Diversity, Equality, Equity and Inclusion

Proud to support those who serve

We are proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant pledge and are excited about the opportunities it presents for us to work even more closely with the Armed Forces Community.

Disability Confident-Committed Accreditation

In England 17.7% of the population are disabled and employment of disabled people is 53% compared to 82% for non-disabled people.

We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive organisation. We are proud to have signed the Government’s Disability Confident Level 1 charter.

HUC already employs a large number of staff with visible and hidden disabilities, but we are aware that externally this is not widely known.

We have therefore committed to the Government wide kitemark and scheme operating in public and private organisations across the UK.

What will this mean for our employees? 

We already provide reasonable adjustments for applicants and staff and support staff who become disabled during their employment. These range from chairs for back injuries to rota times for those undergoing treatments.

If you are disabled and apply for a job, you are now guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria and are not asking for a reasonable adjustment we cannot meet.

What are the reasonable adjustments we cannot meet?

Like other NHS providers, we do not allow assistive technology on our core IT systems – Adastra, Storm etc.

We cannot adapt our cars permanently for disabled staff as they are used by multiple drivers.

We cannot provide applicants with limited mobility access to the second floor of Welwyn Garden City however we can look at using alternative ground floor rooms and sites.

We are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our employees. That’s why we’ve taken the Mental Health at Work Commitment which is a simple framework launched in 2019, based on the ‘Thriving at Work’ standards.

‘Thriving at Work’ was an independent review of mental health and employers commissioned by the UK government and led by Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, Mind’s Chief Executive.

The Mental Health at Work Commitment, and the standards that underpin it, is a roadmap to achieving better mental wellbeing outcomes for everyone in the workplace. It provides us with a set of actions to follow to improve and support the mental health and wellbeing of our employees.

We are committed to continue with the delivery of a range of awareness activities and resources to ensure that everyone at HUC can have open and honest conversations about their mental health and feel supported during all stages of their time at HUC.

We are committed to the delivery of the following standards:

• Prioritise mental health in the workplace by developing and delivering a systematic programme of activity
• Proactively ensure work design and organisational culture drive positive mental health outcomes
• Promote an open culture around mental health
• Increase organisational confidence and capability
• Provide mental health tools and support
• Increase transparency and accountability through internal and external reporting