Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Our society is enriched by its diversity, and the same can be said of The PHA Group. We are dedicated to building and celebrating a community that reflects the society we live in, both in policy and practice. We do this to ensure that our workplace enables everyone to bring their full selves to work, that everyone can reach their full potential and be open to a range of perspectives that enable us to deliver better work for our clients and their audiences. We want to attract and retain top talent while helping those from underrepresented groups enter the industry.
Hiring statistics
We track our new starter and employee data to help us achieve our ED&I goals. Doing so enables us to identify the impact of our recruitment initiatives and processes, make data-driven and well-informed decisions that don’t disproportionately advantage or disadvantage any employees over others, and hold our Talent team accountable as a key driver of positive change
76%
of hires belong to at least one under-represented group
54%
of hires are not privately and/or university educated
50%
of hires are ethnically-diverse
20%
of hires belong to LGBTQ+ community
12%
of hires live with a disability or neurodivergent condition
Creating a safe space for our employees
We host monthly Open Conversations forums to provide a safe space for employees to openly discuss topics relating to themselves, their colleagues, their clients, and wider society. This helps us to foster a culture of trust, belonging, and psychological safety, which is essential for the well-being and engagement of our employees.
Over the last year, we have covered topics such as the debate on the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill, the effect of colonialism on black British culture, and comedy’s privilege to push societal boundaries. When anonymously surveyed, 100% of employees responded to say they found the topics engaging and were comfortable sharing their views in the environment created.
Educating our employees
We acknowledge that lasting change is made possible through education. By raising awareness, reducing bias, and equipping employees with the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute to an inclusive workplace while delivering best-in-class work for clients.
Last year, we partnered with both AbilityNet and Lexxic, consultancies dedicated to providing company training and support on accessibility and neurodiversity for our Senior Leadership and People & Culture teams. Additionally, we embarked on a summer training programme that was designed to upskill and empower our teams on creativity and diversity, including breaking down the campaign process, simplifying it, and encouraging the adoption of new approaches and techniques to improve creative prowess. We were also supported by expert consultants on how to build an inclusive, high-performing culture.
Celebrating our employees
We recognise and celebrate awareness days relating to different cultures, identities, and experiences that aim to educate, celebrate, or both. Through these activities, we encourage a culture of appreciation and respect for everyone who works for or interacts with PHA.
Supporting our employees
We continuously review and improve our ways of working to ensure that all current and future employees, regardless of their background or social identity group, have equal access to opportunities and resources. This enables us to hire and retain the industry’s top talent; creating an equal playing field for all throughout their career at PHA.
PHA is an equal opportunities employer. Our aim is to ensure all our employees feel supported and encouraged to be open and honest about their heritage, culture and beliefs, making our workforce a diverse and inclusive place to work and empowering people to be themselves.
Both Group MDs are parents as are 59% of our SLT so from the top down, family is always made a priority.
We offer additional days for those who are at the start of their family planning journey with our fertility policy and offer enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave recognising the importance of all our employees feeling supported as they become parents.
All statistics shared are from The PHA Group 2023 Open Conversations Annual Report
90%
of employees feel management show a genuine interest in their career
94%
of employees feel respected and valued at PHA
94%
of employees feel there is a culture of open communication about the company focus, successes and strategy
100%
of employees feel PHA offers a broad range of culture initiatives