Fostering workplace belonging improves employee experience

One study showed that companies that adopt cognitive diversity see a 20% increase in innovation while outperforming competitors as well as improving problem solving.

The study credits the valuable insight that a diverse workplace provides through employees' various experiences, values and thought processes.

That’s why Raytheon UK is implementing a series of new DE&I initiatives to advance just that type of thinking.

John Dickinson, head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Raytheon UK, is leading the effort for the company. Since his appointment, he’s overseen Raytheon UK partnerships with a number of leading organisations to help support their drive for a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive culture.

Last year, Raytheon UK partnered with the Business Disability Forum becoming the first UK technology company in the defence and aerospace sector to join BDF in its objective to tackle the disability employment gap. Raytheon UK also partnered with HeyGirls, becoming a period friendly employer, improving the welfare of staff through period product provision.

“To support us in building a truly inclusive culture at Raytheon UK, we’ve partnered with some key organisations that are the trusted experts in their discipline of diversity and inclusion,” Dickinson said. “Together, with these key partners, we’re working to continually understand how we compare against the wider business community and use their guidance and counsel to ensure that we have a best practice or industry-leading approach to DE&I to help us provide the very best employee experience for our people.”

This year, Raytheon UK partnered with myGwork, a platform and professional network for the LGBTQIA+ business community to drive inclusiveness within the aerospace and defence sector. Since partnering with myGwork, the Raytheon UK Pride Network has developed employee-wide diversity training and seen more than 180 LGBTQIA+ candidates apply for roles within the company.

“Raytheon UK has taken great strides to build a more inclusive business,” Dickinson said. “We’ve focused on making sure our processes and policies are conducive to building a diverse and inclusive organisation such as supporting transgender colleagues and menopause and pregnancy loss policies.

“We’re trusted to help tackle the world’s toughest challenges at Raytheon UK,” Dickinson said. “We’ll never be successful in that mission unless we can look at it from a truly diverse range of perspectives – to achieve this we fundamentally have to build an inclusive business – ensuring that we’ve got the right culture, leadership skills and organisational design for diverse talent to truly thrive and have a credible voice within the organisation.”

Raytheon UK’s social responsibility programme, Forward Steps, helps to celebrate inclusivity both within the business, and in its communities. Since January 2022, Raytheon UK employees have contributed over 1,000 hours of volunteering time in local communities. The volunteerism supports a range of causes including befriending campaigns for those at risk of isolation and support, to encouraging young women into STEM careers.

Research conducted on company culture found that when employees trust that they and their colleagues will be treated fairly regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or age, they are 9.8 times more likely to look forward to going to work and 5.4 times more likely to want to stay a long time at their company.

Sinead O’Donnell, Raytheon UK Human Resources director, said, “As an inclusive employer, Raytheon UK firmly supports all employees to realise their full potential through celebrating our diversity. Through making firm commitments such as the Women in Defence Charter, that pledges to have a minimum of 30% female representation at all levels across the defence sector by 2030; and the Race at Work Charter, that is dedicated to improving equality of opportunity in the workplace, we are constantly looking at ways to ensure employees feel valued and represented.”