Diversity and Inclusion

As England and Wales’ largest provider of housing and care for older people, Anchor ensures that dignity and respect are central to the way we work, and that the unique contributions of our colleagues and residents are valued and celebrated.

Making diversity and inclusion an everyday reality

Below are some of the ways in which we aim to make diversity and inclusion an everyday reality for our residents and colleagues

• We engage with all individuals in an inclusive manner and ensure diversity is part of our everyday language and ways of working
• We are constantly working to ensure that our resources and services are accessible and appropriate to each individual or group with which we work
• We are committed to listening, consulting with different groups, and to learning from our past actions and experiences
• We strive to ensure our workforce reflects the communities in which we work to achieve a welcoming and empathetic environment
• Anchor aims to provide opportunities for all, where all colleagues are encouraged to develop their full potential
• We expect prospective and existing residents, contractors, consultants, colleagues and partners to respect our approach to diversity while working with us. One of our values is ‘Respect’, therefore we do not accept harassment or discrimination from any colleague, resident or third party.
• We are proud to have an LGBT+ resident group, as well as BAME, LGBT+, Disabled and Inclusive Ambassador colleague networks. These, along with the Diversity and Inclusion lead on the Resident Council, work closely with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager and the wider organisation to celebrate diversity, address concerns, review policy and practice and act as allies to others.
• Anchor is a member of Inclusive Employers, a Stonewall Champion and a signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant.
• We contributed funding to the ‘No place like home’ research into the experiences of LGBT+ people living in social housing, which was commissioned by HouseProud. We are also an early adopter of the HouseProud Pledge scheme which was introduced as a result of this research.

To find out more about our LGBT+ resident group, click here.

Celebrating Black History Month 2020

Anchor marked black History Month in 2020 by celebrating the accomplishments of colleagues and residents actively involved in activities promoting cultural understanding and diversity, and honouring the contributions of Black Britons across history. 

The celebrations formed a part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to diversity and reducing barriers to progression for Black, Asian and ethnic minority colleagues. 

National Inclusion Week 2020

Anchor continued to highlight the importance of inclusion in the workplace by taking part in National Inclusion Week for the fourth year. 

Created by Inclusive Employers, National Inclusion Week, which ran from Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October 2020, aims to promote inclusion in all its forms. This year’s theme was ‘Each one, reach one’ – a message focusing on the opportunities we have to connect with other people.  

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Manager, Ruth Petzold, and the four colleague EDI networks planned a full week of activities and shared experiences and stories that celebrate the diversity of colleagues and residents across the organisation.