Five ways Freshwater is proud to embrace equity this International Women’s Day

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, 08 March 2023, is ‘Embrace Equity.’

Equity goes one step further than equality by recognising that individuals need different resources and opportunities to achieve the same result. Equity is about giving everyone what they need to succeed.

One of our core values at Freshwater is ‘Embracing Diversity’. We embrace the different experiences, ideas, skills and interests of the people that make up our team and ensure that we reflect that within our internal policies.

Here are five ways we are proud to embrace equity this International Women’s Day and all year round:

1. FW Flex

In 2022, Freshwater introduced its new FW Flexible Working Policy which enables employees to blend home and office working to suit their individual needs, together with those of clients and the business, with flexibility around start and end times. The aim is to improve workplace equality and further support our inclusive culture through trust and empowerment.

“As a mum of two little ones, FW Flex allows me to better balance work and family life and plan my week around my personal and professional commitments. It gives me a greater sense of control and job satisfaction, knowing I can succeed and progress in my career without having to compromise on the little things that mean a lot – like doing the nursery pick-up and attending school trips and concerts.”

– Elinor Dafydd, Director of Strategy and Innovation

2. Menopause Policy

In 2022, we launched our Menopause Policy to support female colleagues and to educate all staff on the perimenopause and the menopause. We’re training managers to raise awareness, encourage and normalise conversations and ensure that everyone feels empowered to discuss issues openly and sensitively.

“It is really important that everyone shows understanding when colleagues are experiencing menopause symptoms at work, such as  hot flushes and brain fog, and that crucially, they feel able to speak openly about it, take a break, or leave a meeting if they need to. We don’t want the situation that colleagues find themselves in because of the menopause to be a taboo subject. We want colleagues to feel able to speak openly about their experience and not feel self-conscious or embarrassed.”

– Sarah Whittle, Director of HR and Operations

3. Mental health first aiders

At Freshwater, we ensure that our colleagues know there is always someone to talk to who will listen, free from judgement. We have created an environment where there is no stigma around mental health and colleagues are encouraged to talk openly about their struggles. We have signed up for the Time to Change Employer Pledge which supports employers to create a more open and understanding culture around mental health problems in the workplace and have dedicated mental health champions to support colleagues day-to-day when needed.

“With so many lifestyle and workplace changes taking place over the past few years, I feel like more than ever our colleagues need mental health support in the workplace. 

“For me, it was a passion to be a Mental Health First Champion. Learning the basics of how to identify and support someone with a mental health problem but at the same time having the confidence to challenge stigma and support positive well-being. And just knowing that colleagues can approach me for support and advice if needed”.

– Maxine Newton, Event Manager and one of Freshwater’s mental health champions

4. Bring your whole self to work 

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for 2023 is designed to provide a safe space for employees to educate themselves on social issues around race, class, religion and heritage. It is aligned with the Welsh Government’s commitment to achieve an Anti-Racist Wales by 2030. It is also designed to support the Wales LGBTQ+ action plan, which seeks to tackle the existing inequalities experienced by LGBTQ+ communities. We want everyone to feel welcomed, included and supported to feel safe to bring their best and whole selves to work.

“As a manager, I make sure I give everyone on my team the space and support to be themselves. I lead my team with the knowledge that if you allow everyone to be themselves, you will get the best out of them. Freshwater has an inclusive and supportive culture which allows us to fully be ourselves and I find it really helps me personally if I’m not always trying to separate ‘work Kate’ and ‘mum Kate’.”

– Kate Harvey, Director of Marketing and Communications

5. People, Standards and Inclusion Committee

At the start of 2023, we launched Freshwater’s first People, Standards and Inclusion (PSI) Committee. Comprising representatives from each division across Freshwater, the committee will be driving engagement and well-being activities as well as ensuring that every voice at Freshwater is heard.

“In any organisation, there will be a wide array of personalities, which inevitably means the voices of some will be heard more than others. It’s therefore crucial to put systems in place that allow all employees to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, whether that relates to their preferred ways of working, the types of informal staff social events that are organised, or other company activities, such as fundraising events. The goal of the People, Standards and Inclusion Committee at Freshwater is to do just that. 

“By having representatives from every department, who speak with their teams regularly and better understand what makes them tick, we can ensure as best as possible that the workplace environment truly represents the employees within it.”

– Steve Lambert, Account Director

We are very proud to have won four awards in 2022 for our collaborative and inclusive culture, including PRCA Dare’s Team Culture and Community Award and the Employer of Choice Award at the Wales HR Awards. While it is great to have external recognition for our commitment to supporting staff and servicing clients, we are continuously striving to enhance and improve our policies to reflect the needs of our people.

This International Women’s Day is a timely reminder that there is still some way to go in terms of achieving equity and, as a business, to reinforce our commitment to helping forge an inclusive world.