Inclusivity

Diversity and Inclusion at BHF

Heart and circulatory diseases are diseases of inequality. We are committed to funding life saving science for everyone, and we are committed to be an inclusive employer.

Find out more about what we are doing by reading our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy Igniting Change and our Recruitment commitment to diversity and inclusion.

At the BHF we want to ensure our workforce reflects the general population of the United Kingdom, so we can better represent the experiences and voices of the communities we support. A more diverse, inclusive, and fair BHF will not only improve the quality of what we do, but the impact we have.

Equality in the workplace is a part of normal life at the BHF. Whatever your age, gender, religion, disability status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or family circumstances, you’ll be treated with fairness and respect. We want all our colleagues, volunteers, and supporters to feel comfortable and able to bring their true selves to work.

We’ve rolled out an enhanced maternity policy, have seen a decrease in our gender pay gap and have attended Pride events across the country. We’re a trans inclusive employer and have support programmes in place to support those transitioning. Our My BHF campaigns proudly showcase diversity across the BHF and are representative of the communities we support. We’re also dedicated to offering flexible working that supports all our colleagues.

When working at the BHF, we want you to bring your true self to work. You’ll find a culture where colleagues are keen to get involved in activities that make individuality part of what we do every single day.

Our internal EDI group, Kaleidoscope, has representatives from across the business and works closely with colleagues who are involved in our employee network groups (our affinity groups). Affinity groups are spaces for colleagues from underrepresented groups to feel connected, included and heard. We have groups set up for our black colleagues, different religions and faiths, people interested in anti-racism, working parents and guardians, the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities and those interested in gender equality. We look forward to developing more affinity groups as these become embedded within our organisation.

As a charity, we aim to fund lifesaving science for everyone. We will only achieve this by welcoming colleagues and having an inclusive environment so people from all backgrounds feel able to join our BHF family.

Wellbeing

We want to empower and support all colleagues to live a healthy and happy life, both at home and at work. We strive to enable those working with us to achieve and maintain a positive state of physical and mental health which also includes social and financial wellbeing.

We support our colleagues by providing regular tips and resources to look after their finances, eat well, get physically active and keep socially connected.

As we embrace working flexibly, both in the office and at home =colleagues can take part in “random coffee chats” and be paired with another member of the wider BHF team for a virtual chat and catch up. We’ve also created a Meetings Charter to establish working practices we can all commit to when working virtually.

We have set out ten commitments for healthy, safe and inclusive meetings, built around our BHF values; Brave, Compassionate, Driven and Informed. These commitments include Tech-free lunch breaks and ensure we allow ourselves adequate screen breaks.

Mental Health Ambassadors

We have resources available to help maintain and look after your mental wellbeing through our Mental Health Ambassadors network. These trained colleagues at the BHF are a point of contact for anyone who may be experiencing mental health concerns or emotional distress. Our ambassadors offer non-judgemental support and signpost individuals to the appropriate professional support.