During National Inclusion Week in September, our four Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) gathered together to celebrate their progress, reflect on their work, and share learnings. The event also featured a presentation from Matt Pierri, CEO and Founder of accessibility app Sociability.
With representatives from all four ERGs present, we took the opportunity to ask them some questions about their purpose, recent activity, and goals for the future…
Tell us a bit more about the Employee Resource Group you’re involved in?
Zoë Martin-Pearce is an Assistant Category Merchandiser in our White Goods Team. She is a Co-Chair of both Pride at Currys and Disability at Currys.
“Pride at Currys is focused on celebrating all areas of the LGBTQ+ community, and all of its allies”
Chris Sadler is a Repair Technician based at our repair centre in Newark. He is a Co-Chair of Disability at Currys.
“Disability at Currys advocates for all colleagues with a disability, whether that’s a physical disability, hidden disability, or neurodivergent conditions. Our work is centred on raising awareness and providing a safe forum for meaningful conversations to drive progress across the business.”
Issie Cox is a Digital Content Developer in our Supply Chain and Service Operations team. She is a member of the Women’s Network and works closely with their leadership team to capture events and create promotional content. She is also a Committee Member of Pride at Currys and Disability at Currys.
“The Women’s Network is a group of over 400 colleagues across the business. We come together to support and empower each other and to create opportunities to discuss issues affecting women in business, especially in the tech industry.”
Steve Bernstein is a Senior Buyer in our Mobile Squad. He is a Committee Member of the Embrace Network.
“Embrace is all about celebrating diversity across different ethnicities, religions and cultural backgrounds. We try to showcase these, educate people and provide a safe space for colleagues to be their true selves.”
What activity has your ERG been getting up to recently?
Zoë: “Pride at Currys has run two big events this year: a workplace Pride event which we brought to our Waterloo Office, primarily for corporate colleagues, and we once again participated in Manchester Pride – our biggest Pride event to date where we celebrated in front of over 30,000 people”
Chris: “We’ve just completed our one-year anniversary event, a milestone I’m really proud of. Much of our activity to raise awareness is ongoing on a more local level, and from a personal perspective, I’m having a lot more conversations with colleagues about topics that we wouldn’t have thought to discuss before establishing Disability at Currys.”
Issie: “One of the things we’ve established is our ‘Coffee Roulette’, which is an opportunity to start conversations and share perspectives with female colleagues. I’ve really enjoyed taking part in these, and we’ve had strong engagement across Currys, right up to our senior leaders.
“We also run regular speaker events across the country to hear from prominent female voices about how they empower women in their own workplaces, as well as Roadshow events where we go to different parts of the business to raise awareness of the Network.”
Steve: “We have been running a reverse-mentoring scheme across different levels of the company to showcase some of the challenges that different ethnic minorities face , and we recently ran an ‘Embrace the Fast’ event during Ramadan, where colleagues were able to experience what it’s like to participate in Ramadan”
What achievements are you most proud of since the launch of your ERG?
Zoë: “Two things in particular. The first is the growth we’ve had since launching, with over 500 colleagues across the business engaging with Pride at Currys.
“Secondly, the policy changes that we’ve worked on. From uniform changes – including the option of adding pronouns to name badges – to the Gender Reassignment Policy that was introduced as a result of our advocacy.”
Chris: “The fact that Senior leaders have shown they’re invested in our work and have really stepped up to give us the support we need to get up and running.
“I’m also proud of certain colleagues who have stepped forward and felt more comfortable to be their best and true selves. I’m determined to continue my activity in this ERG to help more colleagues feel they’re in a safe space within Currys to continue having these important conversations.”
Issie: “I’m really proud of the impact that the Network has had. We’ve heard colleagues talk about how engaging with the Network has changed their perspectives and helped them come out of their shell. It’s amazing that we can have that impact, and I hope we can continue to do so.”
Steve: “I’m most proud of some of the in-person events we’ve run. Everyone attending has taken an hour out of their busy work schedule and come together to think about their role in making positive changes. For that small moment we’ve been able to shine a light on really important issues, and I’ve come away from a few events feeling that glow.”
What are your goals for the future?
Zoë: “Continuing to raise awareness of Pride at Currys. We’re the oldest ERG, but still quite retail focused. Our goal from here is to drive awareness and participation across the wider business, from both LGBTQ+ colleagues and our allies.”
Chris: “Our overarching goal is for all Currys colleagues with a disability to see translatable benefits in areas that matter to them. There’s also a perception that Disability at Currys is quite corporate-focused, so we’re determined to drive more involvement from other parts of the business.”
Issie: “I really want to see us grow our engagement with female colleagues working in more male-dominated areas of the business, like our Supply Chain teams. It can be harder for these colleagues to discuss women’s issues and support each other, and that’s something we want to change.”
Steve: “For me, it’s about growing the Embrace Network across the company. We want to continue creating opportunities for colleagues to engage with us, whether they work in Head Office, Stores, or in our Supply Chain teams.”