolve and improve our recruitment processes including re-engineering processes, improving attraction methods, introducing the Rooney Rule for all roles, and including equality, diversity and inclusion related questions as a standard.
  • Developing and implementing an equality monitoring programme.
  • Incorporating equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) best practices into our principles and behaviours framework.

Representation

Representing our diverse communities

What we achieved in 2021:

  • Tai Pawb commissioned to complete a ‘Deeds not Words’ health check on behalf of Hafod with findings integrated into our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plan.
  • Undertook an EDI deep dive and presented findings to our Board, and Audit and Risk Committee to highlight key opportunities, challenges and risks.
  • Committed to the Time to Change (Wales) and Tai Pawb’s Deeds not Words pledges and developed action plans to monitor progress.

Priorities areas 2022:

  • Sponsoring and supporting the ‘Pathway to Board’ programme focused on providing opportunities for ethnic minorities groups to become Board members.
  • Sponsoring and supporting a work placement programme ‘Get into Housing’ to provide career opportunities for ethnic minority groups.
  • Integrating EDI best practices into all Hafod processes such as procurement and contract management.
  • Sourcing other diversity and inclusion partners to help support Hafod in the delivery of its aims and commitments.

Meaningful data

Collating and publishing meaningful equality, diversity and inclusion data

What we achieved in 2021:

  • Understood the current data sets in place across Hafod to create one data set to inform EDI action.
  • Collated a ethnicity pay gap report which highlighted no concerns around how ethnic minorities groups are paid when compared against white colleagues.
  • Reported and acted on our gender pay gap (GPG) and colleague satisfaction data for protected groups.

Priorities areas 2022:

  • Updating our systems, processes and training to ensure the collection of our agreed EDI data sets.
  • Correlating the different EDI data sets against national data to understand where Hafod is in line or different to the global statistics.
  • Collecting customer data for minority groups and act on findings. Data to include customer complaints, customer satisfaction, tenancy, occupancy and repairs.
  • Reporting and acting on colleague data including GPG, ethnicity pay gap and colleagues’ satisfaction data.

Deeds not Words

We have signed Tai Pawb’s Deeds not Words pledge and are committed to taking action, including:

  • mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on black, Asian and other minority ethnic colleagues and in our communities
  • improving the ethnic diversity of board and among colleagues at all levels
  • developing an inclusive culture

Pathway to Board

We’re proud to be a founding partner of the  Pathway to Board project alongside Taff Housing, Cardiff Community Housing, Linc Cymru and Cadwyn which will address the lack of ethnic diversity on Boards in and outside the housing sector.

This continuous professional development opportunity is designed to better equip individuals from minority ethnic communities who have the drive and enthusiasm to contribute to more diverse leadership of an organisation, particularly within the housing sector.

Time to Change

Our colleagues’ health and well-being are important to us so we do everything we can to help them to be the best they can be.

That’s why we have joined Time to Change Wales and pledged to change the way we think and act about mental health at work.