.avif)
Equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to our mission to be a great place to work. They help us attract talent from the widest possible pool and are essential to our goal of designing better places to live. We’ve built a culture of collaboration and are known for policies and practices that show meaningful care for our people.
We know that an inclusive environment and a diverse workforce lead to better outcomes—for our practice and for the places we help shape. Embracing a wide range of identities, lived experiences and perspectives enables us to better understand the challenges faced by our clients and the communities we work with.
In 2021, we launched our first Inclusive Leadership Programme, facilitated by Danna Walker of Built By Us, offering our leadership team deeper insight into the lived experiences of colleagues from diverse backgrounds. Over the past six years, we have also improved the diversity of our graduate intake through partnerships with Blueprint for All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) and Urban Recruitment.
We recognise that inclusion is an ongoing journey. We are proud of the progress made so far, shared through our D&I Journey timeline and in annual editions of our ED&I newsletter, The Neighbourhood, first published in 2017.
Our ED&I Strategy sets out our approach to creating lasting change in how we support and develop our people, and how we influence the wider industry and society through our work. It assesses where we are now and outlines the actions we will take to improve over the next five years, through to 2026.
Our actions are data-driven and employee-led, targeting the areas where progress is most needed. We will set clear goals and hold ourselves accountable, while remaining adaptable to external change and internal feedback, gathered through our annual Staff Opinion Survey and consultative forums.
We are committed to improving the way our projects are designed and delivered, strengthening the outcomes of community consultation and post-occupancy evaluation. Our aim is to be a leading example of inclusive practice, one that others in the sector look to and learn from.
We involve colleagues from across HTA through our ED&I groups and consultative forums, which support staff and help build community through shared experiences and common interests.
At the core of this is our People Forum, made up of representatives from every team, discipline and studio, providing a space to share ideas and shape actions that can be adopted across the practice.
Our ED&I sub-groups design and promote programmes shaped by their members’ experiences and priorities, helping to strengthen inclusion across the practice. By recognising and valuing the diverse backgrounds and cultures of our people, these groups play a vital role in making HTA an inclusive and supportive place to work.
The Neighbourhood is our ED&I round-up newsletter, collecting together a summary of all of our activity throughout the year.
You can read past editions here.
