Diversity and Inclusion

At Openreach we build connections. We bring people together and we want our workplace to bring people together too - from all backgrounds and with their own unique experiences. We’re on a journey to becoming an even fairer and more inclusive employer, where everyone feels valued and supported for who they are.

As we embrace different perspectives, we can be more innovative and dynamic, helping us to find new and better solutions for our customers. When we reflect the diverse communities that we serve, we’re better positioned to respond to their needs.

We still have a lot to do – it’s a journey not a destination – but we’re working hard to make sure these aren’t just words. We’ve got big ambitions for representative recruitment across all our teams, and we’re listening to the diverse team members that are already part of the Openreach family.

Our commitments

In 2021, we published our Diversity and Inclusion commitments, laying out both where we were and where we wanted to be. We believe in transparency and that means being open about how we’re measuring up to our own targets.

So, in June 2022 we have published our Diversity and Inclusion report, Open to Everyone, which looks at our progress, as well outlining new programmes and initiatives that we’ve created since last year. It’s easy to say that we’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace – now you can see exactly what we're doing about it.

Download our Open to Everyone Report 2022

Download our D&I commitments 2021

Our Allies and People networks

We’ve created an Allies Programme – and we’ve got over 600 people across the business who want to drive education and awareness and celebrate our differences. They’ve signed up to be part of a network of allies, all of whom are learning how they can support their colleagues and make Openreach an actively inclusive place to work.

We’ve also got four People networks – Pride, Gender Equality, Ethnic Diversity, and Neurodiversity. These networks are run by, and for, our colleagues, and are a huge part of how we’re making sure that we’re listening and responding to the needs of the Openreach family. They advocate on behalf of the people they represent and champion their voices.

Below you can take a closer look at each of our People networks and find out more about the work they do.

Pride network

The Pride network represents the LGBTQ+ community within Openreach. The 700+ members drive education on LGBTQ+ issues throughout the company, raising awareness and advocating for inclusive policy changes. They also work with our Allies Programme to help make sure that everyone can be completely themselves at work - and be valued for who they are.

Gender Equality network

The Gender Equality network was set up to champion all genders – they help to raise awareness of inequality and to initiate positive change, from promoting International Women’s Day to driving awareness around Men’s Health. They’re also part of the Watch Me campaign, which has used ground-breaking linguistics research to create gender-neutral job adverts.

Ethnic Diversity network

For us to fully represent the communities that we serve, it’s vital that we not only recruit people from different ethnic backgrounds, but also retain and empower them. The Ethnic Diversity network works closely with the business to make sure that everyone has a voice, and drives all kinds of initiatives, from a calendar of religious and cultural events to reverse mentoring and senior career role models.

Neurodiversity network

The Neurodiversity network’s mission is to raise awareness within Openreach and to make sure that different ways of thinking are respected and valued. Their initiatives range from designing new ways to drive education on neurodiversity through E-Learning tools, to helping us change some our processes to make them more accessible to neurodiverse colleagues and candidates.

Meet our teams

From civil engineers to IT specialists, and from apprentices to graduates – we need talented people with a wide range of skills and experiences. As we bring Ultrafast full fibre broadband to more and more of the UK, there’s never been a more exciting time to work for Openreach.

Get to know our teams