Case Studies

  • “Chris, our CEO and the other leaders were very pleased with their work, I suspect we’ll be working with them again!”

    Jeremy Gautrey-Jones, Assistant Director Employee Experience, RSPCA

  • “Be The Riot has made it accessible for me to get over myself and start thinking about what we can do to be better rather than wallowing in what we’re not doing.”

    Emma Horsley, Head of Culture, Hawksmoor

  • “I recommended Be The Riot to our HR department for their Inclusive Recruitment programme because of how well received and impactful the Inclusive Leadership programme was. Inclusive Leadership will be the first module of our next cohort as we continue the momentum for our ED&I journey’’

    Joanna Hine, Snr. Learning & Development Manager, Eisai (EMEA)

RSPCA

“If we're to make a big impact on animal welfare, we need to be able to reach all communities”

Who: RSPCA

Size: 1600 employees and 6000 volunteers

Services: Inclusive Leadership and Inclusive Recruitment learning programme.

The Goal

The RSPCA wanted to give its leaders and managers a better understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and its relevance to the success of the organisation’s vision: “A world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion.” This also meant creating a more inclusive work environment and becoming more representative of the UK’s diverse population.

“We had done very little around EDI as an organisation, which was very much reflective of the makeup of the organisation and our support base.”

The Approach

It was crucial to start at the top, with the executive leadership team where there was already a desire to take action and lead by example.

Ahead of this, we delivered a pilot session with a group of directors who were already engaged with the topic and represented different parts of the organisation. This was a learning opportunity as much as a chance to test the content before rolling it out more widely. The content was tailored to the animal welfare sector providing space for critical issues to be discussed and relevant solutions put forward.

We facilitated an Inclusive Recruitment workshop for the central recruitment team, exploring how to reduce barriers and eliminate bias from the recruitment process. We supported drives to attract a broader pool of talent with a focus on Animal Rescue Officers who historically, weren’t from a diverse range of backgrounds. We then delivered Inclusive Interview workshops for the hiring managers, centred on a new, more inclusive approach and practical tips.

The Impact

The initial learning programme set a foundation that helped leaders recognise the importance of making EDI a priority. The RSPCA have now developed a new seven-year EDI strategy and hired a Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to lead it. There are plans to roll out the Inclusive Leadership programme across the whole organisation.

The animal rescue department has seen an increase in candidate diversity and the team has become more ethnically reflective of our diverse society. We’ve seen this in other parts of the organisation too.

Testimonial

“I would recommend Be The Riot’s programme, Chris, our CEO and the other leaders were very pleased with their work, I suspect we’ll be working with them again! The courses are well designed, and good value for money for a charity organisation.”

Jeremy Gautrey-Jones, Assistant Director Employee Experience, RSPCA.

Hawksmoor

“Be The Riot has made it accessible for me to get over myself and start thinking about what we can do to be better rather than wallowing in what we’re not doing.”

Who: Hawksmoor

Size: 1100 employees

Services: Inclusive Leadership, Inclusive Behaviours and Inclusive Recruitment learning programmes.

The Goal

Hawksmoor wanted to create a space for its leadership team to think more deeply about what diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) mean at the company. To be able to more clearly and authentically include that within the wider narrative. And then equip all leaders with the confidence and tools to have conversations about DEIB.

The Approach

We facilitated Inclusive Leadership workshops for the senior leadership team. The approach was to start at the top to ensure leaders lead by example and hold each other to account. To have them start by looking inward before attempting to add initiatives or “fix things”. The leaders explored how their leadership style could be adapted to create a more inclusive culture and what specific behaviours they could adopt.

This was followed by Inclusive Behaviours workshops for the remaining leaders and managers (General managers, Restaurant managers, Bar managers etc.). Inviting them into the conversation, an opportunity to learn while also providing clarity on the company’s stance and approach to DEIB. Focusing on the basic principles of being inclusive managers and the language to support that.

All workshops were tailored to the specific needs at Hawksmoor and reflective of shared challenges within hospitality. We strived to create a conversational and non-judgemental learning space.

The Impact

The DEIB-focused learning is still ongoing at Hawksmoor and DEIB is more interwoven within the people strategy. Now, there’s a much clearer vision of what inclusion means in the company, with a shared language which is backed up by a new DEIB statement. A sense that everyone is part of the conversation and can have their say. There are now employee network groups that connect and discuss DEIB matters that are important to them; including women, LGBTQ+, Race & Culture and Disability.

There’s also been an impact on recruitment with new approaches to eliminate bias, attract talent from a diverse range of backgrounds and ensure all applicants get a fair chance.

“Something that we used to talk to hiring managers about was to find somebody who will be a culture fit in our company, but Nathan pointed out to us that we shouldn’t look for ‘fit’, we should look for ‘add’. That one word has made us think more broadly about what diversity could add and how it can transform the company.”

Testimonial

“BTR sessions with Nathan felt really personal – and we all feel like he connected with us, that we were able to have adult conversations with the support of an expert but without judgement. The workshops feel like a really useful and safe environment and it’s important that we feel inspired to make change afterwards. A previous EDI workshop that I took part in left me feeling guilty for not having got there sooner whereas BTR created a far safer space.”

Emma Horsley, Head of Culture, Hawksmoor.

Eisai

“It's about making people question themself: I think I'm being inclusive. I think that I'm doing the right thing. But am I doing the right thing?... And not to just assume that they're doing the right thing.”

Who: Eisai

Size: 1500 employees (EMEA)

Services: Inclusive Leadership learning programme.

The Goal

  • Prioritise EDI: place more of an intentional focus on EDI, communicate its importance and encourage this to flow throughout the business.

  • Increase knowledge: give managers a better understanding of EDI principles, the lived experiences of various groups and the practical tools to support inclusion.

  • Increase awareness: promote self-awareness for managers to be more mindful of their decision-making, and their actions, resulting in less groupthink and bias.

  • Embed a “Safe Space” culture: increase trust levels and create a workplace culture where employees feel comfortable bringing their true authentic selves to work.

The Approach

  • We delivered a tailored Inclusive Leadership programme for a selection of middle managers from across the globe who were part of the company’s EVOLVE leadership programme.

  • A principal aim was to support them to embed EDI principles into their leadership and create a top-down ripple effect across their teams.

  • We collaborated with the learning and development manager to develop learning content that fits seamlessly into the leadership programme. The content reflected the company philosophies and complimented the other course modules, drawing on common themes and reflecting back to core principles.

  • We tailored the learning content to reflect the cultural practices and legislation in the various countries people worked in.

  • We facilitated a separate condensed remote session for leaders in Australia, Russia and other affiliated members who could not attend the in-person sessions.

  • The programme included constructive and disruptive conversations to allow employees to challenge their own thinking and seek other perspectives. We created space for self-reflection to ensure the learning could settle and take root.

“As we are encouraging our employees to be authentic and bring their true selves to work, we needed facilitators who embodied that. I thought Nathan was the perfect fit for us because he was really genuine, he had factual knowledge and he was happy to share his lived experiences.”

The Impact

  • Eisai received great feedback from participants, stating that they felt involved, encouraged, appreciated and included. And we're able to tackle sensitive subjects in a way that felt comfortable and authentic.

  • They have launched a mentor programme focusing on inclusive management skills, personal growth and broader business acumen to support progression. Many participants signed up to be mentors around the business to further embed their leadership learning.

Testimonial

“I recommended Be The Riot to our HR department for their Inclusive Recruitment programme because of how well received and impactful the Inclusive Leadership programme was. Inclusive Leadership will be the first module of our next cohort as we continue the momentum for our ED&I journey.’’

Joanna Hine, Snr. Learning & Development Manager, Eisai (EMEA).