Diversity and inclusion
Torchbox belongs to all of us, and is somewhere we all belong. Together, we’re building a culture that celebrates our differences and champions our many diverse skills and perspectives.
Building an inclusive culture
Led by our Diversity and Inclusion voice group we’re on a mission to challenge biases, put inclusion at the heart of our processes and decision-making, and promote a culture where everyone feels supported to meet their full potential.
We're learning, educating, and making changes that don't just make things better for our employees, but also our clients and the tech sector as a whole.
Iona Twiston-Davies Senior Digital Account Manager and Diversity and Inclusion ambassador
Learning how to be more inclusive
To be a truly inclusive workplace, everyone must take an active role in promoting and supporting diversity. We run regular training sessions to help us all learn and grow as individuals, promoting awareness and understanding about different lived experiences.
Recent sessions have included topics such as:
- supporting neurodivergent people at work
- non-binary inclusivity
- overcoming imposter syndrome
- menopause awareness
Making space for everyone
Remote and flexible working are standard at Torchbox, allowing everyone to tailor their workday and environment to better suit their needs. Taking regular breaks is encouraged and many of our co-owners work shorter weeks, earlier starts or later finishes to make it easier to maintain a good work-life balance.
To support this balance, each of our offices has a wellbeing room set up to provide a calming space for breastfeeding, prayer, meditation, or just escaping for a moment of quiet. For remote workers, we provide computer equipment, office furniture and accessibility aids to help get their workspace set up with everything they need to do their best work.
We’re also careful to make sure everyone feels welcome at our events and socials too. We aim to make all of our get-togethers as inclusive as possible. That means choosing accessible venues, covering travel and attendance costs, and booking activities that allow people to take part in the way that they feel most comfortable.
Creating a fairer recruitment process
We’ve redefined our recruitment process to make it as inclusive as possible, so we can build a workplace where everyone thrives. We’ve already made a lot of important changes, but we know it doesn't stop there. We’re learning and evolving with each new hire and every inclusive decision made.
We’re committed to being open about our full recruitment process, setting clear expectations for candidates and providing them with comprehensive recruitment timelines. This creates a smoother experience for everyone and empowers candidates to bring their best self. Some of the ways we do this include:
- telling candidates upfront about interview rounds, tasks and decision-making timeframes
- providing detailed information about interview tasks early, so there’s plenty of time to prepare
- writing job descriptions in plain language
- including details about flexible working hours, locations, benefits and salary in all job adverts
- providing quality part-time options, including senior positions
Reaching a broader range of applicants
Making our recruitment process more inclusive isn’t enough on it’s own. It’s also important that our jobs are seen by a wide range of people.
By placing our job adverts where they're more likely to be seen by marginalised applicants, we're expanding our reach and welcoming a broader array of talents. Platforms like Mumsnet, BME Jobs, Evenbreak and LGBT Jobs are now integral to our recruitment strategy.