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  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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Not ready for accreditation yet? Start with the Inclusive Employers Assessment

The Inclusive Employers Standard is suitable for organisations at any level, but if you are looking for a practical starting point before formal accreditation, the Inclusive Employers Assessment can help you understand where your inclusion work stands and what to focus on next.

The Inclusive Employers Assessment is a quick, practical self-assessment that helps you understand your organisation’s inclusion maturity, identify clear priorities and move from insight to action with expert support.

It is not an accreditation or award. Instead, it gives you a structured route to reflect on your current approach, receive practical recommendations and build confidence before progressing to the Inclusive Employers Standard.

What to expect from the Inclusive Employers Assessment

  • You will complete 12 multiple-choice questions across four inclusion pillars: Ownership, Systems, Enablement and Impact.
  • You will receive a tailored report showing your results across the four pillars.
  • Your report includes recommended actions and areas for consideration to help you prioritise what to do next.
  • You will receive a draft action plan to help you turn insight into practical progress.
  • You will have a debrief session with a senior inclusion professional to discuss your results and tailor your next steps.
  • Your report will be shared within 10 days of completing the Assessment.

 

The Inclusive Employers Assessment gives you a clear, practical starting point for strengthening inclusion across your organisation.

Timeline to accreditation

The timeline for the Inclusive Employers Standard is as follows:

Registration Date: Any time throughout the year
Start Date: 2 months from registration
Submission Deadline: 4 months from your start date
Results Released: 5 – 10 weeks following your submission

Timeline to Assessment

The Inclusive Employers Assessment is designed to be quicker and more accessible than formal accreditation.

Registration Date: Any time throughout the year
Assessment: Complete 12 multiple-choice questions online
Report: Shared within 10 days of completing the Assessment
Debrief: Arranged with a senior inclusion professional to discuss your results and recommended actions

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.

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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 Assesment

If you want to understand your organisation’s inclusion maturity before progressing to formal accreditation, the Inclusive Employers Assessment is a practical place to start.

It gives you a quick diagnostic, a tailored report, recommended actions, a draft action plan and expert support to help you decide what to focus on next.

Investment

Free for eligible Inclusive Employers members

£495 + VAT for non-members and Aspire members

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

£3,950+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.


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