The Inclusive Employer Standard (IES) is our globally recognised workplace accreditation and benchmarking tool for inclusion and diversity. We’ll assess where you are on your journey using our unique inclusion framework. You’ll receive tailored, actionable feedback to embed workplace inclusion at all levels of your organisation.

Becoming an IES-accredited organisation shows you’re committed to workplace inclusion and diversity. It is designed to make it easier for you to make the business case for inclusion, and demonstrate that it is integral to your organisation.

Join organisations like the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Leidos and Liverpool FC and get started today.

How our I&D accreditation benefits your organisation

There are many ways our IES accreditation can have a positive and lasting impact on your inclusion agenda.

  • Gain a deep understanding of your organisational culture
  • Discover potential gaps or areas for improvement in your inclusion journey
  • Set actionable goals and priorities for impactful progress
  • Recognise the things you’ve already achieved and celebrate reaching new milestones
  • Enhance your reputation as an organisation committed to inclusion
  • Attract and retain a diverse workforce

Getting your I&D accreditation

When you participate in our assessment, you’ll get access to our online portal with detailed guidance on how to complete the assessment.

What to expect

  • During your IES assessment, we’ll ask you to answer 33 questions and provide evidence across our Six Pillars of Inclusion Framework. This will help us measure where you’re at on your I&D journey.
  • Our inclusion experts will score each response using best practice criteria. We developed these criteria through rigorous research and development, across industries.
  • Your score for each pillar is benchmarked against the average score for your industry, organisation size and our UK or global sample.
  • You’ll receive detailed feedback and personalised support highlighting your strengths and areas for improvement.
  • One of our inclusion experts will take you through a 1-hour strategy session to discuss your recommendations and a progression plan.
  • You’ll receive a Committed, Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate to show your commitment to becoming an inclusive employer.
  • We encourage you to continue monitoring your approach to workplace inclusion by participating in the IES every two years. While optional, this will allow you to review and measure your I&D progress effectively.

 

With 92% of organisations reporting that our Inclusive Employer Standard positively impacted their inclusion process, join them and see the difference.

Start your IES journey today
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Inclusive Employers Standard Foundation

The Inclusive Employers Standard is suitable for organisations at any level, but if you are at the beginning of your inclusion journey our Foundation Assessment can be a great starting point. It helps build your knowledge and confidence to develop and progress your inclusion agenda.

  • You will answer 11 questions based on our six pillars framework, specifically designed to kickstart your inclusion journey
  • Like the IES, you receive an action-focused feedback report that provides a gap analysis with guidance on best practice
  • You’ll have the opportunity to meet with a member of our expert consulting team for a feedback session

IES Foundation will provide you with all the information you need to start your inclusion journey the right way.

Timeline to accreditation

The Inclusive Employers Standard has an open entry system. You can sign up and start your submission at any time.

The Inclusive Employers Standard Foundation has no deadlines allowing you to sign up and submit on a timeline that works for you.

Registration Date: Any time throughout the year
Start Date: A date of your choice within 6 months of registration
Submission Deadline: 3 months from your start date
Results Released: 5 – 10 weeks following your submission (depending on time of year)

Our market-leading Six Pillars of Inclusion Framework

Our comprehensive scoring framework sets us apart from other I&D accreditation providers. It’s the framework for everything we do at Inclusive Employers. Measuring your inclusion against our six pillars provides in-depth insights you won’t find anywhere else.

Find out which inclusion assessment is the perfect match for your organisation.

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Engage Pillar

The Engage pillar measures how engaged your employees are, and how well you understand your employee’s experience.

Topics covered:

  • Diversity data
  • Internal communication
  • Staff consultation
  • Staff surveys
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Equip pillar

This pillar assesses how you Equip your employees with the knowledge, experience and guidance they need to design and deliver inclusion.

Topics covered:

  • Policies
  • Staff training
  • Management and leadership training
  • Resources and guidance
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Empower pillar

The Empower pillar considers how well you create space for staff to share stories, learn from each other and make a difference to organisational culture.

Topics covered:

  • Internal and external campaigns
  • Staff-led inclusion activities
  • Staff networks/Inclusion champions
  • Recognition and reward
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Embed pillar

This pillar looks at how well you Embed inclusion across every level of your organisation, from your mission and values to each stage of the employee journey.

Topics covered:

  • Strategy
  • Governance and oversight
  • Pay gap reporting
  • Recruitment
  • Career development
  • Performance management
  • Procurement
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Evaluate pillar

This pillar assesses how you Evaluate your I&D progress. This includes how you monitor and review your progress, and where your resources and time are spent.

Topics covered:

  • Impact and return on investment evaluation
  • Use of qualitative and quantitative data collection for goal-setting
  • Reviewing of data to shape the employee journey
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Evolve pillar

The Evolve pillar measures how you continue to drive inclusion internally and externally.

Topics covered:

  • External networking and horizon scanning
  • External inclusion role modelling and knowledge sharing

Our six pillars framework provides a flexible foundation for measuring your inclusion practises. This flexibility means our IES is suitable for your organisation, whether you have 50 or 50,000 employees.

Invest in IES

Investing in IES is a commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse working environment. We’ve got two options, depending on where you are on your inclusion journey.

 

Inclusive Employers Standard Foundation

If you’re ready to kick-start your inclusion journey, our Foundation Assessment is a great place to start.

Investment

£1,500 +VAT

*members receive an additional 10% discount

Get started today

Inclusive Employers Standard

The Inclusive Employers Standard is more than an inclusion accreditation. It is designed as a framework to support your organisation to deliver its inclusion and diversity strategy.

Investment

£3600+VAT

*members receive an additional 10% discount

Get started today

Testimonials

“I’m delighted to receive this recognition from Inclusive Employers on behalf of the whole organisation. I am also grateful for the support and constructive feedback they have given us since we achieved the Silver Standard three years ago. Their advice has helped to shape our activities, driven our focus on DE&I, and accelerated our journey. While we will celebrate this achievement, we know it’s not the end. There is much more to do, but I am incredibly proud of the tangible changes and progress we have made to fulfil our ambition of making the UK’s leading automotive group the UK’s most inclusive automotive group.”

Alex Smith,
Managing Director Volkswagen Group UK
Gold Accreditation 2024

“We’re delighted to have achieved the Bronze Award upon our first Inclusive Employers Standard submission. Although we know we still have plenty to do to be even more inclusive, this award assures us that we are on the right track, and provides us with a strong foundation to build upon as we continue our journey to become a gold-standard inclusive employer.”

Gemma Kopel-Doree
HR Manager Estuary Housing Association
Bronze Accreditation 2024

 

Talk to us

If you are ready to measure inclusion and diversity within your organisation get in touch to register your interest and find out more.