Our core focus is accessibility and inclusion, and we aim to create a web that works for everyone
Tackling economic inequality
We recognise people with great talent in tech can come from any background – but that more opportunities are needed for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to enter and succeed.
According to the 2019 BIMA Tech Inclusion and Diversity Report 1 in 5 people had no previous tech experience and 23% said they were self-taught. 44% of respondents were the first generation of their family to go to university, a little lower than the national picture.
As part of our commitment to tackling economic inequality, we ensure our job ads are fair and clear. We make potential a core component of recruitment, we balance the weighting of transferable and technical skills, and we emphasise competence rather than qualifications.
All staff are paid fairly (we pay all staff above the Living Wage).
We pay attention to the company culture, sharing a narrative about why socio-economic diversity is important. We support staff with opportunities to develop and progress.
We collaborate with organisations working to improve opportunities for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds by:
- Taking part in the BIMA Digital Day to encourage students to think about careers in tech
- Providing work experience, internships and apprenticeships opportunities
- Donate old equipment to local organisations
We have signed the Digital Poverty Alliance charter for digital inclusion.
Equal Opportunity
We make websites that work for everyone. We are committed to the concept of a ‘web for all’.
Our websites and web apps give a positive, inclusive user experience.
The minimum accessibility standard on our websites is WCAG 2.2 Level AA, though we strive for Level AAA.
We advocate for accessibility by writing on our blog, speaking at conferences and working in partnership with our clients.
Amplify, our open source accessible front end starter kit inspires other web developers on their accessibility journey.
We started a conversation in the industry about the lack of accessibility for CMS content editors and worked with Craft CMS to address this need.
We are committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion – and eliminating unlawful discrimination – in our workforce, with our clients, and the general public. We do this through a number of initiatives:
- Our equal opportunities policy covers all the protected groups and forms part of our employment contract.
- We do not discriminate directly or indirectly on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, care experience in the provision of services to our customers, the public, and as an employer.
- We have developed an inclusive recruitment policy and we monitor the diversity of candidates when recruiting to review if we are getting applicants from a range of diverse backgrounds.
- We monitor diversity in our workforce to benchmark diversity in our workplace to help identify areas of under-representation.
- We run training with staff when they join on what our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion means in practice.
- We also run regular culture surveys which ask staff questions to determine whether we have a respectful and inclusive culture, and we consistently score highly on these.
- We are a long-term sponsor of the DevelopHer Awards. These awards aim to raise the profile of women in technology and create role models to inspire the next generation to join them.
Fighting Climate Change
We recognise we are in a climate emergency. It is our policy to minimise our carbon emissions and reduce the impact of our work on the environment.
Wellbeing
We want a workplace where people experience positive wellbeing and are able to be productive. We’ve adopted the ACAS framework for positive mental health at work.
As employers we: Lead and embed a strategy of wellbeing, reduce stigma, tackle the causes of workplace stress, support and train managers, understand the impact that personal issues can have on wellbeing.
As managers we: Build rapport with staff, plan work with ‘people’ in mind, have confidence and knowledge in managing mental health, handle difficult conversations effectively, support work-life balance.
As individuals we: Look after our own wellbeing, use positive coping strategies, identify personal stress triggers, engage with line managers, take notice and support colleagues.
Our strategies to achieve the above include: Two mental health first aiders, flexible working, regular 1:1s which focus on the whole person and their energy levels, not just work priorities.
We empower our staff to do their best work.
- We have two mental health first aiders
- Our Head of Delivery won a DevelopHer Award in 2022 for her work in supporting staff mental health.
- We use ‘know your team’ to build a culture of feedback to support progression.
Community
We use our skills to give back to the community. Some of our personal projects include:
- Simon, MD, is Chair of Trustees for the Cambridge Film Trust. He uses his business skills to support the trust with their strategic and financial planning of the Cambridge Film Festival.
- Emma, Client Services Director, uses her skills of strategic planning as a trustee of the Elizabeth Coteman Fund to support people living with pancreatic cancer.
- Kate, Marketing Manager, is a trustee of Cherry Hinton Hub (a new community centre being built in South Cambridge). She uses her marketing skills for PR, fundraising and publicity production to engage residents and businesses with the project.
As an agency:
- We sponsor and help to organise CamCreatives. A free monthly meet up of creative minds, with speakers aiming to inspire and entertain.
- We are always happy to encourage and support students who are thinking about a career in digital.
- We take interns from Howest University in Belgium – offering the students valuable agency experience and giving them a chance to test their skills by contributing to our projects.
- We take Year 10 students on work experience and show them all the different sides to a career in digital from project management to programming.