Page 46 – Business in the Community

Alan Lusty

Alan Lusty wearing an adi group branded shirt, sits at a table

Alan Lusty

Chief Executive Officer,
adi Group

West Midlands Leadership Board

Alan Lusty is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kings Norton’s awarding winning adi Group. He began his engineering career as an instrument apprentice at Albright & Wilson (an international chemical manufacturer) based in Oldbury near to where he grew up. It was here that he developed a keen interest in engineering and developed his business skills.

In 1990, Alan founded adi Group with the vision to create a one stop shop for total engineered solutions. Since then he has grown adi from a one-man electrical engineering business operated from his own home, to a multi-disciplinary engineering services company with more than 30 service divisions, 11 regional locations and more than 630 employees. 

A former apprentice, Alan understands the importance of passing on skills to the next generation. To help combat the industry-wide skills shortage, he has created opportunities to enable young people to gain experience in the world of engineering.

The group launched its apprentice academy in 2014 and created the UK’s first engineering pre-apprentice programme in partnership with North Bromsgrove High School, which launched in September 2016. Since its launch 36 students have been part of the programme, with 50 per cent of the first intake electing to stay on at adi Group as full-time engineering apprentices. 

Under Alan’s watchful eye, the group continues to grow from strength to strength offering services and engineering solutions to large UK and Irish blue-chip manufacturers. 

Alan’s passion for Formula 1 racing has shaped much of the way of working within the group, as well as incorporating this ethos into the adi brand’s vision and business model to create a winning team.

Andrew Whitehead

Andrew Whitehead smiling at an event

Andrew Whitehead

Senior Partner and Head of Energy,
Shakespeare Martineau LLP

West Midlands Leadership Board

Andrew Whitehead is a Partner and Head of Energy and Climate Change at SGH Martineau, a leading law firm. Andrew joined Martineau in 1986 as a trainee when it was Ryland Martineau, becoming a partner in 1994. He launched the firm’s energy practice in 1995, and became head of the Commercial Group in 2006. Andrew is also an elected member of Martineau’s executive management board.

Andrew has considerable experience of energy and water sector issues, with a particular emphasis in recent times on climate crisis initiatives and environmental sustainability. He has worked for major utility companies in the electricity, gas and water sectors for many years, as well as renewable developers. Andrew is a regular in the “Top 50” Midlands Lawyers list and recognised in the legal directories for his particular expertise in relation to electricity transmission, gas metering and balancing services.

Since 2007, Andrew has been leading Martineau’s’s involvement in the Legal Sector Alliance as a founder member, and through the LSA is working to spread awareness among law firms, in-house counsel and barristers’ chambers of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable best practice.

Andrew lives in Warwick with his wife and daughter, and is an enthusiastic pianist and blues guitarist.

Kevin Davis

Kevin Davis mid-presentation

Kevin Davis

Chief Executive Officer,
The Vine Trust 

West Midlands Leadership Board

Kevin Davis is Chief Executive Officer of The Vine Trust Group, a pioneering education, employment and empowerment social enterprise. He serves on Business in the Community’s (BITC) West Midlands Leadership Board, following a 2012 Seeing is Believing visit to his, then embryonic, St Matthew’s Education Quarter. The Education Quarter has since matured into a multi-million pound community hub. Kevin has an intrinsic talent for conceptualising and communicating vision to empower consensus across the public, private and third sector for the achievement of common goals.

Kevin is a prolific social entrepreneur, having set up international apprenticeship schemes and three secondary schools. He co-set up The Vine Trust’s Mercian Multi Academy Trust of nine eclectic secondary schools in the West Midlands.

As well as sitting on BITC’s West Midland’s leadership board, Kevin serves his local community as an Economic Inclusion Lead on the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership. He is also non-executive Lead for health inequalities at NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board.

Simon Rice-Birchall

Simon Rice-Birchall smiling at the camera

Simon Rice-Birchall

Partner,
Eversheds Sutherland

Yorkshire and Humber Leadership Board

Simon is a partner in the Employment Group at Eversheds Sutherland, a global, multinational law firm.

He has considerable experience of employment litigation and has a reputation in the marketplace for his discrimination law expertise: Simon has been responsible for a number of high-profile discrimination cases over the past ten years and continues to build this area of his practice. In addition, Simon’s contentious workload includes unfair dismissal, whistle-blowing and executive terminations.

In addition to his contentious practice, Simon also gives advice in relation to non-contentious matters such as the implications of the TUPE regulations in many different change situations, issues relating to proposals to change terms and conditions of employment and large scale redundancy exercises.

Simon is described in Chambers by sources as “sharp, on the ball and highly efficient”. He is a recommended lawyer in Legal 500.

Giles Taylor

A close up of Giles Taylor smiling

Giles Taylor

Partner,
KPMG

Yorkshire and Humber Leadership Board

Giles Taylor is a Corporate Finance and Private Capital Partner at KPMG leading transactions and client relationships across the north of England. He also leads the KPMG-wide focus on property, construction and building products in the region.

Giles has been a Corporate Finance Advisor for well over 15 years and has completed transactions over a wide range of sectors. A particular mergers and acquisition focus has been property, construction and building products. These have included; the £38m sale of Motherwell Bridge to Cape PLC, the sale of TSC Foods for Key Capital Partners, to Edward Billingtons, the £77m AIM flotation of Safestyle (UK) plc and the debt refinancing with RBS of independent housebuilder, Strata Group.

Giles is married with two children and when he gets anytime away from work and watching kids in their sporting pursuits, he loves to keep fit cycling having a best friend in Zwift!

Peter Westall

Peter Westall

Peter Westall

Chief Values Officer,
Midcounties Co-operative

West Midlands Leadership Board

Pete Westall is the Chief Values Officer for The Midcounties Co-operative, and has worked for the society for 30 years. 

Pete is part of the executive team at Midcounties, one of the largest independent consumer co-operatives in the UK. The society is engaged in markets including food, post offices, travel, utilities, pharmacy, funeral care, and childcare. The business is shaped by the Co-operative principles and built on core values of democracy, openness, equality and social responsibility.

As Chief Values Officer, Pete’s role is to ensure co-operative values and principles are at the heart of the society. Pete has a background in both retail and responsible business, and believes all businesses have a responsibility to the communities in which they trade.

Besides his role at Business in the Community, Pete is also a Director of Bright Future, an organisation dedicated to the employment of survivors of modern slavery.  

Outside work he is a keen tennis player, and past Chairman and President at Woodstock tennis club.

Capturing Ethnicity Data

Three factsheets to help organisations take action on capturing ethnicity data, a crucial first step towards ethnicity pay gap reporting.

Business in the Community’s (BITC) Race at Work Charter has five calls to action*. These three factsheets support action two: Capture ethnicity data and publicise progress. Capturing ethnicity data is important to establishing a baseline and measuring progress. It is also a crucial step towards an organisation being able to report on its ethnicity pay gap.

Factsheet one: 10 reasons to monitor ethnicity

This document lists ten reasons for capturing ethnicity data that you can use to make the case for action within your organisation.

CAPTURING ETHNICITY DATA
TEN REASONS TO MONITOR ETHNICITY

Factsheet two: What should employers monitor in terms of ethnicity?

You want to be confident that you understand the ethnic composition of your workforce, to
take advantage of the benefits that a diverse workforce offers both the employee and the organisation. So ideally you should monitor ethnicity and use the data to ask and answer a range of questions at every stage of the employment cycle.

CAPTURING ETHNICITY DATA
WHAT SHOULD EMPLOYERS MONITOR

Factsheet three: Five steps to a successful monitoring programme

The focus of this factsheet is the practical things that you need to consider when you start capturing the ethnicity data of your workforce or improve the response rate and quality of the data about your workforce that you may already hold.

CAPTURING ETHNICITY DATA
FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL MONITORING

About the Race at Work Charter

The Race At Work Charter builds on the work of work of the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review, Race in the workplace. The review found that people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds were underemployed, underpromoted and under-represented at senior levels. That review concluded that ‘the time for talking is over. The time to act is now.’ BITC launched the Race at Work Charter to support businesses to take action.

The Race at Work Charter contains seven calls to action*:

  1. Appoint an executive sponsor for race.
  2. Capture ethnicity data and publicise progress.
  3. Commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment and bullying.
  4. Making equality in the workplace the responsibility of all leaders and managers.
  5. Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression.
  6. Support inclusion allies in the workplace
  7. Include Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse-led enterprise owners in supply chains

* In October 2021 two additional commitments were added to the Race at Work Charter: Support race inclusion allies in the workplace and; Include Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse-led enterprise owners in supply chains. Find out more about the Race at Work Charter.

IMPROVE WORKPLACE EQUALITY

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RACE AT WORK CHARTER

The Business in the Community Workwell Model

A widely endorsed framework for embedding health and wellbeing into organisational culture.

The Workwell Model

Thriving People,Thriving Business, Thriving Communities

The model is evidence-based, widely endorsed and positions thriving people at the heart of organisational purpose, culture and business strategy, enabling sustainable, employee health and wellbeing. It provides a unique “gold standard” framework for an intersectional and inclusive approach, enabling individuals, teams and organisations to thrive.

BITC defines workplace wellbeing as employees feeling satisfied and energised with and by their work and finding purpose in their careers. Thriving employees are those who report high workplace wellbeing. What makes for thriving employees is the mutually supportive relationship between mental, physical, financial, social and environmental health.

Health and wellbeing are key components of Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Map.

cOMMIT TO REVOLUTIONISING
WELLBEING AT WORK

MAKE THE WORKWELL COMMITMENT

The Workwell Model explained

Leadership

UK PLC has made considerable strides in raising mental health awareness, but this is not translating into mainstream improvements. ​

We need to tackle the systemic root causes of poor mental health by leaders owning the creation of good work that enhances wellbeing, and improves productivity.

Actions:

  • Consciously advocate role model behaviours that promote health and wellbeing.
  • Enable an inclusive culture by embedding wellbeing into management accountability and operational policies and tools.
  • Publicly report on your wellbeing performance in external communications such as annual reports.

Resource to get your organisation started:
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standards 1 2, 3 and 6

Better health and wellbeing

Take a whole-person approach to wellbeing. The four pillars of wellbeing are physical, mental, financial and social health and wellbeing. All of which are inextricably linked.

Actions

  • Focus on three areas:

Prevention (primary focus)
Early intervention
Active rehabilitation

  • Create environments that enable employees to make informed, healthy choices.
  • Encourage employees to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing.

Resources to get your organisation started:

Webinar: BITC An Introduction to Wellbeing – An Introduction to Wellbeing
Toolkits: BITC and Public Health England suite of Toolkits
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standards 3 and 5

Better work

Create good work and working conditions that enhance employee wellbeing.

Actions:

  • Audit the mental health risks in your workplace, as well as physical ones, and develop a plan for minimising them.
  • Increase leadership and management’s understanding of the positive and negative impact work can have on employees and hold them accountable.
  • Regularly monitor and report on working conditions and always include employee feedback.

Resources to get you started:

Report: Health and Safety Executive stress at work
Risk Assessment: Health and Safety Stress Risk Assessment
Survey Report: CIPD Good Work Index
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standard 2


Better management

Make employee mental health ‘business as usual’ for all leaders and people managers.

Actions:

  • Embed the prioritisation of good mental health as a core competency for people managers.
  • Recognise and reward empathy and compassion.
  • Ensure comprehensive training reaches all managers and includes the impact work can have on employees and how to prioritise employee health and wellbeing.

Resources to get your organisation started:

Report: BITC Mental Health at Work 2019 – Time to Take Ownership
Webinar: BITC Mental Health at Work 2019 -Time to Take Ownership
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standards 2, 3 and 6

A series of videos were produced to launch the BITC Mental Health at Work 2019 – Time to Take Ownership report, featuring employees and managers from Anglian Water, Costain, Bupa, Santander, National Grid, and Lloyds Banking Group.

Better specialist support

Take an inclusive and employee-led approach to providing support.

Actions:

  • Develop active listening and communication skills and introduce training on tailored workplace adjustments and modifications.
  • Training for employees to equip them to manage their wellbeing better.
  • Provide and promote access to diverse inclusive health and wellbeing services and facilities such as employee assistance programmes and occupational health.

Resources to get your organisation started:

Toolkit: BITC / Public Health England Health and wellbeing toolkit suite for employers
Publications: Business Disability Forum publications
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standard 5

Inclusive culture

Employers must adopt a tailored employee-led approach to address workplace culture that recognises the complex needs of different groups.

Actions:

  • Promote and implement zero-tolerance policies and guidelines.
  • Collect diversity data to inform your health and wellbeing strategy.
  • Consider wellbeing through the multiple, intersectional lenses required for people to bring their whole self to work.

Resources to get you started:

BITC Focus Area: Age and multigenerational teams
BITC Focus Area: Gender
BITC Focus Area: Race
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standard 3

Collaboration with stakeholders

Look externally for the best support or services and promote wellbeing among stakeholders. This network of external support helps improve both your organisation and build a movement towards achieving improved health and wellbeing.

Actions:

  • Work with other businesses, your supply chain, and partner organisations.
  • Use your industry network as a source of information and support.
  • Develop strategic partnerships with health and wellbeing charities, forums and professional bodies to keep up with developments.

Resources to get your organisation started.

Join Business in the Community: Together we can make change happen.
Standard: Mental Health at Work Commitment standard 4

Workwell Model evidence paper by Dr Fiona Adshead

Download the reference document:
Dr Fiona Adshead, Independent Wellbeing, Sustainability and Public Health Advisor and member of BITC’s Wellbeing Leadership Team

Next Steps

Business in the Community Workwell Self- Assessment banner

Take the Business in the Community Self-Assessment

Make the Business in the Community Workwell Commitment

Taking the Self Assessment and making the Business in the Community Workwell Commitment is free and open to organisations and businesses of all sizes and sectors.

Supporting resources

Prioritise People:
unlock the value of a thriving workforce

Numerous people forming the shape of a head depicting the need for businesses to priortise employee of health and wellbeing.

A game-changing report that makes a compelling business case for thriving people. 

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Prioritise People Report Insight Summary Deck

Numerous people forming the shape of a head depicting the need for businesses to priortise employee of health and wellbeing.

Initiate a boardroom discussion about the value of investing in a thriving workforce using our presentation deck.

DOWNLOAD THE SLIDE DECK

Your Job Can
Be Good
For You

Numerous people forming the shape of a head depicting the need for businesses to priortise employee of health and wellbeing.

Backing business
to revolutionise ways of working
in the UK

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

GLOBAL GOALS
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN

Graphic image of a heart trace with text saying '3 good health and wellbeing' reflecting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) or Global Goal 3
References
  1. Mental Health at Work 2019: Time To Take Ownership (2019)

Current vacancies

The One Smart Feed – Vacancy Filler