GRAHAM named one of UK’s most inclusive employers

GRAHAM, the construction and engineering specialist, has been named in the ‘UK’s Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces Index 2022’.

The ‘FREDIE’ (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) Awards champion and celebrate individuals and organisations that go above and beyond in their commitment to Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement.

This year was the first time GRAHAM entered the FREDIE Awards. GRAHAM says being placed 41st in the Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces Index 2022 is a significant achievement for an organisation operating in an industry traditionally renowned for its lack of workforce diversity.

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• GRAHAM to provide bridge across Great Eastern Main Line

The placing has been spearheaded by GRAHAM’s appointment of Hollie Cregan as the Group’s new Head of Equality Diversity and FIR, who has been driving the company’s approach to Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR).

Hollie was appointed by GRAHAM last year as the company’s first-ever Head of Equality, Diversity and FIR for its civil engineering division after Managing Director Leo Martin saw the requirement for a dedicated role to focus on equality, diversity & inclusion in the business.

Fast forward a year and Hollie has moved into a wider group role – where she has been working throughout the company’s sites and offices across the UK and Ireland to ensure the business fairly represents the culture, gender, disability and LGBT diversity within their respective locations. 

Hollie joined GRAHAM from VolkerWessels UK, where she was Head of EDI for almost four years, and brings significant experience in the Civil Engineering, Highways and Rail sectors. She is also a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), with a Level 4 qualification in Managing Equality and Diversity.

Discussing her role at GRAHAM, Hollie said: “GRAHAM has ambitious goals to be a leader in operating ethically. It’s what we want, what our employees and incoming talent want, it’s what our clients demand and what the government is asking for.

“What we do to promote diversity in the organisation is not just a box ticking exercise, it is a built-in element of our operations that will help mould a much more diverse business and sector. Being ranked in the NCFD’s Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces Index 2022 tells us we are going in the right direction but we will continually strive to be so much more.”

Commenting on the company’s FREDIE listing, GRAHAM’s HR Director, Michael Smyth, said: “GRAHAM ranking as one of the UK’s top 100 most inclusive employers cements our reputation as a leader for fairness, inclusion and respect. Throughout the business, we have strived to develop a culture where every employee feels valued as an individual and comfortable to perform at their best.”

He added: “We are currently working in partnership with the National Centre for Diversity towards the achievement of the Investors in Diversity (IiD) Award. Our ambition is to continue to be recognised as a leader in FIR, and we remain committed to cultivating a diverse workforce and a positive team culture.”

Solat Chaudhry, Chief Executive at the National Centre for Diversity said:  “I send my warmest congratulations to John Graham Construction Limited on successfully reaching number 41 in the Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces Index 2022. It’s been a challenging year and yet, it has not dented the excellent work that organisations such as GRAHAM and individuals do in promoting FREDIE best practice.   

“I am particularly proud that as we celebrate excellent work across all sectors that GRAHAM are one of the organisations that are the future of the workplace in the UK. “We celebrate the exceptional work of people and organisations who have EDI/FIR running through their DNA. Let’s rejoice at this and build a better society.”

GRAHAM has been operating for more than 200 years, delivering high-profile construction projects across a range of sectors, and its high ranking by the NCFD follows its intensive efforts to promote inclusion, fairness and respect throughout the business.

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