Inclusive Culture Award — Assessment Questionnaire

Does your organisation offer paid parental leave that applies equally regardless of gender — with a formal policy actively communicated to all employees and managers?

Answer yes only if the policy is gender-neutral in design and actively promoted, not just available in principle.

Do employees across all levels have access to formally approved flexible or hybrid working arrangements — and is uptake tracked and reported internally?

Formally approved means structured policy, not dependent on individual manager discretion.

Do you conduct regular, structured employee listening — such as engagement surveys, belonging indices or inclusion pulse checks — with results reported to leadership and used to inform action?

Answer yes only if results are shared with senior leadership and drive documented follow-up.

Does your organisation have active, resourced Employee Resource Groups or inclusion networks with executive sponsorship?

Active means meeting regularly with a budget, mandate and a named executive sponsor — not simply existing.

Do all line managers receive structured training on inclusion, psychological safety or employee wellbeing — with completion tracked at organisational level?

Answer yes only if this is mandatory or actively monitored, not optional or ad hoc.

How many weeks of fully paid parental leave do primary caregivers receive — and what is the equivalent for secondary caregivers? State both.

What percentage of employees currently use a formally approved flexible or hybrid working arrangement — and how has this changed over two years?

What measurable improvement has your organisation recorded in employee engagement, inclusion, belonging or wellbeing scores over the past two years? Name the methodology and state baseline vs current.

How many employees participated in wellbeing, inclusion, caregiving support or mental health programmes in the past 12 months — and what percentage of the workforce is this?

What percentage of employees who took primary parental leave remained with the organisation 12 months after returning — and how does this compare to your overall retention rate?

What specific workplace challenge, employee need or cultural gap prompted this initiative — and what data made the case for action?

Be specific about what the problem looked like in practice. Cite internal data, survey findings or employee listening that triggered the response.

Describe the policies, programmes or cultural changes introduced — and explain how employees were involved in shaping them.

Judges look for evidence of co-design and relevance across different employee groups, life stages or backgrounds.

What impact has this had on employee experience, inclusion or retention — and what makes your approach genuinely sustainable?

Include quantitative results and qualitative evidence such as employee feedback, testimonials or leadership reflections.