Valuing diversity in the workplace and beyond
At Leidos, we value diversity and inclusion as they are embedded into our values. This philosophy is at the heart of our company, as the talent needed to enable our organisation to flourish is contingent on cultivating a workforce rich in diversity of thought, experience, and culture.
We have been driving this agenda through our Employee Resource Groups (ERG) which provide support for onboarding, networking, and professional development opportunities for our employees and diversity recruiting. Our Young Professionals Network (YPN) connects early-career employees with others in the company to help foster learning, career development, and professional growth.
Throughout July, we were delighted that the YPN participated in the Tech Talent Charter’s (TTC) three-week virtual hackathon, focusing on what organisations must change to attract, retain, and develop Black employees. The TTC is leading a movement – which we at Leidos are proud to be part of – to address accessibility to the UK tech sector, and the need to drive inclusion and diversity in a practical and measurable way.
The hackathon provided our UK team, which included Angel Maynard, Emma Digby, Luke Rainbow, and Declan Bissick, with the opportunity to connect with subject matter experts from other organisations and support the TTC to improve its ‘Open Playbook’; an open-source tool for organisations to access on how to create inclusive cultures, recruit diverse talent, grow, and retain great teams. Specifically, our Leidos UK team co-created a 'roadmap' focused on producing ideas and recommendations for Black employee network/resource groups, as part of our commitment to increasing opportunities for individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the tech industry.
The ‘Open Playbooks’ focused on four key areas including:
- Education and ally ship
- Recruiting Black employees
- Promoting, developing, and retaining Black employees
- Black employee network/resource groups
The teams had several weeks to produce a winning roadmap, and on Friday, 31st July, winners were announced. Although, the young professionals who participated did not win, they still learned a tremendous amount with regards to what methods can be adopted going forward. Each team member was committed to providing ideas/recommendations for the increase of individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the tech industry.
Speaking from the hackathon, Chair of the YPN Declan Bissick said, “I am confident that as a team we have increased our knowledge around the recruitment and development of diverse ethnic employees and we aim to share what we have learnt with the wider organisation.”
For more information on how to join our diverse teams, visit ukcareers.leidos.com.
