A diverse and inclusive workplace

At the Mental Health Foundation, we are committed to making sure people in the UK live mentally healthier lives. We know that to achieve this, we need diversity of thought, background and experience reflected in every part of our organisation and work.

At the Mental Health Foundation, we are committed to making sure people in the UK live mentally healthier lives. We know that to achieve this, we need diversity of thought, background and experience reflected in every part of our organisation and work.

We work hard to recruit, develop and retain talented people representing our society. We welcome applicants from different backgrounds with different experiences and perspectives and actively build diversity, equity and inclusion into our work.

Hands coming together

We do this by:

  • having the Chair of our Board and a Senior Sponsor responsible for diversity and inclusion
  • setting Foundation-wide anti-racist, bias-free diversity and inclusion objectives
  • measuring and reporting on our performance on a regular basis
  • having diverse interview panels who have taken part in unconscious bias training
  • measuring diversity throughout the recruitment process
  • making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace
  • ensuring that all applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum essential criteria are guaranteed an interview
  • using diverse job boards where possible
  • 121 and group coaching opportunities for staff
  • investing in customised and inclusive learning and development for staff
  • mental health and well-being training for all staff
  • we are signatories of the Disability Confident Scheme, Business in the Community Race at Work Charter and ACEVO diversity in leadership principles

Fostering a sense of belonging, where everyone feels welcome and can bring their true self to work, is a priority for us. It is important that staff from all backgrounds with different lived experiences can share their experiences and listen to and understand their colleagues better, in line with our continuous learning culture. We have done this through reverse mentoring and Peer Inclusion Group listening sessions. We continue to work with our staff to ensure diverse insights and experiences inform our decision-making.

We also recognise that having engaged teams is crucial to our organisational, team and personal success. We make sure that our staff team remain engaged and that their voices are included by carrying out staff surveys, working with our Employee Resource Groups and a Staff Engagement Group, with representatives from each team across the organisation.

Find out more about our big commitments

Recruitment monitoring

We are committed to compliance with all aspects of equality legislation and work hard to build on this across all employment policies and practices. We prioritise providing an inclusive recruitment experience and supportive working environment that is welcoming to people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented communities.

While not mandatory, we encourage all applicants to complete our equal opportunities monitoring form. Good quality data helps us hold ourselves to account and assess our performance.

During the recruitment process, we invite you to complete the equal opportunities monitoring form when you apply for a job and again if you join us. All your data is confidential and anonymised into statistical information by restricted authorised personnel for monitoring purposes only. You will never be identified as this data is stored, accessed and handled in accordance with the best practice of the Data Protection Act (2018). You are not disadvantaged in any way should you choose not to complete the form.

We occasionally use recruitment agencies that we ensure are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion too.

Disability Confident

The Disability Confident scheme supports employers in making the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.

Disability Confident Committed logo

Business in the Community (BITC)

Business in the Community (BITC) is the largest and longest established business-led membership organisation dedicated to responsible business. It was established in 1982, with HRH The Prince of Wales as the Royal Founding Patron.

The Prince's Responsible Business Network logo
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