DE&I – Why it matters to us 

Here at the Dee Set Group, our greatest strength lies within our powerful and dynamic workforce. We strive to create a working environment where we have the opportunity to celebrate the individual differences of our colleagues, which we aim to champion in any way that we can.  

We recognise that we have a responsibility to make sure that our colleagues feel valued, seen and respected. This is the reason why we are making our commitment as a business to make improvements to our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) practices. We’re committed to taking a proactive approach to DE&I as we work hard to progress our future as a group. Embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace is a journey, but we’re excited for what lies ahead!

Each DE&I element is important, they are interconnected but different 

Diversity refers to the broad spectrum of groups within a community or population, encompassing aspects such as ethnicity, religion, abilities and sexual orientation. 

Equity highlights the act of providing fair and just treatment to all, irrespective of their self-identifications. 

Inclusion involves the proactive participation of all members within that community or population.  

To firmly establish DE&I within the Dee Set group, it is vital that each element is integrated into every aspect of our workplace. Only then will we be on the journey to shaping a positive workforce and working environment. 

Earlier this year, we we’re delighted to further our relationship with Grocery Aid after becoming a recognised Major Partner in the Charity’s D&I Programme. This was a big step for the company and reflects our continuous dedication to advancing inclusion and diversity both inside our organisation and throughout the broader grocery industry. By collaborating with other clients including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda & Co-op, Dee Set will be helping to safeguard and support grocery industry colleagues nationwide. 

Partners of the programme received access to a 12-month D&I Programme comprising of 12 live webinars throughout the year, a cross-industry mentoring programme and shared learning materials. Because of this opportunity we can are in a great position where we can nurture our own DE&I agenda.

Dee Set Colleague Survey

In late October, we launched a colleague survey which was sent out to each and every one of our colleagues. We introduced the survey as a way to compile their thoughts, experiences, and suggestions regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here at Dee Set. We value the perspectives of our colleagues and understand that their feedback is crucial in helping us shape the future of our organisation. We think it is fundamental that everyone has an input into what the company looks and feels like and we want to ensure that we meet the needs of our diverse workforce. 

Once we received all the responses, the survey was used to shape our DE&I efforts, moving forward to build a more inclusive and equitable Dee Set. 

DE&I Allyship

Following the success of our colleague survey, we launched our DE&I Allyship. Our allyship was created to help us build a feeling of community in our workforce. The aim of the allyship is to make everyone feel that they are celebrated, that they belong and that there are equal opportunities for all. 

The allyship also aims to provide resources, education, and opportunities for everyone to actively participate in fostering an inclusive culture. Members of the allyship will help to shape the support and resources available to our colleagues, as well as influence how we adapt and evolve as a modern business. 

We’re currently in the process of recruiting people who’d like to become allies. We feel that they will be a great support in helping us to set the foundations of making our workplace inclusive. We believe that forming this allyship is a powerful way to foster positive change and support one another on our DE&I journey. 

Diversity, equity and inclusion are not just buzz words for us. We want to show our colleagues and the wider industry that we value them and that we understand the importance of being a progressive, forward thinking workplace. We want everyone to feel comfortable to show up as their authentic selves and encourage them to do so.  

The Allyship will consist of likeminded colleagues who will come together to support specific communities that need championing. They will also be responsible for reviewing our practices policies and processes to ensure fairness and to eliminate bias. 

Adding to this, we hope to create an open feedback culture where everyone is seen, heard and their concerns are addressed promptly.  

In the context of DE&I, an ally is someone who possesses the power to create change. It is someone who advocates and speaks up for underrepresented or marginalised groups inside and outside of the workplace. Allies are capable of creating safe spaces for those who feel invisible or underrepresented at work as a result of historical policies and practices that have failed them. 

What are the benefits for creating a DE&I positive workplace? 

DE&I can help to foster a sense of belonging to employees – By celebrating the individual difference of employees, people with various backgrounds will feel accepted as part of the team and will want to work with their colleagues as their true selves.  

It can help to increase morale - A more inclusive workplace can help employees feel they are being treated equitably which may reduce the feeling of burnout by building a more positive workplace culture. This can also further improve employee motivation. 

It attracts more people to the business - By focusing on DE&I, we’ll attract a diverse range of employees who also share our values. It will help us in developing a powerful workforce of qualified candidates who enjoy working at Dee Set. 

It enables new perspectives and innovation – All of our employees offer something new to the business. With the collective intelligence of the teams it means that we can easily think of new ideas for the business and solve problems quickly. 

We’re making great progress to advancing our DE&I commitments across the Dee Set Group. We hope that our efforts are a huge step into creating a long-lasting culture of diversity, equity and Inclusion in the business. We hope you can join us in the journey of supporting each other and helping us to build a community where everyone can be themselves.