Our differences are what make us true #DifferenceMakers
Sweco’s global teams are enriched by over 22,000 people with different expertise, perspectives and experiences. Equal rights and opportunities in the workplace are fundamental cornerstones of Sweco’s everyday culture and of course our formal Code of Conduct.
It is estimated that 7.7 million people of working age in the UK are neurodiverse. For a company of Sweco’s size, an estimated 10 to 15 per cent of employees will have a visible or invisible ‘difference’. By exploring and fully understanding all needs, Sweco endeavours to ensure that everyone can thrive in the workplace.
Our strength lies in the collective and wide-ranging expertise of our employees – but also in our differences. We view diversity and inclusion as essential to creating an innovative and inspiring working environment, and actively promote equal rights and opportunities regardless of gender, ethnic origin, nationality, religious belief, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, socio-economic background or age.
- We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Under the Disability Confident Scheme we are committed to interview candidates that meet the minimum criteria for a role if they are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and opt in during the application process. Sweco is also a member of the Business Disability Forum, which gives us access to auditing activities designed to help our colleagues identify gaps against the assessment criteria for Disability Confident – and offer guidance on best practice.
- Learning & Development isn’t just a box we tick. We’re committed to developing talent and future-proofing your skills. Our approach allows you to learn-on-the-job and take advantage of all the support and education available to grow and stretch yourself, not just once but every single day. We nurture our #SwecoDifferenceMakers through an accessible digital learning platform, People@Sweco, as well as industry-leading talent development programmes and a structured, holistic approach to on-the-job learning.
- As signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, we join many of our clients and partners who have also pledged their commitment to support the members of the Armed Forces, by ensuring that these individuals and their families are treated fairly in the workplace and are fully integrated into the wider community. We are proud to be a forces-friendly consultancy and reinforce the value we place on the skills and expertise talented service personnel have developed in their military careers, which vastly enrich Sweco’s diverse culture.
- We have policies in place to help eliminate salary disparities for identical or equivalent work. Gender equality is a fundamental priority in Sweco’s Code of Conduct and sustainability mission, with a particular focus on the UN’s 5th Sustainable Development Goal.
- Flexible working is key to inclusivity at Sweco, and we are committed to providing adaptive working arrangements that are aligned to the needs and objectives of all our people – particularly our working parents and colleagues who require flexibility to not only manage neurodiversity but maximise its potential.
“Dyslexia isn’t a disability, it’s a different ability”
People with dyslexia are well suited to roles in engineering and consultancy as they often excel in areas such as complex problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, people management, and spatial visualisation. Sweco strives to build an open and inclusive culture, enabling colleagues to focus on their strengths. As a Disability Confident Employer, Sweco encourages employees with challenges such as dyslexia to make an assessment of reasonable adjustments that can be put in place during the recruitment and selection process.
Here, Megha Nagendra Wells, Technical Director, Energy Water and Environment, shares her experience of Dyslexia.
“I found out that I ‘have’ Dyslexia quite late – it was when I did my Master’s degree in UK when I was first diagnosed. Until then I just thought I was stupid. I went through all my childhood thinking I must be stupid. And the reason for this is that in school, we used to have exams and that is what I struggled with the most. I was a great learner when there were lessons and people talked to me and I absorbed all that knowledge. When it came to written tasks, that is when I struggled the most.”
I believe Dyslexia has had a really positive impact on my life – and this is what I want to scream and shout about! I love to champion something called Dyslexic Thinking on LinkedIn. For others who think they cannot be leaders because of Dyslexia, this platform highlights amazing content and insights that prove you can!
I am so happy that Sweco as a business creates more awareness around dyslexia. Dyslexia isn’t a disability, it’s a different ability….it is scientifically proven that dyslexic people think in a different way and we are great problem solvers. That’s how I look at it. And when I speak to others within our business, I’m quite vocal about it. Because they need to identify their strengths. It’s not a weakness, and this neurodiversity is a strength that we need to celebrate.
Sweco has been great and I have to give a big shout out to my line manager Stewart Craigie because he has been super supportive, because yes I do things slightly differently in terms of how I structure my day and work. But that has never been an issue. The support from my manager and team members has made me feel instantly accepted. That proves that we really want to have a diverse work force and we are willing to support.”
The starting point for meaningful inclusivity is not to try and do everything at once. You need to take steps – incremental steps. Nobody’s perfect. We’re all trying to navigate our way through our own experiences, but at the same time trying to understand the experiences of others.
Brian Rechere Divisional Manager for Transport & Urbanisation – and Diversity & Inclusion Sponsor for our UK Leadership team