National Inclusion Week: Our Action
National Inclusion Week 2025 is here — a chance for organisations across the UK and beyond to celebrate diversity, reflect on progress, and take action to create more inclusive workplaces.
Founded by Inclusive Employers, National Inclusion Week brings together organisations and individuals across the UK and beyond to share ideas, celebrate successes, and focus on the practical actions that make inclusion a reality. This year’s theme, “Now is the Time”, is a timely reminder that inclusion cannot wait — it requires action, accountability, and continuous effort.
At Onnec, we believe weeks like this matter because they give us space to pause and reflect. In the busyness of day-to-day work, it’s easy to overlook how far we’ve come — and how much more we want to achieve. National Inclusion Week allows us to shine a light on the steps we’re taking, listen to our colleagues, and shape our priorities for the future.
our inclusion journey at onnec
As Onnec has grown from a local business to a global company operating across Europe, APAC, and the US, so too has our approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We’ve broadened our focus, deepened our efforts, and committed to embedding inclusion across every part of our business.
Here are some of the ways we’re making progress:
Growing EDI Committee
To support our vision is our EDI Committee, a growing team that plays a key role in driving change and fostering an inclusive environment for all. The group monitors and evaluates progress on our objectives and reports back to the Exco. The committee is made up of a range of employees from across the group, covering all backgrounds and a diverse mix of job roles, race and gender – our EDI Champions.
Launching our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
At the end of 2024, we launched our Women at Onnec and Pride at Onnec ERGs, creating safe spaces for connection, support, and advocacy. These groups provide spaces where employees can connect, share experiences, and drive meaningful change within our organisation and beyond.
Neurodiversity Focus Group
From offering flexible working options and support tools, to launching Neurodiversity Awareness Training on our staff e-learning platform, we continuously strive to foster an environment where everyone can bring their best selves to work.
Inclusive Recruitment Practices
Our hiring processes have been updated to ensure a diverse talent pool, focusing on unbiased recruitment and inclusive job descriptions. Hiring managers receive Inclusive Hiring Trainers, providing the team with valuable insights into unconscious bias and neurodiversity, equipping them to build fairer processes, support diverse talent, and create inclusive workplaces from the very start of a colleague’s journey with us.
External Expertise
We work with partners such as the National Centre for Diversity and the Irish Centre for Diversity to inform and guide our policies and practices, as well as benchmarking our progress so we can keep raising the bar. We now hold the Investor in Diversity Silver award in both the UK and Ireland.
Celebrating recognition
We’re proud that our commitment to inclusion is being recognised outside of Onnec. This year, we were shortlisted for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year at the Inspiring Women in Construction and Engineering Awards, thanks to the impact of our Women at Onnec Employee Resource Group. Additionally, we were shortlisted for two awards at this year’s Women in Construction Awards – Best Health & Safety Leadership and Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Strategy.
These industry recognitions reinforce that the steps we’re taking are making a real difference — not only for our colleagues but also across the wider industry.
Looking ahead
For us, inclusion is not a campaign or a one-time initiative. It’s continuous work that evolves as our company grows. What makes us proud is seeing how many colleagues want to be part of this journey — our EDI Committee continues to grow, and the energy, ideas, and commitment from across the business show that inclusion really is everyone’s responsibility.
