Our World | Empowering Every Voice

This week, the Our World team caught up with a powerhouse trio who are showing the world that disability is no roadblock to success! We chatted with them about how they're smashing stereotypes and proving that with the right support, nothing can hold them back. Their stories are inspirational, making it clear that inclusion isn’t just a buzzword -?it’s the secret sauce to our success!

Good morning, can you share a bit with us about your role at RS and your disability please? ?

Di: “I’m Diane Rose (she / her) and I'm the Production Manager in the Group Communications Team.? I only have 10% hearing in my right ear, which makes me hard of hearing. This was diagnosed just over seven years ago. I had been experiencing ringing in my right ear for a while and was struggling to have conversations both at work and at home. I had assumed that I had an ear infection, but the longer it lasted, the more I knew that something serious was wrong. My GP referred me to a specialist and thanks to the RS private medical insurance, I was able to see a consultant and have a number of tests done. They confirmed that I was hard of hearing and that I was required to use a hearing aid.”

Lee: “Hi, I’m Lee Petchey and I’m the Talent and Diversity Coordinator here at RS. I’ve had mild cerebral palsy since birth, the condition is known as spastic diplegia, it affects mobility in my legs and gives me very tight muscles and getting around can be quite difficult. It’s obviously created challenges in the workplace but I’ve received a lot of support. Teaching was probably the most difficult in my career, constantly pacing around the room was exhausting. Now that I work in an office environment and work from home for most days, it’s just my two-year-old son who is exhausting me! I’m just having to adapt and keep myself as fit as possible so I can keep up with them.”

Robbie: “Good morning, my name is Robbie Dunion . I’m the Head of Social Media at RS Group. For me, living with ADHD can be a huge challenge. I’m reliably late for everything, regularly forget simple things and often struggle with focusing on day-to-day tasks. Despite that, I have thankfully managed to carve out a career in social media that supports my strengths of creativity and interaction, while providing me with much-needed variety and stimulation. Honestly, you wouldn’t believe how many social media professionals have ADHD.”

Have you always felt comfortable raising your disability at work?

Di: “Initially, I was quite reluctant to come in and tell people, but that was my own insecurity. The first person at work I told was my manager, who was absolutely amazing. It made me realise that it didn’t change anything. I was still me and people have invisible disabilities.? Once you’re classed with a disability, you realise more and more how many people are in the same situation as you.”?

Lee: “I struggled for years with being open in advance or just letting people find out for themselves, of course that can create a lot of anxiety. Trying to find a way to bring it up is always quite difficult. I was confident enough to speak about it at the interview stage. Had I not been interviewed by two people that made me feel as comfortable, then I may not have brought that up and that would have lingered and created a very awkward first day.”

Robbie: “I feel extremely lucky to work for an organisation that cares and has helped me every step of the way. After a lifetime of feeling different, years of self-doubt and research, it was actually RS Group’s private health plan that enabled me to get a confirmed diagnosis, having given up on the lengthy NHS waiting list. Thanks to RS, in a matter of months, I was assessed by a psychologist, diagnosed, completed a series of CBT sessions and now have access to ongoing support. I’m probably more open at work than in my personal life, as RS played such a key role in helping me.” ?

How have you been supported in your role?

Di: “The support I have received has been second to none. My global role involves lots of phone calls, Teams calls, and team meetings. The business bought me a speaker, which means that I no longer wear a headset. This makes it so much easier and clearer for me. The other part of being hard of hearing is that I tend to lip read, my team have been incredible in helping me to work at my best when I’m in the office or at home. When we’re in meetings or presentations, they always save me a space at the front so that I am closer to the presenter and able to hear and see them better. They also support me by ensuring that the presenter is always on my left side. Everybody has been brilliant and so understanding.?

“RS is a very busy workplace and certain areas, like the restaurant in Corby, make it very difficult to hear. I used to feel self-conscious about asking people to repeat themselves, but I’m proud to say that I am now very comfortable asking people to do so if I struggle to hear them. It’s never a problem, people absolutely understand. I am who I am. People have invisible disabilities.”

Lee: “My line manager spoke to me before I even started and I’ve been supported really well. Walking down to the canteen, people will say, do you want to take the lift? Or are you okay with the stairs? Or if I’m carrying something, do you want me to get that for you? It’s those lovely little things that help me so that I’m not struggling, people would make sure that it’s taken care of and I can focus on getting myself around, which is really comforting.”

Robbie: “I feel comfortable to regularly share how I am thinking and feeling. My manager and colleagues have really adapted to understand and support my needs. This has included allowing me to take more regular breaks, time to exercise in the early afternoon to increase my focus, using transcription tools to record meetings when needed and not being judged in a long meeting if I need to get up and walk around. I was even invited to run a session for the comms team to share some of the techniques I have developed or apps that I use for my own time management, wellbeing and workload, which could also help them. I feel able to truly embrace and celebrate my neurodiversity, thanks to RS.”?

How can RS improve their support for people with disabilities?

Di: “Seven years ago, when I was diagnosed, there were gaps in how I could be supported by the business. Although they funded and helped to buy the equipment I needed to work, I was quite paranoid about the big, bulky hearing aids that you get through the NHS, so wanted a smaller and more discrete one.? Sadly, there was no support or funding available in our cash plans or medical insurance through RS, so I had to find the money to buy it myself.

“I did speak to our Head of Reward however and requested that next time we reviewed our medical provider it would be something beneficial to take into account for anybody with hearing difficulties. Thankfully, my voice was heard and seven years later I’m really pleased to say that RS now offers hearing aid funding as part of our Health Cash Plan.”

Lee: “I would say reassure people and make them feel like they’re in a safe place to talk about themselves and discuss their challenges. We’ve got wonderful, talented people out there who push through barriers. The Occupational Health Survey could be sent along with the job offer. I had a four-week notice period in my last job, and could have completed it weeks before I started at RS. That may have sped up the process had I needed adaptations to enable me to work from home.? “My only other suggestion is we should shout about our disabled colleagues, whether it’s physical disabilities or neurodivergence, and let people know that we’re a company that looks after our disabled colleagues, because I genuinely believe we do.”

Robbie: “I would say that we have lot of great support in place, but we just need to talk about it more. I’ve had countless conversations with colleagues who didn’t realise we had certain processes or support in place. And I also echo what Lee has said about shouting about our amazing colleagues more.”?

Would you recommend RS as a disability-positive employer on the back of your experience?

Di: “I would 100% recommend RS. They’ve helped me to realise that I am me. ?My disability doesn’t define who I am and it certainly doesn’t affect my ability to carry out my role.”

Lee: “Absolutely 100%. And we’ll be working to ensure that this is a common thread across our business.”

Robbie: “Completely, as Di and Lee have said. RS allows us to bring our true selves to work.”

Would you be interested in a career at RS Group plc ? Head to our Employer Hub on Evenbreak to find out more: https://www.evenbreak.co.uk/employer/06951ef7-fb43-4676-bdf5-7df0196bc202/rs-group/hub/