We also want to share what we learned about the importance of self-belief, the role of mentors and empowering diversity from a Meat Business Women audience session with animal behaviourist and autism advocate, Dr Temple Grandin.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion integrates all people and groups within organisations.
What does a diverse workplace look like?
Diversity extends beyond visible differences such as race, gender, and ethnicity. It also includes religion, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and neurodivergence.
What is neurodivergence and why does it matter?
Neurodivergence describes different ways of thinking, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and Tourette’s.
Around a fifth of the population are neurodivergent. That’s a significant portion of the workforce who should all have equal opportunities to contribute. The good news is that we can all help unlock people’s potential.
Expanding the talent pool
Two recurring themes from Meat Business Women’s session Dr Grandin, were the importance of self-belief and the role of mentors.
Dr Granding shared insights about her remarkable life and work. She struck a chord when she said:
“There is opportunity everywhere, a lot of people just don’t always see it. Look for the door of opportunity like I did and have the guts to go through that door.”
These words reminded me of our own ‘Bees’ Knees’ promise to be the best we can be and the values – ambition, integrity and results – that underpin everything our team does.
Having faith in yourself and others is equally significant. This is one reason we’re working on an agency mentoring programme to share the broad spectrum of experience and skills within our growing business and provide role models for all of our team.
We want to continue attracting, retaining and developing the best possible talent. That means acknowledging that people’s brains are wired differently.
Those different cognitive styles should be celebrated through collaborative ways of working. It’s why everyone at Pinstone is empowered to bring their unique perspectives to the table.
Putting policy into action
Fostering a diverse workforce can have numerous advantages:
- It can lead to a more innovative, creative and empathetic work environment.
- It can help improve problem solving.
- Businesses can break down stereotypes and contribute to a broader social movement toward acceptance and understanding.
In my mind, it is not just about meeting a social obligation; it’s about harnessing the unique strengths and talents of each individual.
For me, it’s one of the most exciting aspects of Pinstone’s identity and ensures that we have a dynamic team that is truly supportive and inclusive.
