The Value of Inclusion

At Sky Betting and Gaming we have been on a journey over the last year to understand what it takes to build a truly inclusive place to work. Our passionate Inclusion Team (the amazing Holly & Greg) have been the catalysts, but the business has really embraced the changes and the benefits that come with being a place to work that can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter their background.  

I recognise that throughout organisations and wider society there are those who feel unsupported, unheard and are underrepresented. I want to ensure everyone at Sky Betting and Gaming has access to the opportunities that I’ve had throughout my career and can really enjoy how good a place Sky Betting and Gaming is to work. If we don’t understand the value of inclusion, then we risk losing great people and not attracting more exceptional talent.   

At Sky Betting and Gaming, we know that we under index in key groups of our society, so we need to look at new ways to attract talent, address some of the societal barriers that exist around us and make sure all our existing colleagues feel like they belong at Sky Betting and Gaming and can be their best. Whilst we need to recognise inequity around gender and race, we need to focus on creating an environment that allows everyone to be their best self and grow. The freedom to express ourselves, without fear of judgment, drives our sense of belonging and motivates each of us to give our all. 

I thought I'd share with you a little bit about the journey Sky Betting and Gaming is on as we look to build on a strong foundation where difference is valued.   

Inclusion & diversity brings innovation 

There is more than just creating a positive working environment that is behind my desire for Sky Betting and Gaming to have an inclusive culture.  

It’s not technology that drives our success, it’s our people. Our people are what set us apart from the competition — they are the one thing that no one else can have, or ever replicate. That’s why it’s vital that we have an environment where every single person, with their own unique personality, can flourish. 

Difference of thought is a clear competitive advantage for us in creating innovation. With more representative backgrounds and experiences feeding in and leading our business we can create better products, provide a better service for our customers and build a more sustainable, successful future for Sky Betting and Gaming.  

Innovation is where we have got ahead in a competitive market and it is how we will keep up our success.   

Inclusion approach  

At Sky Betting and Gaming we have started educating ourselves by bringing the conversation on inclusion to the fore. We have done this through a series of panel discussions, live Q&A’s, and the launch of our inclusion Pledge. The Pledge from the Leadership Team states its OK to challenge any behaviour in the business that doesn’t set an inclusive tone and to encourage everyone to take steps to help create a better culture. 

Local ownership is a powerful driver of change, and we want to ensure leaders across the business own the actions and makes changes in their teams. The conversation and education has helped lay a foundation for that.  

All of this has been gentle enough for us to learn, to be unafraid to ask questions and to be curious; however it’s been bold enough to start bringing about positive change.  

Looking ahead  

As I look ahead to the remainder of the year, there are many actions we’ll be taking to move the business further forward.  These include disrupting our recruitment process to intercept bias with ‘blind’ CV reviews and reviewing the language used in job adverts to ensure they will not dissuade applicants from different backgrounds. We’re also challenging ourselves to look in new places thinking differently about where our job adverts appear to make sure we’re attracting candidates from a wide range of backgrounds.  

I’m also excited about our self-funded version of the Government Kick-Start scheme. We will provide 10 entry-level opportunities across the business, to help tackle youth unemployment and to give people a chance and an opportunity they may not have had before, with recruitment of those roles targeting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.  

April sees the launch of our Inclusion Mentoring scheme, where members of the Senior Team will mentor someone in the business. The scheme is open to anyone and we are encouraging people from underrepresented groups, people with different ways of thinking or quieter voices (who have lots to offer but sometimes don’t get heard) to apply. This is an opportunity for the Senior Team to become real champions of equity. I am really looking forward to it, and I know I will get a lot from learning about someone else’s journey.  

Measuring success 

Inclusion can’t be solved like any other commercial problem; you can’t just do two or three things quickly to succeed. It’s a continued commitment and everyone needs to place a lens of inclusion over every decision and action they take. I’m lucky I get to work with a talented People team but it will take the whole business buying in that will make us make a difference.  

It has been an interesting journey so far and resulted in some challenging conversations across the business where we have previously fallen short of being fully inclusive, and particularly challenging by concerns from a small minority who feel like a pushed out by the themes around inclusion – its key that we take everyone along the journey if we are to make progress and so we have put time into addressing these concerns.   

I know it will take time to see a real difference, and I believe success is based on how our people feel. Our quarterly Inclusion Survey will give us a good guide to progress, as will our regular Staff Engagement surveys. Insights gleaned help to keep a check on how equitable the decisions, practises and policies are across the whole of Sky Betting and Gaming.  

It is a journey, but we are making good progress.